COLUMBIA, S.C. — The
Benedict College Tigers opened the 2025 football season with a 10-0 shutout over Fayetteville State University in the Labor Day Classic on Saturday in Charlie W. Johnson Stadium.
It was the first shutout victory for the Tigers under Coach
Ron Dickerson Jr., and Benedict's first shutout since defeating Edward Waters 34-0 on Sept. 9, 2023.
Benedict opened the game with a seven-play, 64-yard drive that culminated with a 24-yard field goal by
Zane Spires. It was the first made field goal by a Benedict player since the 2023 season. That was all the points the Tigers would need as the Benedict defense held the Broncos to seven punts, two missed field goals and two fumbles.
On Benedict's first drive,
Travone Finney had a 46-yard rush to give Benedict a first-and-goal. After a short run gain and a pair of incomplete passes, the freshman kicker Spires drilled the field goal for a 3-0 lead. Fayetteville State missed a 41-yard field goal attempt on their ensuing possession.
In the second quarter, the Broncos missed a 46-yard field goal attempt, with the Tigers taking over at the 29-yard line. Redshirt freshman quarterback
Jackson Jensen completed a key 20-yard pass to
Malik Mullins to keep the drive alive, then later found
Malaqhi Jones in the right corner of the end zone for a 10-yard touchdown pass. Spires added the PAT to give Benedict a 10-0 lead with 3:08 left in the first half.
The Broncos fumbled on both of their first two possessions in the second half, but the Tigers were unable to capitalize on them. Benedict went three-and-out after the first fumble recovery by
Israel Nwokocha. Nwokocha forced the second fumble, and
Cam Williams recovered and returned it 31 yards, only to see the Tigers go three-and-out again.
Benedict, now 1-0 on the season, will be off next week, and returns to action on Sept. 13 with a road game against Central State in their SIAC opener. Central State opened the 2025 season on Saturday with a 34-24 loss to Kentucky State.
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ABOUT THE SOUTHERN INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETIC CONFERENCE (SIAC)
The SIAC is a NCAA athletic conference consisting primarily of historically black colleges and universities with headquarters in downtown Atlanta, Georgia. The SIAC includes 15 member institutions (Albany State University, Allen University, Benedict College, Central State University, Clark Atlanta University, Edward Waters University, Fort Valley State University, Kentucky State University, Lane College, LeMoyne-Owen College, Miles College, Morehouse College, Savannah State University, Spring Hill College, and Tuskegee University), which are located within a contiguous seven-state footprint (Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, South Carolina, Tennessee and Ohio). The SIAC sponsors nine men's and seven women's sports and is a proud member of the NCAA Division II. For more information, visit
www.thesiac.com.