Benedict beats Albany State, 17-12

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ALBANY, Ga. – The Benedict College Tigers dominated the time of possession and defeated Albany State University 17-12 on Saturday afternoon at the ASU Coliseum, giving the Tigers their first win over the Golden Rams since 2008.

Benedict had the ball for 37:08, compared to just 22:52 for the Golden Rams. Benedict’s defense stopped Albany State’s rushing attack, holding the Golden Rams to 60 yards rushing on 22 carries. McKinley Habersham, who entered the game as the SIAC’s second-leading rusher and averaging 100 yards per game, was held to only one yard on four carries.

Benedict improves to 6-2 overall with its fourth straight win and 4-1 in the SIAC. Albany State falls to 5-4 overall and 3-2 in the SIAC. Benedict wraps up the regular season next week at home against Kentucky State. With Fort Valley State’s 52-7 win over Morehouse on Saturday, the Wildcats have clinched the SIAC East Division title by holding the tiebreaker over Benedict. Albany State plays Fort Valley State next week in the Fountain City Classic.

“It was just a good overall performance,” Benedict head coach Mike White said. “That drive we had, 90-some yard drive, really says a lot about the O-line and the running game today. We kind of controlled that. We made a few mistakes, but it was really a dominating performance by the defense.”

Benedict used a 16-play, 98-yard drive that ate up 8:46 off the clock in the second quarter to score on a two-yard quarterback sneak by Phillip Brown. Tory Mimbs added the extra point to give the Tigers a 14-0 lead they took into the halftime break.

“That’s kind of what I would like Benedict Tiger football to look like,” White said. “Being able to control the ball on the ground, being efficient on third downs. I was a little disappointed we weren’t up more than just two scores in the first half, but again, I’m just proud of the way our guys played for four quarters.”

Albany State entered the game with the SIAC’s top rushing offense, averaging 212.7 yards per game. Benedict held the Golden Rams to 60 yards on 22 carries. Benedict had 119 yards rushing on 47 carries. Albany State finished with 226 yards of total offense, but getting more than a third of those on a late fourth-quarter drive.

“Hats off to coach (Ronnie) Baker (Benedict defensive coordinator), he put together a great game plan and slowed them down and we were able to make some plays,” White said. “They’ve got some playmakers on that side, so it was great to hold them in check.”

The Tigers used another long, time-consuming drive in the third quarter. Benedict moved 72 yards on 16 plays that chewed up 7:32 off the clock. The drive started at the Benedict 12 and stalled at the Albany State 16, where Mimbs kicked a 34-yard field goal to make the score 17-0 with 1:22 left in the third period.

Albany State closed the gap with a pair of touchdowns in the fourth quarter. A bad snap on a fourth-down punt sailed past Mimbs and the Golden Rams took over at the Benedict 21. On the next play, Kelias Williams threw a 21-yard pass to Mike Green. Gabriel Ballinas’ extra point attempt bounced off the upright, making it 17-6 with 10:25 remaining.

The Rams put together their best offensive drive of the game late in the fourth quarter, moving 83 yards on 11 plays. Starting quarterback Chancellor Johnson, who struggled most of the day and was replaced by Williams for most of the second half, completed a 21-yard touchdown pass to Green to cut the lead to 17-12 with just 52 seconds left in the game. The Golden Rams attempted a two-point conversion, but Johnson’s pass attempt failed. Albany State attempted an on-sides kick, but the Tigers recovered and ran out the final 50 seconds to secure just their second victory over Albany State since resuming football in 1995.

Benedict opened the scoring in the first quarter with a two-yard touchdown run by Brandon Jordan that capped off a nine-play, 75-yard drive.

Phillip Brown completed 10-of-19 passes for 117 yards and was also Benedict’s leading rusher with 40 yards on 10 carries.

“I thought he had a great game,” White said. “I thought he came in and did some good things and made some good decisions and really helped us win this game today.”

Edward Kirkland led the defense with six tackles.

For White, who won 112 games in 15 seasons as head coach of Albany State, the game was significant in showing how he’s turned the Benedict program around in three years.

“It’s a big win. I know what the Albany program is and what it’s about, so it’s a big win for our program going forward,” White said.

Benedict will host Kentucky State next week. The Tigers will honor 12 seniors. The game is also designated as Take A Kid To The Game Day and Benedict is offering free admission to all youths.

Benedict College contributed to the writing of this article.