COLUMBIA, S.C. – For Benedict College Head Football Coach Chennis Berry, the time has come to retire the championship celebrations, rings and all the other fanfare over last season's tremendously successful 11-1 season and first-ever SIAC title and D2 HBCU National Championship.
 
It is time for a new goal.
 
The Tigers open the 2023 season on Saturday in the annual Carolinas Classic when they take on Shaw University. Kickoff is 6:05 p.m. in Charlie W. Johnson Stadium and will be televised on HBCU Go (available on Firestick, Roku and other streaming devices), as well as over-the-air channel The Grio (locally available on 19.8, WLTX DT). Tickets are available at benedicttickets.com. Live stats will be available here.
 
While the 2022 championship may be in the rear view mirror for Berry, the 2023 Tigers will be very familiar, as they return 70 players from last year, including 16 starters. The Tigers return the bulk of their outstanding defense from last season, including All-American defensive end Loobert Denelus. Last year, Benedict finished the season ranked seventh in the nation in total defense and third in the nation in passing yards allowed.
 
The offense returns leading wide receiver Reginald Harden and both of their Thunder and Lightning running back tandem of Deondra Duehart and Noah Zaire Scotland. Leading the offense this season will be transfer quarterback Aeneas Dennis, a former two-year starter from Shorter University, who threw for more than 3,300 yards and 29 touchdowns the last two seasons.
 
Shaw comes in after being picked to finish fourth overall in the 2023 Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association preseason poll. The Bears went 4-6 last season, and had a dangerous secondary. The Bears led the CIAA and ranked 13^th in the nation in interceptions, picking off 16 passes. Jay Boyd, a first-team All-CIAA pick last season, had four interceptions and returns for the Bears. On offense, the Bears have two-time All-CIAA pick Sidney Green at running back, who has rushed for 2,840 yards in his three-year career and enters 2023 with a shot to break the school rushing record.
 
After Saturday night's game, the Tigers hit the road for the next three weeks.