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Benedict defeated Clark Atlanta 49-25 in the Augusta City Classic on Saturday afternoon at David Dupree Field/Lucy C. Laney Memorial Stadium.

Junior quarterback Pat Riley led the Tigers with four touchdowns and broke Benedict's 1,000-yard rushing mark. Riley earned the MVP award for the game.

"Man, it feels good, it feels great," Riley said. "All the thanks to God, and we did a hell of a job. We came out and played strong and played hard the whole first half and a lot of plays opened up to us."

In the first half, Riley passed for 175 yards, and all four of his touchdowns came in the second quarter. Three were passes and one was a 79-yard touchdown run.

"Pat is a tremendous athlete," Benedict coach Stanley Conner said. "I thought he threw it quite well today."

Benedict scored big in the first half to give the Tigers a substantial 42-3 lead at halftime and forced the Panthers to change their game plan.

"We told them it's all about pride," Clark Atlanta interim coach Keith Higdon said. "We knew that team wasn't that many points better than us, so we told them this was all about pride and the second half was all pride."

Pride helped the Panthers but couldn't save them from the hole they dug. The Panthers came back in the second half, scoring the only touchdown of the third quarter and mustering the strength to score 16 points in the fourth.

Higdon said the team fell short because of mental mistakes, missed assignments and failed executions.

"We got to get to work," Higdon said. "We have to hit the road and get that push for new players."

The Tigers looked tired in the second half but, because of their 39-point lead at halftime, their one TD in the second half wasn't detrimental.

"We took what they allowed us to have and that's what we have to do on offensive. We try to control the game and not get into a shootout," Conner said.

"We hit them quick. The first half you know, we hit them deep. We knew they would have to throw the ball deep and we were confident our defense could stop them."

Cooper, who was unable to attend last year's game in Augusta because of medical issues, is proud of his team's accomplishments this season and takes the win as a blessing.

"Well, you know it's good to win anytime you win, but I'm proud of them winning eight out of the last nine (games)," Conner said. "To get on a roll and stay on a roll is great for the program. For me it's special because last year I was unable to attend the game because of my situation, but to do a complete turnaround, it's a huge blessing."