Box Score
MURFREESBORO, N.C. – Needing to go 92 yards in less than a minute, Lincoln University maneuvered to the Chowan 40 before running out of time, a climactic ending to a record-setting game at Garrison Stadium.
The Lions broke multiple school marks, but penalties and turnovers proved costly as Chowan (2-4, 2-1 CIAA) escaped its Homecoming game with a 30-27 win.
Quarterback Laquan Williams (Philadelphia, Pa./John Bartram HS) (Philadelphia, Pa./Bartram) threw for 329 yards, besting the 304 set by Brandon Austin (Greenville, N.C./Farmville Central) last year on Sep. 12 versus Southern Virginia. Matthew Coston (Queens, N.Y./Dover HS) set records in receiving yards (157), receptions (nine) and tied his own record with two touchdown grabs.
Overall, Lincoln (1-4, 0-3 CIAA) outgained the Hawks 425 yards to 275, 413 of which came through the air.
Like Lincoln's last road CIAA match-up at Virginia Union, LU started quickly. Williams connected with Shawn Bethea (Piscataway, N.J./Piscataway HS) (Piscataway, N.J./Piscataway) from 63-yards out, a career-long to begin the non-stop aerial attack. Last week, the junior wide receiver broke out with five catches for 72 yards, but against the Hawks, he one-upped that performance, notching five catches for 93 yards, a career-high.
After a hold by the defense, the Lions again entered the red zone where Williams hit Coston from nine yards out for a 13-0 LU lead with 8:17 left in the first quarter.
CU countered. At 13-10 midway through the second half, Anthony Hooks intercepted Williams, who returned it into Lincoln territory, but on first-and-10, John Mason (Brooklyn, NY/Boys and Girls) (Brooklyn, N.Y./Boys' and Girls') and Eugene Lancaster (Virginia Beach, Va./First Colonial HS) (Virginia Beach, Va./Louisburg College) sandwiched Steven Carroll at the Lincoln 32, but a personal foul by LU prolonged the drive, and on the next play, Carroll found Ryan Murphy alone in the end zone with 7:49 to go for the Hawks' first lead, a 16-10 advantage.
Williams responded to the interception by connecting with Philip Jean-Juste (Miami, Fla. /North Miami Beach HS) (Miami, Fla./Miami North Beach) down the steam, who broke a tackle and scampered 71 yards to the end zone for a 20-16 edge with 6:49 left. Jean-Juste finished the day with five snares for 110 yards, both individual highs for the sophomore.
The advantage would be short lived.
Running back Ryan Simpson relieved an injured Carroll under center, and the 5-foot-8 freshman hooked up with reigning CIAA Wide Receiver of the Week Robert Holland on consecutive possessions to give the Hawks a 30-20 lead early in the fourth quarter
Steven Torres (Yonkers, N.Y./Gorton HS) entered the game for Lincoln, and on his first play, he found Coston on a go pattern, which Coston took to paydirt from 42 yards out as Lincoln got within 30-27 with just more than 11 minutes left.
Lincoln would have one last opportunity but could not go the length of the field without any timeouts with less than a minute remaining.
Lincoln travels to Bowie State at 1 p.m. for the final game of a four-game road swing. Last year, the Bulldogs came back from a first-quarter hole to defeat the Lions, 51-20 at Avon Grove High School
