Benedict College can add its name to the list of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) football teams to beat Wingate University in the opening round of the Division II football playoffs. Virginia Union beat the Bulldogs in overtime last season, 34-31. The major concern for Wingate in this year’s match-up against Benedict College was whether they could finish with a victory, securing a birth to the second round of these playoffs. The Benedict Tigers had other plans in this game. Down 24-0 in the third quarter, Wingate watched their lead disappear, behind the Tigers’ offense, defense, and special teams play. Isaiah Isidore returned a blocked field goal for a touchdown, and the Tigers’ game-winning score happened on a Tigers lateral pass from Jackson Jensen to Malik Mullins, capping off an 86-yard scoring drive to win their first Division II Football playoff game in Benedict College Football team history.
The Bulldogs’ defense posed problems for the Tigers’ offense to get a rhythm to move the ball down the field in the first three quarters of the game. The Tigers had an opportunity to score points, but missed a 49-yard field goal in the first quarter of the game. Several Tigers’ offensive play calls were in question when trying to rush the ball into the strength of the Bulldogs’ defense, which forced the Tigers to turn the ball over on downs. The Tigers’ defense has played with a don’t quit mentality. Wingate had opportunities to put the game out of reach, but couldn’t execute plays when they needed to the most. Tigers’ defensive back Cam Williams intercepted Elijah Holmes, turning the Bulldogs away, after Holmes completed a 45-yard pass to Jaylin Himes, who was tackled on the two-yard line. Himes caught 4 receptions for 138 yards and 2 touchdowns for the game.
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The Tigers used both of their quarterbacks in the game, trying to find a rhythm that would allow the Tigers to score points. Tigers quarterback Jackson Jensen went down late in the third quarter after being hit by a Bulldog defender. Jensen completed 11 out of 29 passes for 158 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions. Tigers quarterback Darius Ocean came on the ensuing play, threw a touchdown pass to Malaqhi Jones, scoring their first points of the game. Tigers wide receiver Malik Mullins caught 4 receptions for 128 yards and 1 touchdown.
The Tigers’ offense got rolling, scoring their first points of the game late in the third quarter on a Darius Ocean touchdown pass to Malaqhi Jones. Tigers quarterback Darius Ocean completed 4 out of 9 passes for 17 yards and 1 touchdown. The Tigers’ defense continued to keep pressure on the Bulldogs’ offense, and preventing them from scoring points late in the game was able to secure the win to move on to the next round of the playoffs after scoring 25 unanswered points in the game. The Tigers will face their SIAC rival Albany State, whom they lost to in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) Championship game 16-22. These two teams have played each other twice this season, with Benedict College coming up short against the Golden Rams. Expect Benedict College to come into this game a lot more focused this time around. These two teams will play each other this Saturday, November 29th, at 1 pm at the Albany State Coliseum.