November 14th, 2026 4:05pm
From benedicttigers.com
COLUMBIA, S.C. – All season long, Benedict head football coach Ron Dickerson Jr. has talked about the team's VISION, their team acronym and rallying motto. On Saturday, that vision became a reality as the Tigers staged a miraculous 24-point second half comeback to defeat Kentucky State 52-45 in overtime and capture the 2026 SIAC Championship.
Demetris McKelvey hauled in a 25-yard pass on the first play of overtime to give Benedict its first lead since the first quarter, and the Tigers held the Thorobreds to four consecutive incomplete passes in their overtime segment to capture their first-ever league title under Dickerson, and the school's third overall championship in the past five years.
Benedict goes to 10-1 overall on the season and earned the SIAC's automatic bid to the NCAA Division II championship. The Tigers will find out next week's opponent during Sunday's 6 p.m. NCAA Division II championship selection show. Benedict entered Saturday as the No. 1 team in Super Region II. Kentucky State drops to 8-3 overall and will likely earn an at-large spot into the playoffs. The Thorobreds entered Saturday's championship game as the No. 2 team in the region.
Benedict trailed 38-14 with 6:30 left in the third quarter after Kentucky State scored on a 24-yard pass that was set up after the Thorobreds intercepted a pass and went on a four-play, 39-yard drive.
The Tigers scored 24 unanswered points to tie the contest. Glenn Foreman III kicked off the comeback by engineering a seven-play, 78-yard drive that culminated with a four-yard run by A'chean Durant.
After Ethan Nation intercepted a KSU pass, Zane Spires kicked a 37-yard field goal to cut the lead to 38-24 with 10:43 left in the game.
The Thorobreds were forced to punt after being held to a three-and-out on their next series, and Cayden McIntosh blocked the punt, the Tigers' fourth blocked punt of the season. Javon Bowser recovered the loose ball and returned it 35 yards for a touchdown to cut the lead to 38-31 with 8:49 left to play.
On KSU's very next offensive play, Joshua Lee intercepted another Thorobred pass and returned it to the KSU 33-yard line. Foreman gained 13 yards on third-and-two, then threw a 13-yard pass to McKelvey to tie the game at 38 with 6:17 remaining.
The Thorobreds struck back quickly, scoring on an 82-yard run on the first play to go back up 45-38.
Benedict marched 72 yards on their next series, with SIAC Freshman of the Year Christopher Johnson punching it in from two yards out to tie the game at 45 with 3:15 left to play.
The Thorobreds recovered a muffed punt return with just over a minute left in the game and took over at the Benedict 17-yard line. But the Thorobreds were out of time outs and failed to get their field goal unit on the field in the final seconds, forcing the game into overtime.
Foreman, who entered the game with just 76 passing yards all season, came off the bench to finish with 348 yards passing, including a 73-yard pass to Tamyrion "TJ" Hatch in the first quarter that tied the game at 7-7. Foreman completed 23-of-40 passes with four touchdowns and one interception. Hatch finished with 171 receiving yards on eight catches, while McKelvey caught three passes for 44 with two of those for touchdowns.
Benedict, which entered the game averaging an SIAC-best 201.5 rushing yards per game, finished with a season-low 79 yards on the ground on a season-low 28 attempts.
Defensively, David Makonzo recorded a team-high seven tackles, while Bowser and Jamal Rowell had six tackles each.