Albany State seeks rebound against 6-1 Benedict after Tuskegee loss

ALBANY — The lead was theirs. The finish wasn’t.

Albany State fought its way out of a 10-point hole at Tuskegee, drove 80 yards twice and moved ahead with less than six minutes remaining Saturday. Then the Golden Rams watched Tuskegee drive back downfield and take the game away.

Now comes Benedict — and another chance to show that a difficult season still has somewhere worth going.

“We’ve still got a lot to play for,” Albany State coach David Bowser said.

The Golden Rams will need to play like it Saturday when the Tigers arrive at Albany State Coliseum for a 1 p.m. kickoff. Benedict is 6-1, has won three straight and just hammered then-No. 21 Edward Waters 45-24.

Albany State is 3-4 overall and 3-2 in the SIAC. Its lineup is hurting. Its championship hopes still have life.

A victory would give both teams two conference losses, helping the Golden Rams regain ground in the race.

Getting there starts with stopping No. 1.

David Smith, Benedict’s senior running back, rushed for 106 yards and two touchdowns against Edward Waters, helping the Tigers pile up 238 rushing yards and build a 35-3 halftime lead.

“He is really, really good,” Bowser said.

Benedict’s roster also includes a familiar name for Albany football fans: former Westover standout running back Saylor Edwards. The freshman’s status for the Tigers’ traveling squad has not been confirmed.

For Bowser, the immediate concern is the running game Benedict has already established.

He has emphasized “run fits” throughout practice this week — the assignments that put each defender in the proper gap. Against a back like Smith, one player drifting out of position can turn a routine carry into an open-field chase.

Bowser trusts his defensive front. Saturday will demand more than strong play from the linemen, however. Linebackers must fill behind them. Safeties must arrive where they belong.

The Golden Rams could have to handle those assignments without Evan Wynn and Rontavion Scott, both banged up at Tuskegee.

On offense, linemen Demetrius Hopkins and Cameo Jones will be unavailable. Hopkins is out for the season.

Benedict won’t offer much room to compensate for those absences. Its special teams won’t provide a breather, either.

The Tigers blocked three punts against Allen two weeks ago. Against Edward Waters, Chris Butler returned a kickoff 76 yards for a touchdown.

Bowser has responded by adding starters to special-teams units they don’t normally play on.

“We need to have our best players on the field for their special teams,” he said.

Benedict can threaten Albany State in several ways. It also has an opportunity to change a recent history that belongs to the Golden Rams.

Three times the teams met last season. Three times Albany State won.

The first victory, 31-3 in Columbia, helped put ASU in position to host the SIAC championship game. The Golden Rams won that meeting 22-16, then ended Benedict’s season with a 14-12 victory in the NCAA playoffs.

Bowser cautioned against assuming Saturday will simply pick up where those games ended.

“This is a different team. Benedict is a very different team,” he said. “Outside their coaching staff and a few of their key players, most of their guys didn’t lose to Albany State three times.”

Still, he expects the Tigers to understand what those defeats cost the program.

Now Benedict’s victory over Edward Waters has strengthened its position in the conference race. Winning in Albany would keep the Tigers pushing toward an opportunity to host the championship.

The Golden Rams can disrupt those plans. First, they must respond to a loss that left Bowser proud of their effort and disappointed by the outcome.

“That was a very physical game at Tuskegee, on both sides of the ball,” he said. “I told our guys I was very proud of the way we matched the intensity Tuskegee brought.”

The setting carried its own weight. Tuskegee’s championship history met Albany State’s, and Bowser felt it.

“There really was a vibe there,” he said.

His players responded, erasing a 10-0 halftime deficit and taking a 14-10 lead with 5:37 remaining. Tuskegee answered with the winning touchdown in a 17-14 game.

“We came back and took the lead 14-10, but we had never experienced somebody driving back against us to win the game,” Bowser said.

There is no undoing that finish. There is another game to influence.

“This is going to be another good game,” Bowser said, “and we’ve got to bring that intensity again.”

Against Benedict, the Rams need to bring it — and sustain it through the finish.

Saturday’s game will air on ESPN+.