Tigers set to battle Miles on Saturday
FAIRFIELD, Ala. – The 11th-ranked Benedict College Tigers have had the benefit of a favorable schedule through their first five games. But that changes this week, when the Tigers take on Miles College.
The 5-0 Tigers are on the road Saturday to take on the 4-1 Golden Bears. Kickoff is set for noon, Central Time (1 p.m. Eastern). The game will be televised on TheGrio. TheGrio Channel is available on Charter/Spectrum, Comcast Xfinity, Cox, DirecTV, Dish, Verizon Fios as well as select local over-the-air broadcast stations. Check your local listings. TheGrio is also streaming on Amazon Prime Video, DIRECTV STREAM, Fire TV, Freevee (IMDB), Freecast (SelectTV), Local Now, PlutoTV, TiVo, Freebie TV, and XUMO. Download TheGrio App on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and Android/GoogleTV.
Benedict’s first five opponents have a current combined record of 4-21. Miles second-year coach Sam Shade has turned the program around from 1-9 in his first season to 4-1 this year with a win over Division I Alabama State. Their only loss was a one-point loss to Division I Arkansas-Pine Bluff. As impressive as those games are, the Golden Bears have also had an easy going in SIAC games, with wins over Lane, Clark Atlanta and Central State, who have a combined 2-13 record.
The Golden Bears will present the most potent offense that Benedict’s vaunted defense has encountered so far. The Bears averaged 436.6 yards per game, which ranks second in the SIAC and 22nd-best in all of Division II. Quarterback Edwin Kleinpeter, a graduate school transfer from the University of Arkansas at Monticello, leads the SIAC in passing efficiency, passing touchdowns, passing yards per completion and points responsible for.
But he has not faced a defense comparable to Benedict’s. The Tigers are giving up just 2.6 points per game, and lead the nation in total defense, and are second in the nation in passing yards allowed. The Tigers have intercepted six passes so far on the season. Benedict has also terrorized opposing quarterbacks, leading the nation in both sacks and tackles for loss. The Golden Bears are giving up 2.2 sacks and 6.8 tackles for loss per game.
The Miles defense is giving up over 331 yards of offense per game, including 216 passing yards per game. The Golden Bears have been able to capitalize on turnovers. They lead the SIAC in turnover margin, turnovers gained and turnovers lost.
After this week, the Tigers have a short week before taking on Fort Valley State in a prime-time televised contest against Fort Valley State on Thursday night on ESPN2.
