COLUMBIA, SC - Virginia Union University capitalized on four Benedict College turnovers to beat the Tigers 27-0 in the 10th annual Palmetto Capital City Classic Saturday at Charlie W. Johnson Stadium on Saturday.
The Tigers (0-1) lost their season opener and the Palmetto Capital City Classic for the second straight year. Virginia Union improved to 2-0 on the season.
The Tigers took the opening kickoff and drove to the Virginia Union 12-yard line before losing the first fumble of the day and ending the scoring threat. After the Panthers had taken a 7-0 lead in the second quarter, the Tigers saw another drive snuffed when quarterback Johnny Carson had the ball ripped out of his hands and Virginia Union's Antonio Harris raced 58 yards for another VUU touchdown.
The Tigers platooned quarterbacks, swapping out sophomore Carson and freshman Harlon Samuels equally. Carson was 8-of-18 passing for 127 yards and gained 31 yards rushing on 13 carries. Samuels was 4-of-9 passing for 28 yards and gained four yards on nine carries. Both quarterbacks threw an interception.
Virginia Union quarterback and Columbia native Cheston Hickman was named the Andre Braxton Virginia Union University Player of the Game. He completed 9-of-20 passes for 185 yards and three touchdowns.
After Harris' 58-yard fumble return gave the Panthers a 13-0 lead, the Tigers went backwards on their next drive, as Samuels was sacked and recovered his own fumble for a 21-yard loss. After the Tigers punted the ball away, Virginia Union drove 57 yards on just three plays, capped off by a 43-yard pass from Hickman to Matias Parker, who caught two passes on the day, both for touchdowns.
Virginia Union went up 27-0 in the third quarter on a 14-yard pass from Hickman to Steph Templeton.
The Tigers had trouble getting their running game working, finishing the game with just 46 yards on 30 carries. Benedict averaged nearly 200 yards rushing per game last season.
With the running game bottled up, the Tigers went to the air, finishing with 155 yards passing between Carson and Samuels. Mujihad Assad caught six passes for 61 yards, while Darien Thomas had a pair of catches for 59 yards.
All-conference defensive back DeQuan Starling had three pass breakups and three tackles, while finishing with 88 yards on three kickoff returns. Linebacker Daniel Shield led the defense with six tackles.
Samuels was named the Dr. Leroy Walker Benedict Player of the Game for the Tigers.
The shutout was the first for the Tigers in nearly five years. The last time the Tigers were held scoreless was a a 17-0 loss to Lenoir-Rhyne on September 26, 2006. Virginia Union posted its second straight shutout of the season, having beaten St. Augustine's 12-0 last week.
The Tigers take on another opponent from the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association next week, when they travel to Maryland to face Bowie State. Bowie State took a 28-7 victory Saturday over Assumption College.
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