COLUMBIA, S.C. – The Benedict College Tigers open the 2019 football season with a strong nucleus returning on an already strong defense, and a few question marks on a young offense.

Benedict opens the season on Saturday at 7 p.m. on the road at Fayetteville State. FSU will stream the game here, and live stats are available here.

The Tigers finished 2018 with the nation's third-best ranked defense, allowing 232.3 yards per game. Although the Tigers lost a couple of standout players from that squad, Benedict still returns seven starters and expectations are high once again that head coach Mike White's squad will once again be among the nation's stingiest defenses.

"Defensively, we had a good season last year," White said. "We do bring a lot of guys back from our 2018 squad. We have a pretty good size defensive line with Rashaad Miller and Wendell Bing kind of leading the way up front. We've got to do a good job against the run, and that's something we take a lot of pride in here."

Also returning for the Tigers is senior linebacker Amari Andrews, who led the team with 51 tackles, as well as junior linebacker Elroy Maloyd, who had 32 tackles and a pair of sacks.

Benedict ranked fourth in the nation in rushing defense, allowing opponents just 72.7 yards per game. The Tigers' game plan is to shut down the run game and force teams into throwing the ball. Benedict made that difficult for opponents as well, with senior All-American cornerback Traviontae Brown and senior All-SIAC strong safety Robert Cummings recording five interceptions each last year. As impressive as those numbers were, White thinks this year's secondary is even better.

"We have probably our best secondary since I've been here with our linebackers and our D backs," White said. "Last year, I was so proud of the defensive backs who finally caught a few balls, a few interceptions, instead of dropping them. This year, just like them, I'm looking forward to them catching some balls, and doing something with them, some scoring opportunities with them. I do look forward to us having a good year. Coach Baker, our defensive coordinator, has worked very hard at getting our defense straightened out, and I do hope this year when it is all said and done that the Tigers will be there at the end and because of the way our defense has stood up."

On the offensive side, Benedict returns senior quarterback Phillip Brown, who has started at various times each of the previous three seasons. Last year, he led the team in rushing with 323 yards, while completing 22 passes for 261 yards.

"This year, we probably had seven or eight quarterbacks come in during camp. Phillip Brown is the man, he's our quarterback coming out," White said. "Phillip has a lot of experience, being his senior year. He's a runner, and a guy who likes to throw the deep ball, but he knows he has to do a good job taking care of a kind of young offense, especially the young offensive line that we have. It's going to be a challenging year for our offense, but I think he is up to the challenge to get our guys going, and being a sound offense, meaning that we are moving the ball and making plays and making first downs and making things happen."

Behind Brown is a large group of talented freshmen quarterbacks.

"We probably have three excellent freshmen quarterbacks here," White said. "I think these kids are going to keep us stable for the next four years. They've got to grow up, of course. Phillip is ahead of them. He knows the scheme. But these kids are good quarterbacks."

Having a part-time starting quarterback lead the team in rushing was a sign that the Tigers had trouble in 2018 establishing a strong running game. That is something White expects to change in 2019.

Seniors Raheem Jennings (64 carries, 320 yards) and Trini Charlton (74 carries, 286 yards) both return for the Tigers, and White also has some talented newcomers who will get a turn at carrying the ball.

"Our running backs are probably by committee," White said. "We're definitely a lot better at running back than we were last year. Our hope and prayer is that we're able to run the ball a lot better this year. Last year, I wasn't real happy with the running game. That has a lot to do with your offensive line, but I do think we've got the guys who are gamebreakers. Gamebreakers are backs that can make you miss, they can run through tackles, or you give them a step and they can make that into a big play. I do think we have those kind of guys that we brought in. You will see some new faces carrying the ball from the running back position."

Benedict does have a strong group of wide receivers, led by senior Danye Washington, who had a team-high 24 receptions for 380 yards and six touchdowns last season. Seniors Drelon Freeman and Wayne Brown also return, while newcomer Raylen Elzy, a transfer from Marshall, should make an immediate impact.

"Danye Washington had a real good season last year. Raylen Elzy, he should be a big-time player for us. I look for him to have a good year," White said. "Danye is a good receiver. We're looking for him to have a big year and make some big plays for us offensively. With the receiving corps we have, I think we're going to have to hold Phillip down from not throwing the ball deep to those guys a lot, because they are those kind of receivers. Other team's secondaries are going to have a whole lot of issues with them."

The offensive line will receive nearly a complete makeover. Junior center Brian McNeil is the only starter returning to the offensive line.

"The offensive line this year is a young group. We might have as many as three freshmen starting on that group. There might even be a fourth freshman playing," White said. "Last year, we had two guys who were four-year starters and two guys who were three-year starters on that offensive line. It spells good things for us going forward. I like a good young guy who is going to give me effort and give me what I want in terms of being an intelligent lineman and doing what he's been coached to do. I think this group is going to play together and I think they're going to surprise some people."

Another facet of the team that struggled in 2018 was special teams and the kicking game. Benedict ranked 144^th out of 166 teams in net punting, 156^th in kickoff returns, and 127^th in punt returns. White said the coaching staff focused on recruiting faster players who could enhance their return game and return coverage.

"I think our special teams, especially our punt team and coverage team, has a lot to do with the way we recruited this year. I think we're a lot faster and we recruited a lot of good athletes in. I think we should be able to cover better and do a better job than we did in 2018 with our special teams. We do have the same kicker and punter back. We do have another punter coming in, but we are better than we were last year. That was a huge sore spot for us last year. I hope we've got those few holes taken care of."

Washington is expected to handle both punt and kickoff returns, but White said better and faster blockers should open up more running lanes.

"I think we'll do a better job in terms of having better athletes that will block and run and tackle in our special teams. That will pay dividends by having better blockers and more explosive plays there," White said.

White said sophomore punter Mario Trejo has worked hard during the offseason to improve his game.

"Our biggest issue was the snap and getting the punter to handle that," White said. "That's what we had a lot of issues with. No one player worked harder than Trejo did. He was on the field so many days by himself. He probably felt worse than anybody about what happened to us last year and some of our games. He put a lot of reps in. He is better at it. There's still room for improvement, but he is better at it and we've got a better snapper, also. We think those two things are going to take care of it."

With a strong returning defense, veterans returning at key offensive positions and a strong group of talented newcomers, White is excited about what the 2019 season may have in store for the Tigers and is looking forward to Saturday's season opener.

"With the offense, defense and special teams, I think we're going to have a good season," White said. "I do look forward to our guys going up to Fayetteville and playing a tough football team. God willing, we stay healthy and we should be in good shape this year. Saying that, kickoffs are always positive and let's get it started. I think the sky's the limit for this team."