COLUMBIA, South Carolina — New Benedict head coach Mike White has always stressed having a stout defense while winning multiple conference championships at Albany State. So the most alarming statistic from Livingstone's 49-6 victory over the Tigers in the Palmetto Capital City Classic in the season opener at Charlie W. Johnson Stadium was the fact that Benedict gave up 604 yards of offense to the Blue Bears.
"I thought our perimeter was terrible. We got cut down all night. I just thought we gave up too many big plays, on the ground and in the air. That's something we'll have to work on," White said.
Livingstone (1-0) rushed for 373 yards on 51 carries, for an average of 7.3 yards per carry. Quarterback Drew Powell, who was named the Livingstone MVP, rushed for 125 yards and one touchdown on 15 carries. Powell completed 16-of-25 passes for 231 yards and a touchdown through the air, for an average of 14.4 yards per pass.
"They were a lot more physical team than us tonight. I thought that was the huge difference. We're still having some alignment and assignment problems, but we'll get better. I'm not discouraged at all. I thought we'd be a little better offensively. But we'll get better next week," White said.
The Tigers had 217 yards of total offense, getting just 43 yards on the ground on 29 carries. Freshman quarterback Kalu Onumah completed 10-of-22 passes for 174 yards and one touchdown.
"I thought we'd be able to run the ball a little bit better. We were a little bit bigger than they were up front. That's one thing we have to work on," White said.
The Bears struck first, going 72 yards on seven plays on the opening drive of the game. Marcus Baisey rushed 24 yards for the score and Leonardo Manzo added the PAT for a 7-0 lead.
The Tigers answered quickly, as Onumah found an open Okechi Ntiasagwe on a deep route for a 73-yard touchdown. Tory Mimbs' PAT attempt was blocked, leaving the score 7-6 with 10:30 left in the first quarter. Ntiasagwe finished the game with three catches for 92 yards and a touchdown and was named the Benedict College MVP.
That would be Benedict's only score of the game, as Mimbs had a field goal attempt blocked, and Onumah was intercepted in the end zone to stop another scoring opportunity. The Tigers were held to five three-and-outs and lost one fumble.
"We made a lot of mistakes, mentally and physically. They just out-hit us tonight," White said. "They beat us in all phases of the game."
The Blue Bears added two more touchdowns in the first quarter for a 21-6 lead, then added an 11-yard touchdown run by Jarius Richardson for a 28-6 halftime lead. Richardson added a 2-yard score in the third quarter and Marcus Baisey peeled off a 23-yard scoring run for a 42-6 lead heading into the fourth quarter. Preseason All-American wide receiver Jalen Hendricks caught a 23-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter. Hendricks finished with 10 catches for 159 yards and a touchdown.
"We'll learn from this and get ready for Elizabeth City," White said.
Benedict is home next Saturday against Elizabeth City State, another team from the CIAA. Elizabeth City State took a 71-0 victory over the University of Virginia-Lynchburg on Saturday night. Kickoff next week is 6 p.m.
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"I thought our perimeter was terrible. We got cut down all night. I just thought we gave up too many big plays, on the ground and in the air. That's something we'll have to work on," White said.
Livingstone (1-0) rushed for 373 yards on 51 carries, for an average of 7.3 yards per carry. Quarterback Drew Powell, who was named the Livingstone MVP, rushed for 125 yards and one touchdown on 15 carries. Powell completed 16-of-25 passes for 231 yards and a touchdown through the air, for an average of 14.4 yards per pass.
"They were a lot more physical team than us tonight. I thought that was the huge difference. We're still having some alignment and assignment problems, but we'll get better. I'm not discouraged at all. I thought we'd be a little better offensively. But we'll get better next week," White said.
The Tigers had 217 yards of total offense, getting just 43 yards on the ground on 29 carries. Freshman quarterback Kalu Onumah completed 10-of-22 passes for 174 yards and one touchdown.
"I thought we'd be able to run the ball a little bit better. We were a little bit bigger than they were up front. That's one thing we have to work on," White said.
The Bears struck first, going 72 yards on seven plays on the opening drive of the game. Marcus Baisey rushed 24 yards for the score and Leonardo Manzo added the PAT for a 7-0 lead.
The Tigers answered quickly, as Onumah found an open Okechi Ntiasagwe on a deep route for a 73-yard touchdown. Tory Mimbs' PAT attempt was blocked, leaving the score 7-6 with 10:30 left in the first quarter. Ntiasagwe finished the game with three catches for 92 yards and a touchdown and was named the Benedict College MVP.
That would be Benedict's only score of the game, as Mimbs had a field goal attempt blocked, and Onumah was intercepted in the end zone to stop another scoring opportunity. The Tigers were held to five three-and-outs and lost one fumble.
"We made a lot of mistakes, mentally and physically. They just out-hit us tonight," White said. "They beat us in all phases of the game."
The Blue Bears added two more touchdowns in the first quarter for a 21-6 lead, then added an 11-yard touchdown run by Jarius Richardson for a 28-6 halftime lead. Richardson added a 2-yard score in the third quarter and Marcus Baisey peeled off a 23-yard scoring run for a 42-6 lead heading into the fourth quarter. Preseason All-American wide receiver Jalen Hendricks caught a 23-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter. Hendricks finished with 10 catches for 159 yards and a touchdown.
"We'll learn from this and get ready for Elizabeth City," White said.
Benedict is home next Saturday against Elizabeth City State, another team from the CIAA. Elizabeth City State took a 71-0 victory over the University of Virginia-Lynchburg on Saturday night. Kickoff next week is 6 p.m.
BOX SCORE
COURTESY BENEDICT COLLEGE SPORTS INFORMATION
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