COLUMBIA, S.C. – Every week, the mantra for the Benedict College football team is to go 1-0. And every week, they've accomplished that mission. Now the Tigers will look to complete the first undefeated regular season in school history when they take on rival Allen University Saturday at 1 p.m. at Westwood High School.
 
The ninth-ranked Tigers, 9-0 on the season, still have at least one, and most likely at least two, games in front of them. But there is still plenty at stake when Benedict takes on the 1-6 Yellow Jackets.
 
Tickets are available on the Allen University website. Ticket prices increase to $40 per ticket and $15 for parking on Saturday. The game will be available to watch on ESPN+.
 
Allen holds a 13-8 all-time advantage over their next-door neighbor rival, although some scores and records prior to 1946 are unavailable. The two met for just the first time in 25 years last season, with Benedict taking a 45-12 victory.
 
Benedict has already clinched a berth in the SIAC Football Championship presented by Cricket, which will be Nov. 12 at Charlie W. Johnson Stadium against Tuskegee at 2 p.m. And a first-ever trip to the NCAA Division II playoffs on Nov. 19 is practically guaranteed. But the Tigers don't want to spoil their perfect season with an upset to their rivals.

Benedict rolls into Saturday's game with one of the top-ranked defenses in all of Division II, and the top-ranked defense against the pass. The Tigers are allowing opponents an average of 109.9 yards per game through the air. They gave up 230 yards passing to Clark Atlanta last week, which was the only game all season their opponent has had more passing yards than the Tigers (Benedict had 229 yards passing).
 
The Tiger secondary will be put to the test on Saturday, as the Yellow Jackets have one of the top passing attacks in the SIAC. Allen averages 265.4 yards per game through the air, second in the SIAC and 23^rd best in the country.
 
Both teams have high-scoring offenses. Benedict averages 33 points per game, best in the SIAC, while Allen averages 29.3 points per game. Defensively is where there is a big difference. Benedict is giving up just 10 points per game (best in the SIAC and 3^rd best in Division II), while Allen is giving up an average of 33.7 points per game.
 
Allen is also one of the most penalized teams in the country, ranking 161^st out of 163 Division II teams with 94.3 penalty yards per game.