Tigers shut down Edward Waters, 34-0
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The 16th-ranked Benedict College Tigers picked up their second shutout of the season with a 34-0 victory over Edward Waters in their SIAC opener on Saturday, holding them to just 69 yards of offense.
The Tigers improve to 2-0 on the season, and 1-0 in the SIAC. Edward Waters falls to 0-2 overall and 0-1 in the SIAC.
“I’m very, very proud of our defense. Our front did an amazing job. Our linebackers played really well. Our secondary not only did great in coverage, but were able to get two picks,” said Benedict head coach Chennis Berry.
Benedict’s vaunted defense held Edward Waters to 14 rushing yards on 28 attempts, and 55 passing yards on 8-of-17 attempts. Ja’Voni Melidor intercepted EWU quarterback Jyron Russell twice. Benedict also sacked Russell four times.
Despite gaining 438 yards on offense, Berry said the Tigers did not play their best on offense. Benedict had a second down from the Edward Waters 1-yard line, and failed to get into the end zone on three straight running plays. Benedict had a first-and-goal in the first quarter and kicked a 22-yard field goal. The Tigers had another first-and-goal in the second quarter and again didn’t get any points. Later in the second quarter, Benedict had first-and-goal from the 3-yard line and again came away with three points on a 22-yard field goal by Tom Piccirillo.
“We moved the ball, but it was too many self inflected negatives. It’s just game two, but we have some things to clear up. To still score 34 points and have over 400 yards of offense is a step in the right direction, but we left points and a lot of yards on the field,” Berry said.
The Tigers gained 438 yards on offense. The Tigers gained 128 yards on the ground, as Noah Zaire Scotland rushed for 87 yards and scored two touchdowns. Quarterback Aeneas Dennis completed 24-of-34 passes for 310 yards and one touchdown.
“He’s still learning,” Berry said of Dennis’ play. “There were plays he made, but there were some plays he left out there. Yes, he did an amazing job of delivering the ball to the playmakers. Once he starts taking what the defense gives us, he has a chance to take this offense to the next level.”
Scotland got things going for the Tigers, scoring on a 3-yard run with 7:09 left in the first quarter, capping off a 14-play, 70-yard drive that ate 7:43 off the clock.
The Tigers drove to the Edward Waters 8-yard line and had first-and-goal on their next possession, but the drive stalled, and Piccirillo booted a 22-yard field goal with 2:40 remaining in the first quarter to make it 10-0. Benedict dominated the first quarter, gaining 111 yards on 20 plays, while holding Edward Waters to just two yards of offense on eight plays.
Piccirillo added another 22-yard field goal with just 10 seconds left in the first half to put the Tigers up 13-0 at the half.
Scotland added his second touchdown of the day on a 2-yard run with 11:41 left in the third quarter to make it 20-0. Jaylen Taylor scored on a 12-yard run to put the Tigers up 27-0 with 3:50 left in the third quarter. The final score came on a 11-yard pass from Dennis to Torey Morrison with 3:07 left to play.
“Whenever you go on the road and win a football game, that is an accomplishment. We’re going to fix the things that we didn’t do so well and build on the things that we did well, and we’ll be headed in the right direction.”
Benedict travels to Lane College in Jackson, Tenn., next week for another SIAC matchup. Kickoff is 3 p.m. Eastern.
