The Lincoln University football team wraps up the 2022 season with a road trip down I-95 to face Bowie State 1 p.m. Saturday.

GAME NOTES | WATCH | LIVE STATS

ON THE AIR
Today's game will be featured on the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association network (www.ciaasn.com).

SERIES HISTORY
Lincoln enters the meeting looking for its first win against Bowie State in the 13-game history of the series. 

THE LAST TIME OUT
The Lincoln University defense continued to be its opportunistic self, but ultimately, nationally-ranked Bowie State continued its run to the CIAA North Division crown with the 31-7 win.

Rontay Dunbar hauled in his team-leading third pick of the season and Kentrell Pierce finally recorded his first interception. Pierce is second on the team with nine pass break-ups.

Trailing 21-0, Lincoln tallied its lone touchdown as Isaiah Wilson V capped an eight-play, 77-yard drive with 9:23 remaining in the third quarter. Wilson connected with Michael Credle twice for 60 yards, and Credle caused a defensive pass interference for another 12 yards on the scoring drive.

Devon Cathcart (Chicago, Ill./Thornton Fractional South) was all over the gridiron with 15 tackles, including 1.5 for loss. Makhai Beasley (Washington, D.C./McKinley Tech) added eight tackles and two sacks, while Roosevelt Jordan (Shamong, N.J./Seneca) (Shamong, N.J./Seneca) tallied eight stops as well.


GROUND ATTACK
Sophomore running back Amir Gerald has taken over the reins as the Lions' lead back. The 5-8 back leads the team with 419 yards rushing and a robust 5.0 yards per game. He has two 100-yard games in his six appearances. 

His 79.8 yards per game are fifth in the CIAA, while quarterback Isaiah Freeman is tenth in rushing with 45.5 yards per game.


IMPROVED OFFENSE
Just a season after being one of the worst offenses in the nation, averaging just six points per game, Lincoln has more than doubled that output this season. The Lions are averaging 17.0 points and have only been held to single digits by a Division II team once this season. 

Over the last three games, Lincoln is averaging 20 points per game. 


FRESHMAN SIGNAL CALLER
Freshman quarterback Isaiah Freeman has garnered the respect and admiration of his teammates and coaching staff.

The rookie is second in the CIAA in total offense, accounting for 239.5 yards. He is second in the conference with 194.0 passing yards and tenth with 45.5 rushing yards. 

The three-time CIAA Rookie of the Week has thrown for 1,348 yards on 105-of-208 passing with 12 touchdowns and one interception. His interception came after starting his career with 168 passes without a pick.

Freeman has also accounted for four of the team's seven rushing touchdowns. 


FRESHMEN TARGETS
The future is definitely bright for the Lincoln offense as a pair of freshmen have started to make an impact. Eli Riddick has 10 catches for 146 yards and one touchdown over the last four games, while Antwain Banks recently recorded a sizzling four-catch, 116-yard performance with a touchdown. 


GRAY AREA
Transfer Kai Gray leads the team, and is second in the conference, with 9.6 tackles per game. Gray is coming off a season-high 17 tackles against Virginia Union. He is ranked ninth with seven passes defended. However, he has had interceptions in three of the last four games erased by "pass interference" on a teammate. 


FAREWELL
Today marks the final game for Kai Gray, Eric Best, Mike Johnson (Edgewood, Md./Edgewood), Kentrell Pierce, Trae Greene (Willingboro, N.J./Burlington Co. Tech), Rashon Cooke (Sharon Hill, Pa./Lower Merion), Ishmael Pierre, Mohammad Smar, Shawn Kemmerer, and Justin Gowan (Brooklyn, N.Y./Abraham Lincoln).


MEET BOWIE STATE
A string of five straight CIAA Championship game appearances and four straight playoff appearances will come to an end for the Bulldogs.

Bowie State enters the game third offensively in the CIAA with 28.7 points and fifth defensively with 21.7 points. The Bulldogs' offense is racking with 421.1 yards of offense, mostly through the air with a league-high 292.1 yards passing. 

Quarterback Dion Golatt spearheads the attack, completing 52.3 percent of his passes for 2,416 yards. His favorite target is Keshane Hinckley, who is second in the CIAA with 607 receiving yards. 

Defensively, Sadiq Salawu is leading the team with 42 tackles, while Joshua Pryor has 9.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks to go along with his 40 stops.