The Benedict College Tigers hope to break two streaks on Saturday when they take on the Clark Atlanta Panthers. Foremost, the Tigers are looking to break a six-game losing streak this season, and a nine-game skid that extends to last year. Benedict has not won a football game since beating Clark Atlanta 10-7 a year ago.

In order to do that, the Tigers are hoping to end another statistical trend. Benedict has fallen behind early in every game this season, giving up an average of more than 19 points before getting on the scoreboard. They have never held the lead this season, and have been tied just once.

“We want to win this football game. Every game is like a big championship game to us. The spirit is up, the excitement is there. They're looking forward to going to Hot-Lanta and we want to put up some hot fireworks and put some points on the board,” said Benedict head football coach James Woody.

The 19 points scored last week in a 24-19 loss to Stillman was their second-highest output of the season. Woody knows the Tigers have to step up on offense, and this week could be a breakout game, as Clark Atlanta is giving up an average of 28.5 points per game.

But more importantly will be to score early. Benedict opponents have outscored the Tigers 68-7 in the first quarter and 114-27 in the first half.

“The key is we have got to start off fast. I'm waiting to see these guys make the commitment to start off early and fast,” Woody said.

“If we can get out there and put some points on the board early, I think we have a great chance to win this football game. But if we sputter early, offensively, then we're going to have some concerns. That's our challenge to them – can we start fast and finish strong and try to put all three phases together – offense, defense and special teams. If we can put all three of those together, we feel real good about it. But we have not done that all year.”

Leading the offense for the Tigers is quarterback Marcus Graham. The red-shirt freshman is coming off one of his best games, completing 25-of-52 passes for a season-high 285 yards and two touchdowns. He was named the SIAC Newcomer of the Week for his performance.

“Marcus is playing some good football right now. He studies the game. He comes from a background of NFL stars, so he knows what it's going to take as far as preparation and getting ready for the game,” Woody said. “Right now, he's not where he needs to be, but he's working hard to get there. He's going to have a great career here. If he stays healthy and gets stronger and gets wiser and just makes the right decisions and not try to bring so much activity to himself, he's going to be pretty tough.”

The Panthers are riding a three-game losing streak heading into their Homecoming contest. Woody knows that Clark Atlanta will have a big crowd and the Panthers will want to reward their alumni with a win.

“Coach McNeill is a good coach. He's a veteran guy with 30 years experience, so we expect those guys to come out fighting,” Woody said. “They're looking for a victory, too. It's their Homecoming, it's in their back yard. It should be a good game with two teams hungry for a win.”