LINCOLN UNIVERSITY, PA. (September 30, 2008) – The Lincoln University of Pennsylvania football team begins the second half of its season with a contest against Bowie State University in the Fifth Annual Prince George’s Classic at Bowie’s Bulldogs Stadium Saturday afternoon beginning at 1:00 p.m. (GAME NOTES)
Fans who can’t make it out to the game can listen to all of the action live on www.brandywineradio.com with Ryan Messick calling all of the action starting with the pre-game show at 12:45 p.m.
The Lions (1-4 overall) and Bulldogs (2-2 overall, 1-1 conference) are meeting one another for the first time. Both teams lost last week. Lincoln fell to Livingstone, 27-10 and Bowie State dropped a 41-10 decision to Shaw.
This is no ordinary game. The Prince George’s Classic is one of the highlights of the Black College Football season. Lincoln will be the eighth school in five years to participate in the Prince George’s Classic, joining Howard, Alcorn State, North Carolina A&T, Morgan State, Bowie State, North Carolina Central and Saint Paul’s College.
The football game is the centerpiece of a festive week featuring a variety of entertaining events. Major activities will include the much anticipated Battle of the Bands, welcome reception, golf tournament, college fair, step show, comedy show, health and wellness fair, and the 50 Million Pound Challenge Walk.
Lincoln has six players on its roster from Prince George’s County (Md.): Gerald Foster (Temple Hills), wide receiver and computer science major Antwan Butler (Oxon Hill/Potomac), running back and business management major D’Ante Smith (Bowie/Riverdale Baptist), offensive lineman and sports medicine major Theodore Horton (Bowie/Riverdale Baptist), offensive lineman and business management major Zachary Honesty (Temple Hills/Woodland) and wide receiver and visual arts major Blair Shephard (Temple Hills, MD/Crosslands). Smith is second on the Lions with 401 all-purpose yards. Foster had nine tackles last week against Livingstone.
Offensively, Lincoln has been paced by sophomore wide receiver and physical education major Trey Thomas (Canton, GA/Woodstock). He leads Lincoln with 33 catches. That total would rank him second in the CIAA if Lincoln were eligible to be ranked among the weekly leaders. Thomas has caught three touchdowns and has gained over 100 yards in two of Lincoln’s five games. In each of Lincoln’s first five games, Thomas has had a play that went for at least 20 yards.
Defensively, freshman linebacker and criminal justice major Bruce-Lee Sterile (Miami, FL/North Miami Beach) leads Lincoln in tackles with 46. Sophomore linebacker and environmental science major Brandon McElwee (Gloucester City, NJ/Gloucester City) had a career-high 16 tackles against Livingstone. McElwee had 44 tackles through five games.
Meanwhile, Bowie State will be playing its first home game of the season. After a season-opening 51-26 victory over Cheyney, the Bulldogs have scored 25 points in their last three games. The Bulldogs top running threat has been Tariq Jones (54 carries, 263 yards). Bowie State has had three different players carry the ball at least 20 times this season. The Bulldogs average 121.5 rushing yards per game.
Clifton Budd leads Bowie State in all-purpose yards with 539, an average of 134.8 per game. Budd is also Bowie State’s top receiver (11 catches, 154 yards). Defensively, the Bulldogs have been stingy against the run, yielding 2.4 yards per rush. Steve Grant-Jones and Terence Peete lead Bowie State with two interceptions each.
Against Shaw, Bowie State finished with 20 rushing yard son 27 attempts. After pulling to within, 9-7, early in the second quarter on a 15-yard Anthony Green touchdown catch, Shaw finished the game by scoring 32 of the final 35 points. Alvin Cox led Bowie State with 14 tackles.
Lincoln returns to action next Saturday when it travels to Virginia Union University for a 1:30 p.m. game. Bowie State hosts Elizabeth City State.
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