Lincoln's Cook throws for 345 yards in loss to rival Cheyney

LINCOLN UNIVERSITY, Pennsylvania — Doug Cook (Dania Beach, Fla./University School of Nova SE University) threw for 345 yards and one touchdown, but the Lincoln University football team dropped its second straight Battle of the First rivalry game on Saturday afternoon as the Lions fell to Cheyney, 34-21, at Lincoln University Stadium.

“This was a tough loss, but our team is mentally tough,” Lincoln head coach O.J. Abanishe said. “Many of them have been through much more in life.”

Cheyney (1-0), which finished with 229 total yards, including 207 on the ground, scored a pair of touchdowns in the opening quarter on runs by Justin Watkins and Jay Journigan. The Wolves added to the margin in the second quarter on a Marcus Jones run as Cheyney took a 20-0 advantage into the break.

Box Score



Lincoln (0-1) fell behind 27-0 early in the third quarter as Triston Dillon went 99 yards on a fumble return, but the Lions quickly answered when Tyahir Mitchell (Wilmington, Del./Howard High School of Tech) scooped up a lateral and went 68 yards for the second, cutting the deficit to 27-7.

The Lions, who racked up 419 total yards of offense, continued to close the gap when Matt Coston caught a 38-yard touchdown pass from Cook with 10:50 remaining as Lincoln trailed, 27-14.

After a Cheyney touchdown extended the advantage to 34-14, Coston added his second touchdown reception of the afternoon – a 15-yard catch - from Lincoln backup quarterback Charles Green (Coatesville, Pa.) with 2:02 remaining, but that was as close as the Lions would get.

Cook was 30-of-51 passing, while Charles Green (Coatesville, Pa.) was 2-for-2 for 18 yards. Coston finished with 11 catches for 125 yards to lead all Lincoln receivers. Philip Jean-Juste (Miami, Fla. /North Miami Beach HS) had 79 yards on seven catches. Gerald Swain (Burlington Township, N.J./Burlington Township HS) led the ground game with 28 yards on 13 carries. Defensively, Tim Green (Fanwood, N.J./Scotch Plains-Fanwood HS) recorded a game-high nine solo tackles and finished with 10 total tackles. He also added four quarterback hurries and one sack.

Jones paced the Cheyney ground attack with 85 yards on 21 carries. Blaze Wasserleben had 12 rushes for 92 yards. In the air, Wasserleben was 3-of-6 for 22 yards. Isaiah Fleming and Shannon Burch each had eight tackles to lead the Wolves.

The two teams, which were trying to shake off the early season rust, combined for 39 penalties for nearly 400 yards.

Lincoln returns to action 7 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 8 in Spartanburg, S.C., against FCS Division I member Wofford College.

COURTESY LINCOLN UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA MEDIA RELATIONS