Game Notes
ON TAP: Lincoln plays its third-straight road game on Oct. 16 with a trip to Bowie State. The Lions enter this week's game at the newly renovated Bulldog Stadium in Bowie, Md., following a brilliant offensive performance. LU is looking for its first win since the season opener, a 12-0 victory over rival Cheyney University in the Battle of the Firsts, held at Northeast High School in Philadelphia.
ABOUT THE COACHES: Lincoln is coached by O.J. Abanishe in his third season. The Lions are 5-21 under his stewardship. Last season, he guided LU to a 3-7 campaign, a two-win improvement from the program's inaugural season. The Bulldogs are coached by second-year head coach Damon Wilson, who is 9-9. He is a BSU graduate from the Class of 2000.
ALL-TIME SERIES: The Lions are 0-2 all-time against the Bulldogs following a 51-20 loss last year. LU led 12-7 after the first quarter following a 14-yard touchdown pass from Laquan Williams (Philadelphia, Pa./John Bartram HS) to Mathew Coston and a 57-yard touchdown grab by Anthony Wilson (Philadelphia, Pa./George Washington HS). Lincoln was shut out in the second and third quarters before Williams and Wilson connected midway through the fourth quarter with the outcome already decided.
ABOUT BOWIE STATE: Bowie State, at 3-4, has had a somewhat surprising year, but despite the sub-.500 record, the Bulldogs are as competitive as ever. Three of the four losses have been decided by seven points or less including a 14-7 decision to Division I institution Morgan State. Last week, Bowie needed overtime to escape with a home win against Saint Paul's College, a 16-10 affair. They have relied on their defense at this point. Allowing just 232 yards per game, the Bulldogs are ranked No. 1 in the conference total defense and rushing defense. They are No. 2 in the CIAA in scoring defense and passing defense.
LINCOLN LAST WEEK: Last week may have been Lincoln's best performance offensively since the reinstatement of the football program. Showcasing big-play capability, the Lions rolled to a 13-0 lead thanks to a 63-yard touchdown grab by Shawn Bethea (Piscataway, N.J./Piscataway HS) and a nine-yard catch by Matthew Coston (Queens, N.Y./Dover HS) midway through the first quarter. Chowan rallied to go up 16-13 in the third quarter, but Laquan Williams (Philadelphia, Pa./John Bartram HS)' third touchdown pass of the day, a 71-yarder to Phil Jean Juste, gave Lincoln the lead at 20-16 midway through the third. Chowan's starting quarterbacwould go down with an injury, but running back Ryan Simpson threw two touchdown passes to Robert Holland to give CU the lead early in the fourth. Williams would be replaced by Steven Torres (Yonkers, N.Y./Gorton HS) after aggravating a shoulder injury, who promptly hit Coston from 42 yards out to get LU within three, but the Lions could not muster a tying or go-ahead score.
CAREER DAYS: Williams broke the school passing record with 329 yards in a shortened night, besting the 304 set by Brandon Austin (Greenville, N.C./Farmville Central) established Sep. 13, 2009, versus Southern Virginia. His three touchdown passes was also a school record. Matthew Coston (Queens, N.Y./Dover HS) set records in receiving yards and receptions en route to CIAA Wide Receiver Player of the Week Honors (discussed at length shortly). Phil Jean-Just surpassed the century mark for the first time with 110 receiving yards behind five catches. Bethea's 93 yards were a career high and with Coston and Jean-Juste, LU had three receivers over 90 yards in a game for the first time ever.
MORE HONORS FOR LINCOLN: Matthew Coston (Queens, N.Y./Dover HS) and Timothy Green have been recognized for their stellar play on Saturday against Chowan. The Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) has named the two sophomores the Week 7 Players of the Week at their respective positions, the first time two Lincoln players have been honored in the same week.
Coston had the single-greatest receiving day in LU history en route to CIAA Wide Receiver Player of the Week honors. The sophomore speedster set school records for the Lions in yards (157) and receptions (nine). He tied his own school record for receiving touchdowns (two) while also logging his third 100-yard receiving day of 2010. He had the longest reception of his career, a 75-yarder. With 30 receptions for 479 yards, he already surpassed last year's productivity with four games remaining, more than the 29 catches, 380 yards and four scores he totaled in 2009.
Green, a defensive end, had six tackles including two sacks for a combined loss of 19 yards to earn the Defensive Lineman of the Week award. He also broke up two passes and blocked an extra point. Chowan recorded just 85 rushing yards. For the season, he has 22 tackles and 4.5 for losses, tops of all LU defensive linemen. The Lions have now had four CIAA Players of the Week in their first year as an active member in the conference.
BETHEA A BEAST: Bethea has now offered two great performances in consecutive weeks with back-to-back five-catch days. He provided Lincoln's first score, a 63-yard touchdown reception for the longest grab of his career. It was a short slant, and he avoided a tackle before taking it to the house. He finished with five catches for a career-best 93 yards. A TE/WR hybrid, he caught a career-high five passes for 72 yards including one for a long of 25 yards the week before against Howard. Later on the drive, he caught his first touchdown pass since Oct. 18, 2008, a 15-yarder on a jump ball from Aaron Thomas (Oxford, Pa./Oxford Area HS) in the early third quarter.
NEXT UP: Lincoln travels to Petersburg, Va. for a contest against Virginia State. The Trojans defeated the Lions 35-6. VSU scored 21 points in the opening quarter. LU's lone touchdown catch came on a 55-yarder from Austin to wide out Anthony Wilson (Philadelphia, Pa./George Washington HS). This will be Lincoln's final road game of 2010 before concluding the season at home Oct. 30 vs. Saint Paul's College (Homecoming) and Nov. 6 versus Elizabeth City State (Senior Day). Both games are at Avon Grove High School at 1 p.m.
