COLUMBIA, S.C. – The Benedict College Tigers fell behind 21-0 and could never catch up as the North Greenville Trailblazers took a 38-21 victory on Saturday in Charlie W. Johnson Stadium.
 
The Tigers gave up a pair of touchdowns on long passes, then gave the Trailblazers the ball at the two-yard line after a fumble to set up the third score.
 
"Everything you can do to lose a football game, we put ourselves in that situation," said Benedict College head coach Ron Dickerson Jr. "Bad snaps, penalties, giving up big plays. It's really hard coming back from a deficit like that."
 
Benedict falls to 2-3 on the season. North Greenville goes to 2-2 overall.
 
The Tigers took the opening kickoff and drove to the NGU 2-yard line, but were stopped for no gain on third-and-two and then missed a 19-yard field goal.
 
Late in the first quarter, the Trailblazers were starting at the 14-yard line after a Benedict punt, but struck with an 86-yard catch-and-run from Dylan Ramirez to Ahmari Coats for the first score of the game. Early in the second quarter, the Tigers pinned the Trailblazers back at the 5-yard line, but on 2^nd-and-13 from the 14-yard line, Ramirez and Coats connected again on an 86-yard scoring play, with Coats again outrunning the Tiger defense for the long score.
 
"I don't know. We worked on it during practice. I don't know if kids' eyes were in the wrong spot. I don't know if they were trying to make a big play, but I'm going to really drill into it and figure out what's happening, because it's consistent. People are doing that to us. Maybe we have to change up what we're doing schematically on defense on those downs. We're going to get it corrected."
 
Later in the quarter, the Tigers fumbled on the 2-yard line and North Greenville recovered. The Trailblazers scored on the next play on a run to take a 21-0 lead.
 
Benedict got on the board with an 18-yard pass from Charles "Tre" Simmons to Malaqhi Jones with just three seconds left in the half to cut the lead to 21-7 at the break.
 
North Greenville fumbled on the opening drive of the second half, and James "Trey" Caver recovered for the Tigers. Benedict later scored on a 28-yard pass from Simmons to Jaxon Williams to cut the lead to 21-14. The Trailblazers took the ensuing kickoff and drove 64 yards, scoring on a one-yard run to push the lead to 28-14.
 
Williams took the ensuing kickoff and returned it 74 yards to the NGU 25-yard line. But the Tigers failed to convert on a fourth-and-25. The Trailblazers needed just three plays to traverse 51 yards and scored on an eight-yard run to make it 35-14. North Greenville added a 28-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter to make it 38-14.
 
Benedict marched on a 14-play drive that took nearly five and a half minutes, with Simmons throwing a seven-yard touchdown pass to Tyrique Carter for the final 38-21 score.
 
Simmons threw for a season-high 278 yards, completing 21-of-37 attempts, but Benedict was held to a season-low 78 yards rushing. Troy Hillman had a season-high seven receptions for 104 yards.
 
Isaiah Stephens led the defense with 10 tackles.
 
Benedict returns to SIAC action next week with a road trip to take on the Kentucky State Thorobreds. Kickoff from Alumni Stadium in Frankfort, Ky., is 1 p.m. A stream of the game will be available on HBCU Plus.