Game notes
ON TAP: A week after playing its most legendary rival in Howard University, the Lions resume conference play in the first-ever meeting with the Hawks of Chowan University, who will be playing their Homecoming game. The contest kicks off at 6 p.m. at Garrison Stadium in Murfreesboro, N.C.
ABOUT THE COACHES: LU is coached by O.J. Abanishe in his third season. LU is 5-20 under his stewardship. Last season, he guided LU to a 3-7 campaign, a two-win improvement from the program's inaugural season. Chowan is coached by Tim Place, who, like Abanishe, is 5-20 in his 2+ seasons.
ALL-TIME SERIES: This is the first-ever meeting between the schools, marking the second-time this season that Lincoln is meeting a CIAA opponent for the first time. On Sep. 25, the Lions faced Saint Augustine's College in the home opener at Avon Grove High School.
ABOUT CHOWAN UNIVERSITY: The Hawks pulled off a remarkable victory last Saturday, defeating Virginia Union, 35-34, in a televised game. VUU scored 13 points in the final 1:22 but missed what would have been the tying extra point with 21 seconds left. CU's Robert Holland caught 11 passes for 144 yards and three touchdowns en route to CIAA Wide Receiver Player of the Week honors. Stephen Carroll was 19-of-30 for 183 yards in the win. Defensively, Chowan has been very vulnerable on the ground, allowing 290 yards a game. Last week was no different, as the Panthers' Jerrell Washington carried the ball 20 times for 165 yards. Kristopher White recorded 8 tackles including 4 for losses last week.
LINCOLN LAST WEEK: Lincoln engaged in a thrilling game against Howard University at Greene Stadium in Washington, D.C. The Bison scored three touchdowns in the second quarter for a decisive 21-0 edge :20 before halftime. However, on Lincoln's final play before the break, Lincoln's Ivan Mitchell hit fellow wide out Anthony Wilson (Philadelphia, Pa./George Washington HS) on a double-pass from 34 yards out for a 21-7 halftime deficit. LU started the third quarter by marching down the field and capping the effort with a 15-yard snare by Shawn Bethea (Piscataway, N.J./Piscataway HS). LU and Howard would trade three and outs, but the Bison would ice the game on a touchdown run early in the fourth quarter.
BACK-UPS FILL IN ADMIRABLY: Aaron Thomas (Oxford, Pa./Oxford Area HS) threw for 104 yards and a touchdown. The last touchdown pass he had thrown was a five-yarder to Bethea on Oct. 18, 2008. Steven Torres (Yonkers, N.Y./Gorton HS), who relieved Thomas, threw for 107 yards on 7-of-14 passing. Running back Gerald Swain (Burlington Township, N.J./Burlington Township HS) had career highs in carries (18) and yards (75). Swain, a first-year walk-on, also had Lincoln's longest run from scrimmage, a 32-yarder in the first quarter.
STERILIZING THE OPPOSITION: The Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association has named Lincoln University junior linebacker Brucelee Sterile (Miami, Fla./North Miami Beach HS) its Linebacker of the Week for his performance on against Howard University. Sterile had a career-high 16 tackles including one stop for a loss of seven yards. For the second time this year and the 10th time in his career, he recorded double-digit tackles. With his efforts, Howard went three-and-out on three drives in the second half and scored just seven points. The Bison had just 44 passing yards for the entire game. Sterile leads LU with 39 tackles including 6.5 for losses through the first five games. He now has 224 stops for his career.
BETHEA A BEAST: Bethea, a TE/WR hybrid, caught a career-high five passes for 72 yards including one for a long of 25 yards. Later on the drive, he caught his first touchdown pass since Oct. 18, 2008, a 15-yarder on a jump ball from Thomas in the early third quarter.
THE WRIGHT STUFF: Domonic Wright (New Hempstead, NY/St. Joe's Regional) caught his first-career touchdown pass, a 42 yarder in the fourth quarter against St. Augustine's College.
PUNTER MAKES HISTORY: Junior Antwan Whittington (Trenton, NJ/) will forever hold a bit of school history following his performance Saturday against the University of New Haven. The Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) announced Monday, Sep. 13, that the punter was named Special Teams Player of the Week, becoming Lincoln's first recipient of a conference award. The Lions had not previously qualified for the weekly honors while transitioning from NCAA Division III to Division II. Whittington averaged 41.3 yards on six punts including a blast that went for 57 yards in the first quarter that pinned New Haven deep in its own territory.
NEXT UP: Lincoln plays its third straight road game on Oct. 16 with a trip to Bowie State. 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 Wilson. 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.
FINALLY THERE: After enduring a three-year transition from NCAA Division III to Division II, on July 13, Lincoln University officials announced that it had become a fully active member of NCAA Division II. The result is simple: Lincoln is finally eligible for the postseason and conference awards, among other benefits.
HISTORY LESSON: Lincoln won the CIAA in 1924 and helped found the conference several years earlier. This year, Lincoln was picked to finish 7th in the North Division and 13th overall in the conference.
SOURCE OF INSPIRATION: Water boy Xavier Oliver will patrol the sidelines during home games for the second consecutive year. After losing his father in a car accident and helping care for a sick mother, the 10-year-old's godmother introduced him to Lincoln football in the summer of 2009. In addition to being featured in multiple outlets, he was also present at the 2010 Student-Athlete Awards Banquet and was welcomed to the stage by a standing ovation.
— LU —
