LUT WILLIAMS BCSP Editor
STAYIN’ ALIVE?: benedict head coach Chennis Berry (l.) and North Carolina Central coach Trei Oliver (r.) take their teams into battle Saturday in the NCAA Div. II and FCS playoffs respectively.
It’s win or go-home time for both Benedict and North Carolina Central this week. The two teams will enter NCAA championship playoff fields this week in Div. II and FCS respectively.
SIAC champion Benedict (11-0, 9-0 SIAC) is one of the four teams ranked first in each of the Div. II Super Regions in the 28-team playoff field. The Tigers are the top-ranked team in Super Region II and received a bye thru Saturday’s first round.
NC Central (9-2, 4-1 MEAC) received one of the ten at-large bids to the 24-team FCS playoff field.
Both Benedict and NCCU will be seeking their first such playoff wins in history.
NCAA Div. II Playoffs
Benedict puts its undefeated mark and top ranking in Super Region II on the line when it hosts South Atlantic Conference (SAC) champion, fourth-seed Lenoir-Rhyne (11-1), Saturday in Columbia, S. C. (1 p.m.).
This will be Benedict’s and third-year head coach Chennis Berry’s second straight trip to the playoffs and second straight time they will be hosting after receiving the region’s top seed.
After an 11-0 season in 2022, the Tigers received the first-round bye but fell at home to SAC member Wingate, 23-6, in the second round.
The Match Up Lenoir-Rhyne at Benedict
Lenoir-Rhyne junior QB Sean White passed for a school-record 398 yards and five TDs and rushed for two scores as the Bears walloped Shepherd, 63-14 in a first-round home playoff game Saturday. LR-U is led by fourth-year head coach Mike Jacobs.
White has thrown for 1,324 yards and 16 touchdowns with just three interceptions while completing 64.7% of his passes. He has passed for ten TDs over the Bears’ last two victories including 308 yards and five TDs in a 48-7 SAC title-clinching win over Tusculum.
But LR-U redshirt sophomore QB Jalen Ferguson has been perhaps more productive. Ferguson has passed for 1,468 yards and 16 TDs with just two interceptions while completing 72% of his passes. It is not clear who will start Saturday between the two prolific passers.
The Bears boast three receivers with over 30 receptions – DeAree Rogers (43 rec., 621 yds., 6 TDs), Senga Yates (35 rec., 516 yds., 7 TDs) and Deondre Lester (33 rec., 471 yds., 5 TDs). Opening things up for the Bears’ passing attack is junior running back Dwayne McGhee who has rushed for 1,213 yards and 9 TDs while averaging 6.8 yards per carry.
The Benedict defense leads the nation in scoring defense giving up just 8.4 points per game. It will have its hands full slowing down the L-RU offense that comes in averaging 40.2 points per game, 14th-best in Div. II. The Tigers also are second in the nation in sacks (45, 4.0 per game) led by 10 sacks from defensive ends Loobert Denelus and 9.5 by DE Jayden Broughton.
Benedict has been even more prolific than the Bears on offense scoring 41.1 points per game, 11th-best in Div. II. The offense is led by grad senior QB Aeneas Dennis who has completed 63.2% of his passes for 2,722 yards, 19 TDs and five interceptions.
Sophomore Deondra Duehart (591 yards, 7 TDs) leads the rushing attack while 6-foot, 215-pound redshirt freshman Noah Zaire Scotland has rushed for 295 yards and 13 TDs.
Benedict is 0-2 historically vs. L-RU. The Tigers lost 17-0 to the Bears in 2006 and 38-17 in 2007.
FCS Playoffs
North Carolina Central will travel down to Richmond, Va.’s Robins Stadium Saturday (2 p.m., ESPN+) to face the University of Richmond (8-3, 7-1 CAA), one of three co-champions of the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA).
The Match Up NC Central @ Richmond
NCCU and Richmond have four common opponents this season – MEAC members Morgan State and Delaware State, CAA member Elon and former MEAC member and now CAA member North Carolina A&T.
UR was 3-1 vs. those common opponents. The Spiders lost a stunning 17-10 decision to Morgan State to open the season, defeated Delaware State 38-6 on Sept. 16, beat NC A&T 33- 10 on Oct. 21 and won over Elon 38-24 on Nov. 11.
NCCU was 4-0 against the same teams, beating NC A&T 30-16 on Sept. 9, handling Elon 34-23 on Oct. 7, getting by Morgan State 16-10 on Oct. 19 and dispatching Delaware State 55-14 on Nov. 18.
After the loss to Morgan State, Richmond lost at Michigan State (45-14 on Sept. 9) and at home Hampton (31-14 on Sept. 30) before running off six straight wins.
After beginning the season as the starter, redshirt sophomore quarterback Kyle Wickersham has started the last two UR wins over Elon and William & Mary that clinched a tie for the CAA title. Freshman Camden Coleman has been at the controls during six games. Wickeshap has thrown for 1,038 yards and 7 TDs and added 333 rushing yards and four TDs. Coleman has passed for 975 yards and 10 scores.
Redshirt junior Nick DeGennaro is the top receiver with 54 receptions for 702 yards and eight TDs. Redshirt senior running back Savon Smith has also taken a number of snaps when the Spiders run out of a Wildcat formation. Smith has rushed for 612 yards and six TDs to lead UR.
Defensively, the Spiders are led by redshirt senior linebacker Tristan Wheeler’s 104 tackles.
The Eagles’ attack is engineered by grad senior quarterback Davius Richard who has passed for 1,915 yards and 20 TDs with just 3 interceptions while completing 61.0% of his passes. Richard has rushed for another 578 yards and 15 TDs. Senior RB Latrell Collier is the team’s rushing leader with 684 yards including 8 rushing touchdowns. Sophomore wideout Devin Smith (34 rec., 4 TDs) and junior Joaquin Da- vis (33 rec., 6 TDs) are Richard’s top targets.
The NCCU defense is led by sophomore linebacker Jayden Flaker (74 tackles, 4.5 sacks), junior defensive back Kole Jones (53 tackles) and senior safety Manny Smith (46 tackles).
NCCU is the first black college team to make the FCS playoffs since Florida A&M, playing out of the SWAC, was selected in 2021. The Eagles are the second MEAC squad to go the FCS playoffs since the league gave up its automatic bid in 2015 to start the postseason Celebration Bowl. MEAC runners-up North Carolina A&T was made the FCS playoffs in 2016.