Benedict Tigers down Chowan in muddy contest, 31-3
MURFREESBORO, N.C. – The 14th-ranked Benedict College Tigers held the Chowan Hawks to 104 yards of total offense and used a 22-point second quarter to take a 31-3 victory in a non-conference football game on Saturday.
“I’m grateful. It was a great team win,” said Benedict head football coach Chennis Berry. “We played well in all three phases – offense, defense and special teams. I’m proud of our coaches who put together a real good game plan against a good Chowan team, who are better than their record indicates.”
The Tigers rushed for 161 yards, with Jaylen Taylor, Deondra Duehart and Noah Zaire Scotland all scoring a rushing touchdown. Quarterback Aeneas Dennis was 13-of-19 for 124 yards with a 26-yard touchdown pass to Caden High.
Benedict improves to 4-0 on the season. Chowan falls to 0-4.
“It was tough conditions with the storm in the area,” Berry said. “But both teams had to play in it. Our guys found a way to be resilient and come away with the victory.”
The Tigers scored first late in the first quarter, as Taylor scored from two yards out to cap off a six-play, 55-yard drive. The PAT was unsuccessful, as both teams struggled on the muddy field conditions all day.
The Hawks had a first-and-goal at the Benedict 2-yard line on their next drive, but the Tiger defense held and pushed the Hawks back to the 11, where they kicked a 28-yard field goal to cut the lead to 6-3 early in the second quarter.
Benedict took the ensuing kickoff and drove 65 yards on 11 plays, with Duehart finishing the drive off with a seven-yard touchdown run. Duehart also ran in the two-point conversion to make the score 14-3.
The Tigers forced the Hawks to punt on their next series, and Dedrick Starkes blocked the punt to give Benedict good field position. Three straight runs by Scotland, including a 30-yard rush, put the Tigers back in the end zone for a 21-3 lead.
Ja’Voni Melidor intercepted Chowan quarterback Rashad McKee on second down, giving the Tigers the ball right back. Dennis found High for the 26-yard touchdown to give the Tigers a 28-3 lead with 1:28 left in the first half.
“We actually threw the ball better than I thought we would with the rain and wind,” Berry said. “We ran our game. We had good balance. I thought Aeneas threw the ball very good in the conditions. I thought our backs ran very good, and that’s a credit to our big guys up front. Our O-line ad D-line played very well today.”
After Dennis was injured in the third quarter, backup quarterback Zavien Foster fumbled twice and threw an interception. The Tigers added a 31-yard field goal by Tom Piccirillo in the fourth quarter for their only second-half points.
“We just didn’t’ take care of opportunities,” Berry said. “Ultimately, it was a muddy game. It was a mud bowl. It was hard to even hold onto the football. I’m just grateful for the victory.”
Benedict returns home for the first time since the season opener, hosting Morehouse next week for a 6 p.m. kickoff.
