Benedict looks to bounce back against Lane College

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WOLO) – The Benedict College Tigers look to bounce back from last week’s heartbreaking overtime loss to Limestone when they return home to take on the Lane College Dragons at 6 p.m. Saturday in Charlie W. Johnson Stadium.

Benedict will be looking to snap a two-game losing streak to Lane, with the Dragons winning in the final minutes both years. A year ago, Lane kicked a field goal with 1:23 on the clock for a 19-18 victory. Two years ago in Columbia, the Dragons rallied for a 23-19 victory after a 66-yard pass with the clock winding down to set up the game-winning touchdown with 1:11 remaining. Saturday’s game will be live web streamed, and air on WXLC Kiss 103.1 FM, with an audio stream available. Fans can also follow along with live stats.

“That part we remember and we’re going to have to play well for all four quarters and finish that fourth quarter,” Benedict head coach Mike White said.

Finishing the fourth quarter was a problem last week on the road in Gaffney. The Tigers took a 14-7 lead early in the fourth quarter, but Limestone tied the game on the next series, using a 42-yard pass on third-and-30 to keep the drive alive. White said the loss stung for a few days, but the players have put it behind them and have worked hard to focus on the challenge that Lane possesses.

The Dragons have one of the top running backs in the SIAC in Marcus Holliday. He led the conference with 1,126 rushing yards last season, 34 more yards than Benedict’s George Myers Jr. In Lane’s season-opener, he rushed for 148 yards against Texas College. Last week against Morehouse, the Maroon Tigers stopped Holliday and the Lane ground game, holding Holliday to just 23 yards and the Dragons were held to minus 25 yards on the ground. White is hoping the Tigers can use that same game plan and shut down the Dragons on the ground.

“They did have a real tough time trying to run the ball against Morehouse. For us, we have to keep them from running the football and force them in the air,” White said. “They have a lot of speed at the wide receiver and they have probably the best running back in the conference. And they’ve got a very athletic quarterback. We’ll have our work cut out for us to hold those guys down.”

White wants the Tigers to establish a strong ground game, but he is more concerned about seeing some improvement in the passing game. Benedict quarterback Dominique Harris has completed 42.8 percent of his passes (21-of-49) in the first two games with one touchdown and two interceptions.

“They’ll attack you with their front seven. So we’re going to have to do a job protecting the quarterback and get the ball out to some of the receivers and hit them with some runs inside,” White said. “Offensively, we’re going to have to complete some passes. We’re going to have to throw the ball and complete some passes and catch the ball. Last week, we just had the worst time catching the football for some reason. We’re going to have to do a better job of completing some passes and keeping us out of third and long and just bad situations down and distance wise.”

White said after last week’s loss, the team is anxious to rebound, especially against a team that has edged the Tigers in two close games the last two years. Despite being a conference opponent, this game is not designated as one of Benedict’s six conference games that will count towards the SIAC championship.

“After a tough loss, I think we’re back and we’ll be ready to play on Saturday,” White said.

Benedict Athletics contributed to the writing of this article.