COLUMBIA, S.C. Benedict homecoming hits different. When I pulled up to Charlie W. Johnson Stadium, purple and gold had taken over every lot. The grills were going, the music was loud, and the tailgates had been rolling since morning. It was a gray sky with a cold wind out of the north, and nobody cared.
The stakes were real, too. Edward Waters walked in ranked 21st in the country, with the SIAC’s highest-scoring offense and the only unbeaten conference record in the league.
Benedict didn’t care about any of that either. The final was 45-24, and it wasn’t that close for most of the day.
Smith Sets the Tone at Benedict Homecoming
David Smith needed two carries to announce himself. The senior bounced right for 12, then right again for 19, and the whole Benedict bench came off the turf in front of me. Next play, he walked in from 6 yards out. That made it 7-0.
He finished with 106 yards and two touchdowns on just 12 carries. He averaged nearly nine yards per carry.
Johnson Runs Downhill
If Smith was the speed, freshman Christopher Johnson was the hammer. He went 12 yards, 12 more, then 8, every carry with his shoulder down and his legs still churning. On third down he bounced it outside for 18 and ran out of bounds about two steps from my lens. Next snap, he was in the end zone.
That was five carries, 60 yards, and a touchdown on one drive. Benedict led 14-0 after one quarter.
Nation Flips It at Benedict Homecoming
First play of the second quarter, Tavion Faulk threw short. Ethan Nation had been reading it the whole time. He jumped the route, picked it off, and ran it back 27 yards. Two plays later Smith went 32 yards up the middle, untouched.
It was 21-0, and the Edward Waters sideline went quiet.
The Backup Moment
Jett Peddy hit Demetris McKelvey for a 12-yard score to make it 28-0. Edward Waters finally got a field goal. Then, with under two minutes left in the half, Benedict got creative.
On third and 10 at midfield, backup quarterback Gianni Mascolino jogged on the field and let it rip down the right side. Zackery Watkins ran under it in stride, and that was 54 yards and six points. Benedict players were looking at each other on the sideline like, did that really just happen?
It was 35-3 at the half.
Faulk Won’t Fold
Respect to Edward Waters. Down 32, they came out of the locker room swinging.
Faulk, a senior, started slinging it. He hit Izaiah Jean-Baptiste for 29 and Johntarrious Thomas for 31, and Camren Stewart punched it in from the 2. Later, Faulk took a sack, got right back up, and fired a 21-yard strike to Tylon Williams. The Edward Waters sideline was jumping at 38-17, and for a second, you could feel the game tighten.
Butler Ends the Debate
One second. That’s about how long it lasted.
Sophomore Chris Butler caught the kickoff at the 24, hit the seam, and nobody touched him. He went 76 yards to the house. I’ve shot a lot of homecomings, and the noise when Butler crossed midfield was one of the loudest I’ve heard. It was 45-17, and that was the ballgame.
Faulk kept firing. He found Xavier Irvin twice and hit Williams again for an 18-yard touchdown, Williams’ second of the day. Faulk threw for 349 yards, and Irvin caught eight balls for 124. Edward Waters actually outgained Benedict 447 to 367. The scoreboard only cares about points, though.
The Defense Closes the Door
Edward Waters got one more shot when Aykenon Rodgers punched the ball loose and Javon Miller recovered at the Benedict 43. Benedict’s defense shut it down. JaHaven Phillips came off the edge for a sack. On fourth down, Nation and Jamal Rowell met at the quarterback, and the Benedict sideline spilled onto the field before the coaches pulled everybody back.
Edward Waters got into Benedict territory twice more and came away with nothing both times.
By the Numbers
- 4: Benedict sacks on Faulk
- 1 for 4: Edward Waters on fourth down
- 238: Benedict rushing yards
- 132: Butler’s kickoff return yards
- 10: Tackles for freshman linebacker David Makonzo
- 24: Edward Waters’ lowest point total of the season, outside a loss to Division I Jackson State
OK3Sports Players of the Game
Offense: David Smith, RB, Benedict
12 carries, 106 yards, 2 TD
The most damage on the fewest touches. Smith set the tone early and cashed in the game’s biggest turnover.
Defense: Ethan Nation, Benedict
6 tackles, 1.5 sacks, 1 INT, 1 pass breakup
Nation made the play that broke the game open and the play that ended the comeback. He was around the ball all day.
Honorable Mention: Chris Butler, Special Teams, Benedict
3 kickoff returns, 132 yards, 1 TD
One return, one answer, and the momentum was gone.
A Different Kind of Benedict Homecoming Rematch
Last year in Jacksonville, Johntarrious Thomas ran for 243 yards against Benedict, an Edward Waters school record. Benedict still needed a late touchdown to win 31-27.
This year, Benedict held him to 37 yards. There was no late drama and no final-minute finish. Edward Waters is now 0-5 all-time against Benedict.
Closing Time at Benedict Homecoming
A’chean Durant ran it three straight times to burn the clock, Peddy took a knee, and the bench headed for the stands. When I packed up my gear, the music was still going and nobody was in a hurry to leave.
That’s homecoming the way Benedict wanted it.
Up next, Benedict (6-1, 4-1 SIAC) travels to Albany State on Saturday for a rematch of last year’s SIAC title game. Edward Waters (5-2, 4-1) heads home for its own homecoming against Clark Atlanta.
(Photo: OK3Sports/Olen Kelley III)
Related: Benedict Rolls Past Clark Atlanta, 31-3, Behind Dominant Ground Game