Tigers look to clinch SIAC East Division Title Saturday
COLUMBIA, S.C. – After wrecking the last three Homecomings they’ve attended, the 15th-ranked and undefeated Benedict College Tigers return home to take part in Benedict’s Homecoming 2022.
Benedict (8-0 overall, 5-0 in the SIAC) will take on Clark Atlanta at 2 p.m. from Charlie W. Johnson Stadium. Tickets will be available for sale at the gate. A live stream will be available on HBCU League Pass Plus. Live stats will be available here.
Homecoming is always the largest crowd of the season. But this year, school officials are anticipating an even larger throng, as alumni and fans descent upon Columbia to see perhaps the best football team in school history.
Many of the scores and records before 1966, when Benedict dropped the football program for 29 years, are incomplete or unavailable. Of the records available, the best record in Benedict history was the 2009 team that went 8-3. A team in 1950 won at least seven games, and the team in 1949 won at least six games with several scores unavailable. Scores between 1911, Benedict’s first football team, and 1946, when football resumed after World War II, are scarce.
With a victory Saturday against the Panthers (3-5 overall, 2-3 SIAC), the Tigers will clinch a berth into the 2022 SIAC Championship, presented by Cricket on Nov. 12. This would be Benedict’s first-ever appearance in the SIAC football championship. The championship game will be played at the home of the East Division champion, so Benedict will host the SIAC title game with a win Saturday.
The Tigers blend a dominating defense with a versatile and dangerous offense. Benedict ranks second out of 163 Division II football playing schools in total defense, allowing opponents an average of 216.2 yards per game. Benedict held Morehouse to just 140 total yards in last week’s 35-0 victory. Benedict is giving up an average of 8.8 points per game, which also ranks second in the country.
On offense, Benedict has a balanced attack, averaging nearly 200 yards per game passing and nearly 160 yards per game rushing.
Saturday’s game will also serve as Senior Day for the Tigers. Benedict will recognize 20 seniors playing in their final home game. Four members of the cheerleading squad will also be recognized. Senior presentations will take place after the game.
