Benedict College returned to the NCAA Division II playoffs for the second season in a row, and while it had a better showing, still came up short.
Top-seeded Benedict fell 35-25 to NCAA Division II mainstay Lenoir-Rhyne in Charles W. Johnson Stadium on Saturday.
The two squads juggled the lead back and forth in the first half. Lenoir-Rhyne went up 7-0 on a big touchdown run early and Benedict responded with a one-play drive that ended up in a 58 yard pass from Aeneas Dennis to Reginald Harden, but failed to convert on the PAT. It added to the lead late in the first quarter with an 87 yard pass between the two squads.
Benedict led 19-14 at halftime but could not maintain the momentum as Lenoir-Rhyne scored 21 unanswered points to take a 35-19 lead with just over nine minutes remaining. Benedict would score on a third connection from Dennis to Harden with 5:49 remaining but was unable to get any closer.
The loss ends Benedict’s season at 11-1 for the second consecutive year in the NCAA Division II playoffs at the hands of a South Atlantic Conference team. Last year, Wingate came into Columbia and knocked off the top seed.
Now all eyes will be on Columbia to see where – if anywhere – head coach Chennis Berry lands as he figures to be in the mix for several FCS head coaching jobs after going 22-2 in his last two seasons at Benedict.