A year ago, James Woody took over as head coach of the Benedict Tigers football team and nearly shocked Miles College in his debut. A last-minute touchdown and then two-point conversion by Miles allowed the Golden Bears to tie the game and then went on to win in overtime.

Miles went on to win the SIAC Championship last year, while the Tigers won just once under Woody's direction. Now the two teams meet again on Saturday at Miles' Albert J. Sloan-Alumni Stadium in Fairfield, Ala. Gametime is 6 p.m. Central (7 p.m. Eastern).

The game will be broadcast on KISS 103.1 FM and will be available to hear on the Internet at www.kiss-1031.com. Miles will also be providing live stats at http://www.sidearmstats.com/miles/football

The Golden Bears are 3-1 (1-0 SIAC) on the season, with their only blemish a tough one-point loss to North Alabama, one of the nation's top Division II football programs. Miles is coming off an impressive 41-6 victory over Albany State in a rematch of last year's SIAC Championship game. For the 0-4 (0-1 SIAC) Tigers, this game poses a big challenge. But it is a challenge the Tigers eagerly embrace.

“They can throw the football. They're very balanced. They've got some explosive backs. He's got some athletes. They're undersized defensively, but they're fast. They don't make a lot of mistakes,” Woody  said about Miles. “We just want to be able to protect the football. Like I say every week, that's the key. No turnovers, control the clock and try to keep their offense off the football field because they're very explosive. It's a challenge for our defense, a challenge for our offense as well. We welcome the challenge and hopefully we can come out with a victory.”

The Bears average 37.75 points per game on offense. Quarterback David Thomas leads the SIAC in passing, averaging 256 yards per game through the air. His top receivers are Antonio Pitts and D.J. Fife. Pitts has 24 receptions on the season, while Fife averages better than 28 yards per catch.

“They're a great football team and they're working on all cylinders. They have a potent offense. They can run the ball, they can throw the football, and defensively they're very, very fast. They're very sound and don't make a lot of mistakes. So we've got our work cut out for us,” Woody said.

Defensively, the Golden Bears are giving up 22 points and 340 yards of offense per game. Benedict's offense is showing signs of improvement. The Tigers have rushed for more than 100 yards in back-to-back weeks and have passed for an average of 200 yards for the last two games.

The Tigers have used at least two quarterbacks in every game this season, and this week the primary duties will fall on redshirt freshman Marcus Graham. Senior Christopher Thomas was injured early in last week's loss at Fort Valley State and is out for Saturday's game. Graham threw for a season-high 179 yards last week. Benedict's top rusher, Christopher Johnson, is also banged up, but did make the trip to Miles. Woody said he has confidence in Tyquan Bazemore, Trent Miles and Charles Powell to step in at running back if needed.

The main thing for the Tigers is to go into this game with confidence, and Woody said the team has that.

“These kids are excited. Most importantly, we're on the right track. The wins and losses don't say it, but we're on the right track with this program and we're real proud of this program,” Woody said. “The confidence is there. This is an upbeat football team. Our guys are getting better and better each day. In our hearts and in our minds, we want to win this football game, and that's what we're looking forward to, and hopefully we get this win.”