ATLANTA, Ga. – Rigoberto Tinoco kicked a 17-yard field goal with no time left on the clock as the Benedict College football team defeated Clark Atlanta University 24-21 on Saturday in Panther Stadium, giving Benedict its first SIAC win of the season.

Benedict improves to 4-5 on the season and 1-4 in the SIAC. Clark Atlanta drops to 2-7 overall and 0-5 in the SIAC.

The Tigers got the ball after a Clark Atlanta punt with 1:29 left in the tied game. Benedict drove 51 yards in the final minute and a half to set up the winning field goal.

"It was a game of ebb and flow. It was just one of those see-saw battles," said Benedict head coach Chennis Berry. "I thought we did a good job all day of moving the football. We did some things and set ourselves back with self-inflicted negatives. But ultimately at the end of the day, I thought it was a good team win. We won this game on offense, defense and special teams, and that's what it's all about."

On offense, the Tigers finished with 408 yards of total offense, their first game with more than 400 yards of offense since the Kentucky State game on Sept. 25. Freshman running back Omarion Coleman finished the day with 108 yards rushing on 19 carries, Benedict's first 100-yard rusher since Jayden McCloud had 111 yards in the season opener against Allen. Quarterback Eric Phoenix completed 27-of-34 passes (79 percent completion percentage) for 280 yards with three touchdowns, one interception and was not sacked.

Defensively, the Tigers held Clark Atlanta to 74 yards rushing, an opponent season low, and 217 yards of total offense, the second-lowest by an opponent this season. The Tigers recorded 10 tackles for loss and registered five sacks.

And the special teams accolades start with Tinoco's game-winning field goal. He also was perfect on three PATs, while punter Jared Eubanks averaged 35 yards on three punts.

"We need all three phases to be at our best, and I think all three phases helped us win the football game," Berry said.

The Tigers got on the board first early in the second quarter. The Tigers started the drive at their own 5-yard line late in the first quarter. Phoenix connected with Elijah Watson for a big 33-yard pass play, then later had an 18-yard pass to Watson and a 15-yard pass to Darius Philon. Phoenix then thew a 23-yard scoring pass to Billy Pierre to cap off the 95-yard drive and give the Tigers a 7-0 lead with 11:30 left in the second quarter.

The Panthers intercepted Phoenix late in the first and scored on a 14-yard pass to tie the game at 7-7 with 23 seconds left in the half.

The Tigers opened the second half with an early fumble, and the Panthers took advantage of another Benedict turnover and needed just five plays to go 21 yards for another score and give Clark Atlanta a 14-7 lead with 11:49 on the clock.

Benedict responded with a 14-play, 75-yard drive. Coleman picked up 24 yards on the drive, and Phoenix threw a 23-yard pass to Eddie Neal to give the Tigers a first-and-goal, and Phoenix connected with Steven Campbell for an 8-yard touchdown to tie the score at 14 with 5:31 left in the third quarter.

After a Clark Atlanta punt, Coleman started off the next drive with a 30-yard run. The four-play, 57-yard drive culminated with a 16-yard pass from Phoenix to Campbell, his second score of the game. That put Benedict back in the lead, 21-14, with 1:49 left in the third.

The Panthers took the ensuing kickoff and drove 75 yards on just six plays, getting a 23-yard pass and a 33-yard touchdown pass, to tie the game once again, 21-21 with 13:13 left in the game.

The two teams punted the ball back and forth in the final quarter until Benedict got the ball near midfield with 1:29 left in the game. A nine-yard pass to Campbell on third-and-five with less than 47 seconds left in the game was a key play on the drive. Phoenix picked up runs of 10 and 7 yards, then threw a nine-yard pass to Jayden Thomas to put the ball at the 2-yard line with three seconds left to set up Tinoco's game-winning kick.

"At the end of the day, we got the win. That's what it's all about, winning," Berry said. "We've got to finish this thing off next week and even the score up and find a way to win another football game."

The Tigers will wrap up the 2021 season next Saturday at home against Lane College for senior day as they try to finish with a break-even season in Berry's first year as head coach. Kickoff is 2 p.m.