COLUMBIA, S.C. – The Benedict College Tigers will look to keep their unbeaten record intact when they host the Fort Valley State Wildcats on Saturday.
 
Kickoff from Charlie W. Johnson Stadium is 2 p.m. The game will be streamed on the SIAC Network. Live stats are available here. Tickets are available here.
 
Saturday's game is a contest between two teams on different trajectories. The Tigers are riding high, coming in as the only remaining undefeated Division II HBCU team at 5-0 overall and 4-0 in the SIAC. The Fort Valley State Wildcats, one win away from a berth in the SIAC championship game a year ago, are 1-4 overall and 1-2 in the SIAC under first-year head coach Marlon Watson. Following an altercation at the conclusion of last week's 18-14 loss to Central State, the SIAC suspended Coach Watson and nine FVSU players for the game against Benedict.
 
Despite their record and the suspensions, Benedict head football coach Ron Dickerson Jr. knows the Wildcats can be a dangerous team. After a season-opening 10-point loss to ninth-ranked West Alabama, the Wildcats have been in every game. Their scoring differential for the season is reflective of that at -3.4 points per game.
 
"They're a very good team," Dickerson said. "Their record doesn't show it. They do a lot of good things."
 
One of the things the Wildcats do well is defend against the pass. Fort Valley State ranks fourth in the SIAC, allowing opponents 187.2 yards per game through the air. The Wildcats have also intercepted six passes through five games, tied for third-best in the SIAC.
 
Benedict is coming off a season-best 244 yards rushing in last week's win over Allen. The Tigers like to be a well-balanced team offensively, but threw for a season-low 132 yards last week and had a season-high three interceptions.
 
"Their defense is very, very aggressive," Dickerson said. "They've had quite a few interceptions."
 
On offense, the Wildcats have been splitting time between a pair of quarterbacks. Don Hudson Jr. is the team's leading rusher, while Jai'Que Hart is the leading passer.
 
"We've got to prepare for all of them," Dickerson said.
 
The Wildcat offense will be up against a Tiger defense that forces a lot of turnovers and capitalizes on those turnovers. Benedict leads NCAA Division II in defensive touchdowns (4), is second in fumbles recovered (10), fourth in turnover margin (1.8) and sixth in turnovers gained (14).

Fort Valley State leads the all-time series between the two teams, 25-9. The Wildcats won last year's meeting 44-20 in Fort Valley, Ga. Benedict won the last meeting in Columbia, 48-6. Each of the last six meetings have been decided by more than one touchdown. The last game decided by less than a touchdown was in 2017, when FVSU took a 31-28 victory in double overtime.