COLUMBIA, S.C. – It is Homecoming, that glorious fall weekend when alumni gather for food, friendship, fellowship and a football victory.

For three straight years, the Benedict College Tigers have been able to provide all of the above. Saturday, the Tigers will look to stretch their Homecoming winning streak to four when they take on the Morehouse Maroon Tigers at Charlie W. Johnson Stadium at 2 p.m.

"I think it's just the way the schedule's been falling," said Benedict coach James Woody, who has won Homecoming games against Clark Atlanta in 2011 and 2013, then took a victory over Morehouse two years ago in 2012. "We've had some luck with that rabbit, and hopefully we can get that rabbit in here again. We're excited about Homecoming, the kids are excited."

Benedict vs. Morehouse

Kickoff: 2 p.m.

Tickets: 803-705-4784

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Despite the season that is two-thirds complete, the Tigers are showing the enthusiasm of the first day of practice. Woody said Wednesday's practice was "one of the best practices in three years here on a Wednesday. The guys were very enthusiastic; a lot of energy, emotions going on, and it was very competitive. They came out here and practiced extremely well."

That's good news for the Tigers, who, at 3-4 overall, are looking to get back to .500. They host a Morehouse team with plenty of incentive to spoil Benedict's party. Benedict beat Morehouse in Atlanta last year, getting a field goal with 30 seconds left to beat the Maroon Tigers on their Homecoming. And Morehouse has lost two straight games and comes in hungry for a victory.

"The roles are reversed. We're going to their place to play their Homecoming," Morehouse coach Rich Freeman said. "We'll see what happens."

The Tigers will be looking to win for the second week in a row, although Benedict is a beat up team. Quarterback Cameron Stover suffered a mild concussion last week against Clark Atlanta and did not play the second half. Woody said Stover should be ready to play this week, although backup Marcus Graham got extensive repetitions at quarterback this week in practice. Running backs Jevric Blocker and Kenneth Hurley Jr. will miss the game with injuries, as well.

"We're pretty loaded back there with backs," Woody said, noting Detron Jermal Wallace and Tyquan Bazemore will see the bulk of the backfield duties.

Although Woody is undefeated on Homecoming, he said this is a week that scares him, because of all the distractions for the players, such as dances and parties.

"That concerns me. Are they going to be in the right place at the right time? Are they going to stay focused? That's the key for Saturday. But I can say this about Homecoming and the big crowd: There is an energetic football team here and they seem to play off the energy of the crowd."

The Tigers expect a tough battle from Morehouse, which comes in 4-3 overall and 2-2 in the SIAC. The Maroon Tigers have lost two straight weeks as quarterback Monqavious Johnson has been hobbled with an injury. His backup Jordan Tarver completed 17-of-28 passes for 173 yards and threw two interceptions last week. The Morehouse running game has netted just 41 yards the last two weeks as injuries to the offensive line have hampered efforts there as well.

"They're a very good defense. They're a veteran team in the secondary," Woody said about Morehouse. "The key is if we can start off fast, both offensively and defensively. If we can start off like we did against Clark last week and maintain it for four quarters, I think you'll see a good football game on Saturday."

Morehouse's Freeman said the key for the Maroon Tigers will be putting some pressure on Stover and slowing down the Benedict passing attack.

"It's going to be tough. We definitely haven't gotten the pressure that we like. Traditionally we produce a lot of sacks on defense and that hasn't been the case recently. We're fortunate to have a veteran secondary. We're going to have to do something, we're going to have to dig deep and find some way to stop Cameron Stover. He's an awesome talent. He can run, he can pass, he's smart and he's tough. We've got to get out there and find a way to stop him."