Pat Riley knows the deal.
The talented Benedict College senior quarterback is aware of his importance to the Tigers’ hopes for challenging for the SIAC championship and a NCAA Division II playoff berth.
Riley is the face of the team, the man in the spotlight and the guy on the hot seat.
But what matters to the Attapulgus, Ga., native is the bottom line.
The Tigers broke through for an 8-3 record last season, Riley’s first in Columbia. The quest for greater glory begins with Saturday’s SIAC date against Morehouse in the 9th annual Palmetto Capital City Classic at Charlie W. Johnson Stadium.
“I’m a competitor and I know I get pulled out a lot because of my position, but in no way am I an ‘I’ player,” Riley said. “My success depends on the team’s success. It’s not about the offense or the defense or special teams this season. It’s about the Benedict Tigers as a group. There are no individual agendas on this team.”
Still, there is no more important figure on the team than Riley.
“We expect great things from all of our players,” Benedict coach Stan Conner said, “but there is no doubt that Pat is straw that stirs the tea.”
“For us to do well, Pat has to play well. He’s the guy we identified who could come in here and make this offense work and we went out and got him. He ran this offense in junior college and stepped right in here. It didn’t take very long to see what a difference he made to the offense and the team in general. If a defense makes a mistake against Pat, it’s six points.”
The Tigers’ option-based attack relies heavily on Riley’s decision-making on the field.
“There’s not a lot of coaching going on during the game, because the decisions are made on the field,” Conner said. “Pat has great awareness and makes good decisions quickly.”
Riley was the reason why the Tigers moved up dramatically in the SIAC offensive rankings last season. BC was first in rushing, last in passing and fourth overall. The passing game netted 88.5 yards per game.
Individually, Riley ran for 1,088 yards, averaged 6.7 yards per carry and scored 12 touchdowns while completing 41 of 98 passes for 887 yards and eight scores.
“For this offense to reach its full potential, we have to improve the passing game,” Riley said. “I worked all summer with the receivers and defensive backs and we’re going to give defenses more to think about than just packing the box to stop the run.”
