COLUMBIA, S.C. – The Tuskegee Golden Tigers (8-2, 7-0 SIAC) will battle undefeated Benedict (10-0, 7-0 SIAC) in the 2022 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Football Championship presented by Cricket on Saturday, November 12th on the campus of Benedict College.
Along with being the best two teams in their respective sides of the conference, Benedict and Tuskegee will meet with a combined 20-game winning streak on the line. Benedict has won 12 straight games dating back to last season, while Tuskegee has recorded eight straight victories after dropping their first two games of the year.
Tuskegee comes in with a historic pedigree as the all-time winningest HBCU football program, and have won 29 SIAC championships, starting with its first title in 1917. After a brief down turn in the program, Tuskegee brought in Reginald Ruffin, the former highly successful coach at Miles, who took the Golden Bears to the last three SIAC championship games, winning two.
Benedict, on the other hand, has never won a football championship, and has never won more than eight games in a season. The Tigers are riding a historic season and currently are ranked No. 9 nationally and No. 1 in the Super Region 2 rankings, which will determine NCAA playoff pairings.
When Coach Chennis Berry was hired to be the head football coach at Benedict College in February 2020, one of his early mantras was that the Tigers would chase A's, B's, C's and D's. That meant A's and B's in the classroom, championships and degrees.
In just two short years, he has already accomplished the A's and B's, as the overall GPA of football student-athletes has made tremendous improvements under Berry; and the team recognized more than 20 players on senior day, many of whom will graduate with degrees this spring, or have already graduated and are now working on a Master's degree.
The only box left to check is a championship. The Benedict Tigers will take on the Tuskegee Golden Tigers at 2 p.m. in Charlie W. Johnson Stadium for the 2022 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football championship, presented by Cricket.
The game will be broadcast on
ESPN3, with a tape-delay rebroadcast on ESPNU on Sunday morning at 9 a.m. Live stats will be available
here.Tickets will be available at the gate.
The selection show for Division II Football will now stream at
5:30 p.m. ET on
ncaa.com, this Sunday, Nov. 13.
2022 SIAC FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP, PRESENTED BY CRICKET
GAME INFORMATION
Kick: 2:00 pm EST
Location: Columbia, S.C.
Site: Charlie W. Johnnson Stadium
Tickets
WATCH/LISTEN LIVE
Watch: ESPN3
THE SERIES
Series Record: Tuskegee leads the all-time series 14-0-0
First Meeting: Tuskegee defeated Benedict, 30-6 (1940)
Last Meeting: Tuskegee defeated Benedict, 34-18 (2010)
GAME NOTES
- The series between the two programs began in 1940, meeting on 14 total occasions in the series. Tuskegee has never lost in the series, starting with a 30-6 win in the initial meeting and a 34-18 win in the last meeting in 2010.
- Benedict comes in undefeated to the Championship, being ranked atop the Super Region Two Rankings, along with being No. 8 in the AFCA DII Coaches Poll and No. 12 in the D2 Football Poll.
- Tuskegee is seeking their 31st SIAC Title all-time and first since 2017, while also aiming for their fifth appearance in the NCAA Division II playoffs and first since 2016. Meanwhile, Coach Ruffin is eyeing his fifth SIAC crown as head coach.
- After debuting at No. 7 in the first 2022 Super Region Two Rankings, the Golden Tigers have fallen outside of the top seven spots at No. 9 following the close win over Miles. Both Fort Valley State and Limestone jumped Tuskegee in the poll, while all three teams have just two losses. Benedict is currently the top ranked in the Region.