Benedict kicks off 2017 season Saturday evening

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WOLO) – The benedict Tigers will kick off its 2017 season, after a long preseason filled with optimism, preseason player recognition and some high expectations.

Benedict opens the 2017 season Saturday against Livingstone College in the Palmetto Capital City Classic. Kickoff is 5 p.m. in Charlie W. Johnson Stadium. Game tickets will be on sale for $25 at the gate. The game will air on WXLC Kiss 103.1 FM and a free video webstream will be available on benedicttigers.com (HD upgrade is available for an $8 fee).

“After two tough seasons, we have built a team and we think we’re ready to go,” White said.

The Tigers are coming off a 5-6 season in 2016 and return 18 starters. The Tigers placed 10 players on the preseason SIAC All-Conference team, more than any other school in the conference. Three players made the 50-player preseason watch list for the HBCU Player of the Year award.

“This is year three for a lot of our guys,” White said. “So they’ve been in this scheme for a few years and they should be executing a lot better and I hope Saturday we’ll see that.”

Despite the wealth of returning players and experience, the Tigers do have some question marks entering the 2017 campaign. Two transfer quarterbacks are expected to take the reins of the offense, a position that was inconsistent last year. Dominique Harris, a big (6-foot-4, 265 pounds), strong quarterback who threw for 2,361 yards for Northwest Mississippi Community College in 2012, but has been out of action for the last couple of years. Tigers also have Christian Lisby, a tall (6-foot-5) quarterback with a quick release. A native of Denmark, he was part of an offense at ASA College in New York that averaged 258 yards per game through the air. White said both may see action on Saturday.

“I feel real good about it, because we have two guys who compete,” White said. “Saturday, we’ll probably see a two-quarterback system because of how well both of them play. We’ve had quarterback battles before, but not like this. This is a good thing.”

Another big question mark for the Tigers entering this season is at running back. Benedict has some big shoes to fill in replacing George Myers Jr., the SIAC Most Valuable Player last year after a record-setting season that saw him rush for 1,184 yards. Even more impressive about those numbers is that Myers gained just one yard in the first two games before taking over as the primary ball carrier. White said the Tigers may have to spread the rushing duties around this year. Jeremy Johnson, who gained 233 yards last year, is the top returning rusher. Raheem Jennings, Kadarius Garrett and Zachary Bisbane also return, while newcomers Brandon Jordan and Trini Charlton may also see some carries.

The key for the Tigers will be on the defensive side of the ball. Benedict flexed its defensive muscles in last year’s Palmetto Capital City Classic, holding the Blue Bears to 119 yards of total offense and out of the end zone in a 5-3 victory.

Benedict returns its dominating front three in defensive ends Charles Williams and Rickym Holmes with noseguard Aaryn Guy. Linebacker Kendrick Frazier, who led the team in tackles last year, returns. The defensive secondary is strong with All-Conference safety Edward Kirkland, who was joined on the preseason All-Conference team by safety Robert Cummings and cornerback Travionte Brown.

White, who made defense the cornerstone of his championship teams at Albany State, has high expectations of his defensive unit this year.

“I’m really going to be bothered if they don’t play well. They’ve put in the work mentally and physically,” White said. “We’re further along in our scheme. There are things we were able to do in games seven, eight or nine last year that we can do right now. So I expect them to play well Saturday.”

The Livingstone Blue Bears are coming off a 2-8 season in 2016. The three points against Benedict was their season low. Xavier Longerbeam, who started seven games at quarterback last season as a red-shirt freshman, after transferring from Florida A&M, returns. Longerbeam, who did not play against Benedict last year, was the CIAA’s All-Rookie team’s quarterback.

“Last year was disappointing offensively, only scoring three points,” Williams said. “We’re looking forward to coming back. I don’t know much about our football team. We have a young team with a lot of new players and we’re coming together. I do know we’ll play hard. I think we’re going to score more than the three points we scored last year.”