COLUMBIA, S.C. — The
Benedict College Tigers exploded for 380 yards of total offense and defeated the Tuskegee Golden Tigers 45-24 Thursday night in Charlie W. Johnson Stadium.
After falling behind 17-7 in the second quarter, the Tigers scored 38 unanswered points to take a 45-17 lead with 10 seconds left in the game. Tuskegee then returned the ensuing kickoff back for a 92-yard touchdown for the final score.
Benedict improves to 3-0 overall, 2-0 in the SIAC. Benedict is off to a 3-0 start for the third time in the last four years. The Tigers defeated Tuskegee for just the second time ever, but also the second time in a row. Benedict also won a prime time Thursday night televised game for the fifth straight year in a row.
Tuskegee falls to 2-2 overall and 1-1 in the SIAC.
Quarterback
Darius Ocean completed 19-of-29 passes for 213 yards and four touchdowns, with no interceptions and was sacked just once.
Malaqhi Jones was the top target with five receptions for 90 yards and one touchdown.
Jaxon Williams caught four passes for 47 yards and a touchdown, and also had a 97-yard kickoff return, before being brought down just three yards short of an end-zone-to-end-zone return. The Tigers were unable to punch the ball in from the 3-yard line, and then missed a 20-yard field goal.
After Tuskegee took a 17-7 lead,
David Smith scored on a 26-yard run in the second quarter, and Ocean completed a 28-yard touchdown pass to Williams to give Benedict its first lead of the game, 21-17, with 4:35 left in the first half. Ocean completed a short two-yard pass to Jones for a touchdown with just five seconds left in the half to give Benedict a 28-17 lead at the break.
Benedict finished the game with a season-high 157 rushing yards, with
Triston Morgan gaining 58 yards on 12 carries, and Smith gaining 54 yards on six carries. Both scored one touchdown.
Defensively,
Israel Nwokocha led the Tigers with eight tackles, including three tackles for loss and one sack.
Cam Williams had a 33-yard interception return.
Benedict travels to take on Clark Atlanta next Saturday, Sept. 27, at 3 p.m.
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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.