WILBERFORCE, Ohio – Benedict College sophomore quarterback Marcus Graham made a triumphant return to his hometown, totaling 327 yards of total offense and accounting for five touchdowns to lead the Tigers to a 42-9 victory over the Central State Marauders on Saturday in the season opener for both teams.

Graham, who had a large contingent of family and friends at the game, rushed 13 times for 86 yards and two touchdowns. He completed 11-of-23 passes for 235 yards and three touchdowns.

"I just wanted to go out and have fun. It pumped me up coming home," Graham said. "But it was the O-line. They played so good. I appreciate them so much. They're going to get pizza this week. There's been a ton of improvement (from last year). That's from hard work and practice, preparation for the game, film study, everything. I just want to thank the man upstairs. Thank God. I am very blessed."

The Benedict offensive line not only protected Graham and gave him time to throw, they also opened up big running lanes for the Tiger stable of running backs. The Tigers gained 304 yards on the ground, more than double their season-high in 2012. The 539 yards of total offense was well above last year's season high of 335. And that was without last year's leading rusher, Christopher Johnson, who missed the game with a knee injury. True freshman Kenneth Hurley Jr., redshirt freshman Lorenza Cooper and transfer and Dayton native Tavion Wright all stepped up with impressive runs.

Hurley gained 76 yards on 15 carries, while Cooper busted a 56-yard run and finished with 65 yards on four carries. Wright gained 54 yards on 12 carries.

"I really feel great," said Benedict head coach James Woody, who won against his alma mater. "I'm real happy for the Benedict Tigers. The guys fought hard, but we still left a lot of points on the board. We had a lot of mistakes on the special teams. Overall, the defense played exceptionally well. The offense played very well, but we still made a lot of mistakes. I'm not too happy with the special teams play. We gave up too much on kickoff returns and punt returns, but those are things we can fix. You expect a lot of mistakes in the first game. Overall, I thought they played a B-minus football game."

Benedict showed some impressive speed with its wide receivers. Harlon Samuels had a 56-yard touchdown reception and a 45-yard scoring strike. Kendariss Brown opened the game with a 28-yard touchdown pass and Maurice Griffin had a 74-yard catch.

The Benedict defense held Central State to 197 yards of total offense and didn't give up a touchdown until the final six minutes of the game, with the Tigers comfortably ahead 35-3.

Benedict scored first on their first possession as Graham connected with Sameuls for a 28-yard strike. After recovering a Marauder fumble, the Tigers moved to the Central State 13-yard line, but Graham fumbled at the 5. The Marauders couldn't move the ball, and the Tigers got the ball back after a punt at the CSU 31-yard line. Benedict kept it on the ground for seven straight plays, with Graham pushing it in from the 1 to put the Tigers ahead 14-0.

Central State scored a field goal at the end of the first quarter, and the 14-3 score held up until halftime, as both Benedict and Central State missed field goal attempts in the second quarter.

The Tigers opened the third quarter with another impressive drive, with six consecutive running plays before Graham went deep to Samuels again for a 56-yard touchdown pass.

Benedict stopped the Marauders midway in the third quarter. On third-and-seven, Central State quarterback Michael Wilson's pass was broken up in the end zone, but starting cornerback Zarkeese Hughes was injured on the play. When play resumed, Risati Mapu busted through the line and blocked Bryan's 30-yard field goal. The Tigers drove for another touchdown, with Graham connecting with Samuels again for a 45-yard touchdown and putting Benedict ahead 27-3.

Benedict went on a 75-yard scoring drive in the fourth quarter. The drive was kept alive on fourth-and-7, with Graham throwing to Griffin for a 16-yard pickup. Graham scored on a 1-yard run run, then threw a pass to Jazz Moss for a 2-point conversion and a 35-3 lead.

Central State scored its only touchdown on a 27-yard run by Wilson with 6:41 left in the game. Benedict got the ball back, and the second offensive unit moved the ball down the field, with backup quarterback Brandon Thompson scoring on a 1-yard run with six seconds left.

Charles Powell led the defense with five tackles and one tackle for loss. Kelvin McCollum had an interception.

The Tigers travel to New York City next week to take on Virginia State University in the New York Urban League Classic in MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.