In week number five, the Lions take to the road for the fourth time this season, traveling to Winston-Salem, North Carolina to take on two-time defending CIAA Champions Winston-Salem State University.

THE BASICS
Game #5: Lincoln (PA) (0-4, 0-1) at Winston Salem State University (2-2, 0-1)
Date/Time: Saturday, Sept. 30 - 6:00 p.m.
Location:  Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Stadium (Capacity):  Bowman-Gray Stadium (15,000)
Live Video/Stats – https://livestream.com/accounts/5375214/events/7747827
Series – Lincoln leads the all-time Series 2-1
First Meeting:  Nov. 15, 1947 – Lincoln 21  Winston-Salem State  6  (at Winston Salem)
Last Meeting:   Oct. 1 , 2016 -  Winston-Salem State  51  Lincoln 10 (at Lincoln University)


THE OPENING KICK

The Lions will make their first trip ever to Bowman-Gray Stadium this weekend, seeking their first win of the season.

Lincoln's last win came on September 10, 2016 a 33-23 win over Lincoln University of Missouri at Lions Stadium.  The Lions last road win was on September 12, 2015 at North Carolina Wesleyan (28-17)

The Lions are seeking their first conference win since a 20-10 win over Shaw University on September 26, 2015, a stretch of 21 consecutive losses.  The Shaw win is Lincoln's only CIAA win over the past four seasons.

Both teams are seeking their first CIAA win of the season as the Lions lost last Saturday at home to St. Augustine's 81-9 and the Rams fell to Virginia State in Ettrick, Va. 33-27 in overtime.
Winston-Salem State has won the last two CIAA Championship games

LAST MEETING

The Lions put the first points on the board against the Rams with Stephen Scott (Baltimore City, Maryland/Bethel College) scoring on a three yard run, capping a four-play thirty yard drive made possible by a WSSU fumble recovered by LU's Jefari Davis (Syracuse, N.Y./Nottingham (Monroe College)).  The Rams scored three straight touchdowns before Cody Waddell (Elkton, Md./Northeast) made the score 20-10 with a 34 yard field goal  with just 22 seconds left in the first half.  The Rams added a field goal as time expired in the second quarter and scored four unanswered touchdowns in the second half to pull away and secure the 51-10 win.
Jason Epps (Bowie, MD/Bowie High School) had 137 yards passing, completing 16 of 34 passes.   Epps also led the team with 43 net yards rushing while Scott added 33.   Andre Davis (Wilmington, Del./Glasgow (Delaware Tech)) had four receptions to lead Lincoln's receiving corps.  The Rams pounded the ball on the ground, running for 406 net yards rushing, led by Kerrion Moore's 179 yards.  Moore also scored three touchdowns.

LAST TIME OUT…

The Lincoln University football team struggled on both sides of the ball as they were routed by St. Augustine's University 81-9 last Saturday evening at Lions Stadium.
 
St. Augustine's 81 points is the highest total scored in a game by a Division II football program this season and the most allowed by a Lions team since Wofford College put up 82 against Lincoln in week two of the 2012 season.
 
While the Lions offense put up 320 total yards on the night, nearly half of those yards came on just two plays, a  63-yard pass play by Vincent Espinoza (Madera, Calif./Madera (West Hills)) to Carlos Croslin (Baltimore, Md./Frederick Douglass (Globe Tech) ) in the first quarter and an 84-yard touchdown run by backup quarterback Trey McCollum (Burlington, N.C./Western Alamance) late in the second quarter.    
 
McCollum's touchdown was the lone offensive score of the game for the Lions, coming with just 1:14 left in the second quarter and making the score 40-9.  Lincoln's only other points came on a strange play that resulted in a team safety.  With the Lions driving, Espinoza threw his second interception of the game, a pass picked off by SAU's Delano Davis in the end zone for a touchback and the Falcons were called for an illegal block resulting in the safety.
 
McCollum also finished the game with 41 net yards rushing to lead the team.  Andre Price (Rialto, Calif./Jurupa Hills (Chabot)) led the team with seven catches for 75 total yards.  Espinoza had 132 yards passing while McCollum had 68.
 
The Lions' defense gave up 602 yard of total offense to the Falcons, including 331 yards in the air.  Darryl Johnson tossed six touchdown passes to equal the top mark in NCAA D-II games this season and had 297 yards throwing the football.  Jeremiah Miller ran for 144 yards and added two touchdowns on the ground.
 
QUARTERBACK COMPARISON
                              GP             COMP-ATT-INT         PCT          YDS     YDS/G      TD      LG                              EFF.
 Espinoza (LU)       4                42-89-2                    47.2%       632       158.0        5         66                              120.9
 Tinsley (WSSU)    4                44-106-5                  41.5%       503       125.8        5         73                              87.5           
 

LIONS TO WATCH
Offense – Wide receiver Andre Price (Rialto, Calif./Jurupa Hills (Chabot)) is currently ranked second in the CIAA in receiving yards per game (83.8) and total receptions (20).   He leads the team in yards per catch (16.8) (tied for 4th in the CIAA).  Quarterback Vincent Espinoza (Madera, Calif./Madera (West Hills)) has completed 42 of 89 passes for 632 total yards (6^th best in CIAA) with five touchdowns with two interceptions.  His five touchdown passes rank sixth in the CIAA.  Running Back Rameses Owens (Warrensville Hgts., Ohio/Shaker Heights Robert Morris)) netted 165 yards rushing the first four games as a Lion while scoring two touchdowns. Backup quarterback Trey McCollum (Burlington, N.C./Western Alamance) has the longest run from scrimmage this season at 84 yards.
Defense – Junior linebacker Deion Miller (Sayreville, N.J./Jersey Coast Academy), a Second Team All-CIAA honoree last season, recorded a career-high 18 tackles in the loss at Lincoln (Mo.) on 9/9.  His performance earned him the CIAA Defensive Back of the Week award as well as the ECAC Defensive Player of the Week Award.  He currently leads the CIAA in tackles per game (10.0) and is ranked amongst the top ten nationally amongst D-II players in solo tackles. Freshman Rob Thomas is sixth in the CIAA in tackles/game (7.5). The Lions have forced nine fumbles in first four games, recovering five (2^nd in CIAA, 21^st nationally). 
Special Teams – Carlos Croslin (Baltimore, Md./Frederick Douglass (Globe Tech) ) has 291 return yards this season to rank fifth in the CIAA and 25^th nationally.  Deontae Brockington (Randallstown, Md./Baltimore City College HS) is averaging 17.2 yards per kickoff return.  Cody Waddell (Elkton, Md./Northeast), Lincoln's primary punter is averaging 37.2 yards per punt. Waddell is averaging 48.3 yard on kickoffs.

RAMS TO WATCH

Offense – Kerrion Moore is ranked second in the CIAA in rushing yards (472), yards/game (118) and touchdowns (5).  Moore also leads the team with 11 pass receptions. Quarterback Rod Tinsley ranks sixth in the CIAA in touchdown passes and eight in yards per game.  Furrell Murchison has 194 yards gained on the ground.  The Rams are averaging 207 yards per game rushing in their previous four games.
Defense – Kyrell Williamson is averaging 8.0 tackles per game, ranking fifth in the CIAA.  Three other Rams have at least 20 or more tackles on the season.  Jarrell Bright has 25 tackles and leads the team with 3.5 sacks and 4.5 tackles for loss.
Special Teams – Jahiz Linebarger is averaging 26.9 yards on returns this season. Dillon griffin has 825 yards punting and is averaging 34.4 yards per punt.

THE COACHES

Reginald Byarse, Jr. was named the interim head coach of the Lions on May 1, 2017. Byarse, 29, has the distinction of being the youngest head coach of an NCAA Division II football program this season.  No stranger to the Lincoln football program, Byarse spent the last season as the Lions' Special Teams Coordinator and Defensive Backs Coach where he coordinated and managed all aspects of special teams position/positions assignment. Lincoln's punt return unit was one of only six Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) schools to average over ten yards per return in the 2016 season.   Byarse also was heavily involved in opponent evaluation and development of defensive game plans and assists with the administrative functions of the program. He spent the previous six seasons working at the high school level in various capacities. He graduated from Cincinnati in 2011.  

Kienus Boulware is in his third full season as head coach of the WSSU Rams. He has compiled a record of 15-7, and is coming off of a CIAA Championship season in 2015. Boulware arrived at Winston-Salem State University after spending four years as an assistant coach at Shaw University in Raleigh, where his defensive teams ranked tops in the nation in 2007 and 2008, and brings with him a wealth of collegiate coaching experience and championship pedigree. Boulware has transformed the WSSU defensive unit into the best in the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association and the nation each year. His 2013 defensive unit was not only tops in the CIAA, but finished the season ranked as the top Division II defense in the nation.  During the Rams run to national title game in 2012, his defense led the CIAA once again and finished 12th nationally. In 2011, his defense led the CIAA and finished ninth in Division II and his defensive unit finished ranked as the number one unit in the CIAA and fifth nationally in 2010.
 
CIAA PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH
Lincoln University is picked to finish sixth in the Northern Division this season by the conference's head football coaches.  The Lions were also picked to have the 12th-best team in the CIAA this season.  Winston Salem State University was picked to finish first in the Southern Division this season by the conference's head coaches. The Rams were also predicted to have the best team in the CIAA.
 
UP NEXT FOR THE LIONS
Lincoln returns home to face the Virginia Union University Panthers on October 7, 2017. Kickoff is set for 5:00 p.m. at Lions Stadium.