The last time Albany State and Benedict College played for the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) was in 2023. Former Head Tigers Coach Chennis Berry beat the Golden Rams 47-10 in Atlanta, Georgia, walking away with the SIAC trophy before becoming South Carolina State University Bulldogs’ new Head Football Coach, and faced off against the Golden Rams’ new Head Coach Quin Gray, Sr.’s team. After Coach Berry left in 2023, the Tigers’ new Head Coach Dickerson Jr, has been working to get the former Back-to-Back SIAC Football Champions into the Championship game.
Since the last time these two teams met in the SIAC Championship, the conference moved away from divisions at the end of the 2022 season, with a 4-4-2 scheduling model to determine who the two top teams are to play in the SIAC Championship game. This year, Albany State and Benedict College played each other on October 25th, and the Golden Rams were victorious 31-3, handing the Tigers their first loss of the season. The Golden Rams completed their season going undefeated against SIAC opponents and are set to meet the Benedict College Tigers in a SIAC Championship rematch game.
The Golden Rams will look to slow down the Tigers’ rushing attack with David Smith and Tristan Morgan, as they did in their first meeting, holding them to 52 rushing yards on 12 carries between the two of them. The Tigers football team must play from ahead in this game. If they fall behind on the scoreboard, Tigers quarterback Darius Ocean will have a tough time bridging the team back with his arm unless he can get very comfortable in the pocket to throw passes. The Tigers’ defense must find a way to force Isaiah Knowles to make poor decisions when throwing the ball and keep the Golden Rams behind the chains in this game. The Golden Rams are a balanced team that will require the Tigers to play a mistake-free game. If the Tigers can win third down and the turnover battle, they have a chance at winning the 2025 SIAC Football Championship.
The SIAC Championship game will be played at Albany State University against Benedict College Saturday, November 15th at 1:00 PM