Benedict Hopes To Snap Streak vs. Stillman

COLUMBIA, S.C. (BC SID) — The Benedict College Tigers look to snap a two-game losing streak when they return home to take on the Stillman College Tigers on Saturday at Charlie W. Johnson Stadium. Kickoff is 2 p.m. The Tigers will be up against one of the top offenses in the SIAC, and stopping the Stillman juggernaut has been the primary focus during Benedict’s week of preparation. Stillman set season highs in rushing yards (268), passing yards (292), total offensive yards (560), passing touchdowns (six), sacks (5) and points (55) in last week’s 55-16 victory over Lane. “They’re clicking on all cylinders offensively,” said Benedict head coach James Woody. “We’ve got to be ready to shut them down.” Stillman (3-2 overall, 2-0 SIAC) leads the SIAC averaging 29.2 points per game and is second in the league in total offense per game (381.4 yards). Stillman is second in the conference gaining 203.4 yards per game on the ground. Stillman also leads the league when it makes it into the red-zone. The Stillman Tigers have scored on 16-of-18 (88.9%) appearances in the red zone, including 15 touchdowns. “It’s a challenge for our defensive line and our linebackers,” Woody said. “We’ve got to be able to stop the run. They run the football very well. We’ve got our work cut out for us, but we’re looking forward to the challenge and hopefully we can stop these guys, but they’re very intense running the football.” Benedict (2-3, 0-2 SIAC) ranks eighth in the SIAC in defense, giving up an average of 366.6 yards per game. Benedict has given up more than 200 yards rushing in each of the past two games. Stillman running back Jovontae Thurman ranks fifth in the SIAC at 81.8 yards per game on the ground. “Stillman is a great football team. They’ve got a great quarterback and a great running back in Thurman,” Woody said. “We expect them to run the football. That’s something we’ve got to do better to stop the run game to have an opportunity to win football games.” Benedict senior linebacker Evan Pegues is coming off a 16-tackle effort against Miles, a performance that earned him SIAC Defensive Player of the Week honors and a national recognition from Beyond Sports Network. “I was just doing everything coach told me to do. I just happened to be at the right spot at the right time, I guess,” Pegues said. “I still make my mistakes, but I’m going to do the best I can to give the team an opportunity to win. I don’t see myself as a leader. But I’m going to set the tone out there.” On the flip side, Benedict has had success throwing the ball with senior quarterback Cameron Stover, but the Tigers are averaging just 74 yards per game on the ground. Playing from behind last week against Miles, the Tigers were forced to throw a season-high 46 times to try and catch up and rushed for just seven yards on 20 carries. Developing a stronger running game has been another point of emphasis for the Benedict Tigers this week. “We’ve got to get our run game going,” Woody said. “We’ve got some good backs, some explosive backs, but I think we’ve got away from the running game, so we’re putting more emphasis on getting back to the things we did against Lane and Elizabeth City State University. You’ve got to be able to run the football. To win championships, you’ve got to have a balanced attack – manage the offense, keep the clock moving and keep the chains moving, and that’s what we’ll focus on this week. “The running game looked good this week. I guarantee you, you’ll definitely see a much better running game out of this football team on Saturday.” Benedict’s top rusher, George Myers Jr. is averaging 21.4 yards per game and is part of a five-deep backfield with each back averaging better than 10 yards per game. “All of our backs are good,” Myers said. “We have different skills. All of us can run the ball. Once we get that crease, we’ll just go.” Stillman coach Teddy Keaton said Benedict is a “scary” team that is close to being one of the top teams in the conference. “Benedict is one of those teams that’s scary to me,” Keaton said. “They’ve got a quarterback who can improvise on the run. He’s accurate as all get out. They’ve got a nice receiving corps. They’re moving along really well. I think it’s a scary game to watch. We haven’t dominated Benedict since I’ve been here. We’ve won all the matchups, but it’s been pretty close.” Keaton said the Benedict Tigers have talent on both sides of the ball. “They’ve got some playmakers,” Keaton said. On defense, 51 (Kelvin McCollum) and 30 (Charles Powell) have done a tremendous job of being around the ball. They’re quarterback does a great job of improvising and I think they’ve got some great receivers. They’ve got a defensive lineman number 94 (Anthony Lawson), he can pass rush, 24 (Evan Pegues) is very active. They’ve got some great guys all around the field. It’s just about then putting a game together and finishing for them. It’s one of those games you have to take real serious. That quarterback, if they can protect for him, he’s pretty accurate. They’re this close to turning the curve, and we’re going to come out with a great output and we’ve got to stay on our assignments when we’re covering those guys, the receiving corps. I think number 23 (Kendariss Brown) is a dominant receiver. Number 88 (Okechi Ntiasagwe) is a good receiver. I see a lot of great things on film that they could be a really good matchup for us.”