Bethune-Cookman Takes Down Southeastern Louisiana, 28-23

Wildcats earn key non-conference road win

HAMMOND, Louisiana  –  Redshirt senior quarterback Larry Brihm, Jr. passed for 354 yards and two touchdowns on Saturday evening, helping Bethune-Cookman defeat Southeastern Louisiana, 28-23 at Strawberry Stadium in a big non-conference collegiate football contest.

"This wasn't an upset, but it was a certainly huge win," said third-year BCU Head Coach Terry Sims afterwards when speaking to local media.

That's exactly what the atmosphere appeared to be afterwards in and out of the Bethune-Cookman locker room.

Bethune-Cookman (1-1) opened the game scoring on its opening possession. Dating back to 2016, the opening possession score for the Wildcats was the fifth of its kind in the last six games.

Larry Brihm connected with Keavon Mitchell for 47 yards to put the Wildcats into scoring position early-on. The eight-play, 78-yard drive was capped off by Brihm connecting with senior receiver Anthony Cruz in the back of the end zone for the 7-0 lead.

Southeastern Louisiana (0-2), narrowly falling a week ago to Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) opponent Louisiana-Lafayette, responded on its next possession, driving 74 yards in nine plays and taking just over four minutes off the clock to pull within 7-3 on the strength of a Dillon Burkhard 32-yard field goal.

On the ensuing possession, the Maroon and Gold offense marched down the field 88 yards in 5:06 off the clock, as Michael D. Jones raced into the end zone from four yards out to advance the BCU lead, 14-3 – following the extra point kick from Uriel Hernandez.

Following a pair of Burkhard field goals, Bethune-Cookman held a slim 14-9 lead at the half.

In the second half, SLU took its first lead of the game following a fumble by the Wildcats offense.

Sione Teuhema hit Brihm from behind the jar the ball loose, and it was the Lions' Courtney Rutledge recovering to give the homestanding Lions the ball at the BCU 27 yard line.

SLU wasted little time taking the lead when Eugene Bethea rushed three-straight times, eventually scoring on a seven yard scamper to put SLU up, 16-14.

Bethune-Cookman took the lead once again midway through the fourth quarter, 21-16.

After Brihm connected with Jawill Davis – finishing the night with seven receptions for 138 yards and a score, setup the Miami native's score two plays later in the corner of the end zone.

However, the Lions responded in kind on the ensuing play when Juwan Petit-Frere took the kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown, putting SLU back up, 23-21.

After that, the visiting Wildcats used an 11-play, 72-yard drive that took 4:42 off the clock to find the end zone for the fourth time on the night – and the second time in the final stanza.

On the drive, Brihm finished 4-for-6 passing, while also rushing for 12 yards to extend the drive on fourth down once. The drive was capped off by Brihm's one-yard plunge off-tackle that wound up being the decisive 28-23 final score.

The BCU defense, limiting the Lions to just 93 yards passing on the night, withstood a tough fourth-down penalty (following a potential turnover on downs), only to force another turnover on downs from the Lions, closing out the game and the road win.

Brihm finished the night with 354 yards passing on 25-of-39 passing. He would run for 25 yards and a score as well, also accounting for tw0 passing touchdowns. Michael D. Jones ran for a game-high 95 yards and a touchdown, while it was Davis hauling in a game-high seven catches for 138 yards.

The BCU defense was anchored by linebacker Alexander Morales with nine tackles, while Uriah Gilbert brought in seven tackles (including a tackle for loss). Three different Wildcats collected interceptions, as Trevor Merritt, Elliott Miller and Diquan Richardson forced Lions turnovers through the air.

Bethune-Cookman is back in action next weekend as the Cats travel to Boca Raton, Florida for the final non-conference regular season matchup of the 2017, taking on FBS opponent Florida Atlantic. Kickoff for the game is scheduled for 6:30 p.m., and will be carried nationally on television through beIN Sports.

Follow Bethune-Cookman Football on Twitter (@BCUGridIron) for all of the latest news and updates. For all Bethune-Cookman Athletics news, follow us on Twitter (@BCUathletics), Instagram (@BCUathletics), Snapchat (@BCUathletics) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/BCUathletics).

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#23 Tennessee State Tigers Tops Jackson State, 17-15, in Southern Heritage Classic Thriller

MEMPHIS, Tennessee --- The 2017 Southern Heritage Classic went down to the final second as the Tennessee State football team topped Jackson State, 17-15, on Saturday Night at the Liberty Bowl. A fourth-quarter 58-yard punt return for a touchdown by Patrick Smith proved to be the difference in the game.

Smith’s touchdown with just over five minutes remaining put TSU up 17-9.

Jackson State was able to cut the lead down to 17-15 when Terrell Kennedy returned the ensuing kickoff 87 yards for a touchdown. Laquarius Cook broke up a pass on the two-point try to preserve TSU’s slight edge.

PHOTO GALLERY

Game 2: Tennessee State 17, Jackson State 15
Records: TSU (2-0), JSU (0-2)
Venue: Liberty Bowl
Location: Memphis, Tenn.
Attendance: 47,407
Weather: Clear, 80

Jackson State was able to cut the lead down to 17-15 when Terrell Kennedy returned the ensuing kickoff 87 yards for a touchdown. Laquarius Cook broke up a pass on the two-point try to preserve TSU’s slight edge.

With two seconds showing on the clock, JSU’s field goal from 47 yards out was wide left giving TSU the two-point victory. The Tigers improved to 2-0 on the season, while Jackson State fell to 0-2.

TSU quarterback Treon Harris earned MVP of the 2017 Southern Heritage Classic. 

TOTALS

• TSU finished with 238 yards of total offense to Jackson State’s 303
• Tennessee State rushed for 160 yards and limited JSU to 107 yards on the ground
• Jackson State held the ball for 33:38 of the 60 minutes in the game

INDIVIDUAL

• TSU quarterback Treon Harris led the offense with 78 yards passing and 91 yards rushing
• Harris scored a first-quarter rushing touchdown, his second of the season
• Patrick Smith finished with 41 yards on three punt returns, including one touchdown
• Junior linebacker Blair Edwards finished one shy of a career high with 12 tackles on the night
• Senior linebacker Chris Collins reached double-digit tackles for the second game in a row with 10

FIRST QUARTER

• The Tigers needed just four plays to travel 63 yards in 1:17 to open the score
• Treon Harris carried three times for all 63 yards, including a 13 yard touchdown run
• JSU responded with a 12 play drive, which ended in a 34 yard field goal
• Lane Clark drilled a 26 yard field goal on the next drive to put the Tigers ahead, 10-3
• Harris completed three passes on the drive to Patrick Smith, including a 32 yard connection on 3rd and five moving the Big Blue to the opponents 11
• TSU outgained JSU 115-90

SECOND QUARTER

• Jackson State opened and closed the second stanza with field goals to cut the lead to one, 10-9
• Tennessee State was held to 26 yards in the second quarter
• Blair Edwards and Ebo Ogundeko picked up sacks
• Edwards entered the locker room with a game high nine tackles; Ogundeko led all players with two sacks
• The Big Blue held JSU to 23 yards rushing in the first half

THIRD QUARTER

• JSU took the opening kickoff and drove down the field, threatening to score
• Jason Morrow deflected a pass allowing Joe Johnson to pickoff his first career pass
• Later in the period,with the opposing Tigers driving late in the third quarter, Laquarius Cook intercepted his first career pass in the end zone and returned it deep into JSU territory; a penalty brought the ball back to midfield

FOURTH QUARTER

• Tennessee State extended its lead to 17-9 on a 58-yard punt return for a touchdown from Patrick Smith
• On the ensuing kickoff, JSU responded with an 89-yard TD return courtesy of Terrell Kennedy
• Laquarius Cook broke up the two-point conversion try for JSU to keep TSU’s lead at 17-15 with 4:48 left
• After the teams traded stops, JSU had one final field goal attempt to win the game. Christian Jacquemin’s 47 yard field goal was wide left as time ran out giving TSU the 17-15 win

WHAT’S NEXT:The Tigers will head to Tampa, Fla. for the Tampa Classic on Saturday, Sept. 16. TSU will face Florida A&M in Raymond James Stadium.
 

NOTES

• Tennessee State entered Saturday night's game ranked No. 23 in the STATS Top 25 and 24th in the FCS Coaches Poll
• For the second game in a row Lane Clark, Ebo Ogundeko, Chris Collins and Patrick Smith served as team captains for TSU
• Jackson State won the coin toss and deferred the opening kickoff
• Weather at the time of kickoff was 79 degrees and clear
• Official attendance for the game was 47,407
• TSU is 17-11 all time in Southern Heritage Classic Games
• The Tigers are 30-21-2 in the all-time series versus Jackson State
• TSU has won six in a row over Jackson State
• TSU is 2-0 for the third year in a row

QUOTESDefensive Coordinator Garry Fisher

“They just fought. That was the biggest thing. They fought hard all night. No matter what the situation was, they rose up to the occasion. We gave up some yards and they got into the red zone a couple times, but we were able to hold them to field goals, which was huge for us tonight.”
- On what he liked from the defense

“I thought we tackled well. They hit us with a couple of plays. Their passing attack was on point, so they found some creases in our defense, and they drove down there, but we work on red zone defense every day. We were able to hold them to field goals and come up with a big interception.”
- On bending but not breaking

“We take pride as a team. No matter how the game goes, we have to find a way to stop the other team’s offense. Both defenses played well but at the end of the night, our defense outplayed theirs.”
- On the defense coming up big

Senior Wide Receiver Patrick Smith

“It’s very important. It being a rivalry game and me being from Memphis, you never want to come back home and lose a game whether it’s conference or non-conference. It was very big for us to come out here and get a win. I’m proud of my team. The defense really stepped up for us. The offense wasn’t really clicking like how we expected, but we know it’s early in the season.”
- On winning in Memphis

“It was a designed left return. As soon as I caught the ball I saw a lot of white jerseys on the left, so I knew it was going to be a good return. As soon as I started to run, I just took advantage of it and took it to the endzone.”
- On the punt return for a touchdown

Junior Safety Laquarius Cook

“It’s big. The team came out playing hard and kept our confidence up. The win was good for us.”
- On being 2-0

“It lets us know that if we get to hitting on all cylinders, that we’ll be running and we’ll be unstoppable.”
- On winning with room for improvement

Senior Defensive End Jason Morrow

“It’s a great feeling to be 2-0, but it’s still the beginning of the season. We still have a long road ahead of us. We can’t look too far ahead in the season.”
- On being 2-0

“We just kept fighting. That’s one thing Coach Fisher told us. You don’t quit. If everything is going wrong, you still don’t quit. You don’t hold your head down. You just keep fighting, and that’s what we did tonight, and that’s a big reason why we won tonight.
- On the positives of the defense

#23 TENNESSEE STATE AT JACKSON STATE | SEPTEMBER 09, 2017

SCORING
1st Quarter
TSU	TD	13:30	HARRIS 13 Yd Run (CLARK kick)
JKST	FG	07:45	Ch. Jacquemin 34 Yd
TSU	FG	03:56	CLARK 26 Yd
2nd Quarter
JKST	FG	12:06	Adrian Salazar 25 Yd
JKST	FG	00:00	Ch. Jacquemin 49 Yd
4th Quarter
TSU	TD	05:03	SMITH (CLARK kick)
JKST	TD	04:48	Terrell Kennedy

STATS AT A GLANCE	TSU	JKST
1st Downs	11	21
3rd Down Conversions	4-13	8-18
4th Down Conversions	0-1	2-3
Passing (Comp-Att)	78 (5-17)	196 (24-46)
Rushing (Att)	160 (35)	107 (33)
Total Yards	238	303
Penalties	8-97	9-75
Turnovers	2	2
Fumbles Lost	1	0
Interceptions	1	2
Possession	26:22	33:38

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PVAMU Panthers Fall To Sam Houston In Season Opener

PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas -- The Prairie View A&M University football team lost its season opener to Sam Houston State in a hard-fought 44-31 contest Thursday night at Panther Stadium.

The Panthers rolled up 499 yards total offense against the third-ranked team in FCS football, 334 of those on the ground. QB Lavell McCullers (14-106-1) and Dawonya Tucker (13-93-3) each posted career highs in rushing as the Panthers held a 36:51 – 23:09 time of possession advantage.

McCullers completed 17 of 31 passes for 165 yards in his first career start. Defensively, the Panthers held Sam Houston St. to 412 total yards, more than 250 less than the Bearkats gained last week against #7 Richmond.

"In football, there are no A's for effort," said third-year PVAMU head coach Willie Simmons. "We didn't do enough to win the football game. I'm proud of the guys' effort. I'm proud of the way they competed, but we have to clean some things up to accomplish our goals. I think we have a chance to. We have to take a couple of days and regroup this week and get ready to go."

Prairie View A&M fell behind 24-3 in the first half before the offense got going. The Panthers scored on three consecutive drives to make it a one-score game in the third quarter. The first two of those scoring drives came in the final 2:46 of the second quarter. The first of Tucker's three touchdown runs, this from 34 yards out, put the Panthers in the end zone for the first time in 2017.

Following a Sam Houston St. touchdown drive with less than a minute to play in the first half, Prairie View A&M drove 66 yards in four plays and 38 seconds. McCullers, who initially bobbled the snap, scored from a yard out just before the half to make the score 30-17 at halftime.

Prairie View A&M opened the second half with a 15-play, 90-yard touchdown drive, consuming nearly nine minutes off the clock. The Panthers converted a pair of fourth-down plays to make it a one-possession game. Tucker's 19-yard scoring run made it a 30-24 game with less than six minutes to play in the quarter.

However, the Bearkats returned the the ensuing kickoff for touchdown to push their lead back to double-digits.

Prairie View A&M returns to action Saturday, September 16 in a 6 p.m. game at Nicholls St.



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TSU drops home opener to HBU 24-17

HOUSTON, Texas -- Darvin Kidsy had a huge night with eight receptions for a game-high 200 receiving yards and scored on a nine-yard touchdown from Jay Christophe late in the fourth quarter, but it wasn't quite enough in the Tigers home opener on Thursday.

The Tigers (0-2) relinquished a 10-7 halftime lead as Bailey Zappe gave the Huskies (1-1) the lead with 6:13 remaining in the third quarter on a 1-yard touchdown run.

Houston Baptist added to their lead on a 36-yard field goal by Alec Chadwick with 7:18 in the fourth quarter and followed it up with 33-yard rushing touchdown by James Brown to open up a 24-10 advantage.

Dondre Dobbins finished the contest with a team high 13 stops while also racking up two tackles for loss while teammates Sean Jones and Archie Rice contributed 10 tackles each.

Texas Southern will have next week off before opening up Southwestern Athletic Conference play on the road at Alabama A&M on Saturday, September 23 with kickoff slated for 6:00 pm at Lewis Crews Stadium in Huntsville.

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FIU Football Turns in 17-10 Win Over Alcorn; Get Butch Davis His First Win at FIU

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- With the arrival of Hurricane Irma looming and potentially making landfall in South Florida, and with the FIU football team's game being moved from its home field, Riccardo Silva Stadium, to Birmingham, Alabama, the Panthers finally had the opportunity to return to a bit of normalcy, albeit for just a few hours. FIU returned to the gridiron on Friday, for what should have been its home-opener on Saturday, and handed upset-minded Alcorn State University a hard-fought 17-10 loss at historic Legion Field. The win improves the Panthers to 1-1 on the year, while the Braves level at 1-1. The victory was also the first for Butch Davis as head coach at FIU.

Senior quarterback Alex McGough was 21-of-33, with no interceptions for 328 yards, his fourth 300-yard plus passing game of his career, and his second best, behind his 390-yard performance against Old Dominion on Oct. 24, 2015.

In what was an already impressive outing, McGough saved his best for last, leading the Panthers on a game-winning seven-play, 80-yard drive. After Alcorn tied the game at 10 apiece on a 49-yard field goal, the senior from Tampa, started the drive getting 40 of those yards on a connection to Julian Williams, who found a seam down the middle to the Alcorn 40-yard line. The Braves then got a healthy dose of Alex Gardner, who carried the ball four-straight times for a total of 27 yards, including the run that set up the game-winner from the one-yard line. McGough took the ball over the goal line on a quarterback sneak.



The game started out slowly for both teams, but after a scoreless first quarter, Gardner, the Panthers' all-time rushing leader, scored his first touchdown of the year, capping an 11-play, 72-yard drive with a three-yard run just one-minute into the second quarter. Gardner finished the game with 102 yards on 20 carries, his 10th 100-yard game of his career.

After a stop of Alcorn on the Braves next drive, the Panthers seemed poised to get in the end zone again, taking the ball 80 yards in seven plays and using better than nine minutes of the clock. However a 32-yard pass from McGough to Thomas Owens that got the ball to the two-yard line, was fumbled into the end zone by Owens for a touchback, giving the ball back to Alcorn at the 20-yard line.

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The Braves proceeded to use their own 80-yard drive to level the score at seven-all when Lenorris Footman found Tavares Johnson Jr. with 3:04 left in the half. The score was set up by a 47-yard pass play, on the third play of the drive, from Footman to Norlando Veals getting the Braves to the FIU 30-yard line from their own 23.

Despite the Panthers dominating the time of possession in the first half, holding the ball for almost 12 minutes and recording 239 yards, 210 coming through the air, FIU and Alcorn went into the locker room at the break tied at seven.

Neither team could get anything going for most of the third quarter, until the Panthers put together a 75-yard drive lasting 4:50 and ended by a 23-yard Jose Borregales field goal with 16 seconds left in the quarter, making the score 10-7 FIU. The Panthers, who had the drive extended on a 14-yard pass to Julian Williams on third-and-five, had a chance to get six points on a pass from McGough to Tony Gaiter IV, but the pass was dropped in the end zone.

On the night, the FIU finished the game with 465 total yards, 328 of which came through the air. Williams was the prime target for McGough recording a career night with 129 yards on five receptions. Gaiter IV also finished with a career-best 64 yards receiving on five catches.

The Panthers were cheered on by better than 100 fellow FIU student-athletes from eight sports programs that were also relocated to Birmingham due to Irma.

Up next for FIU is a trip to America's Heartland, Bloomington, Indiana, to face the Indiana Hoosiers on Saturday, Sept. 16 at 3:30 p.m. ET.

For FIU football ticket information, contact the University Credit Union Box Office at 305-FIU-GAME (348-4263).

For the latest information on Panthers football, follow us on Twitter, @FIUFootball, and check out Pete Pelegrin's in-depth coverage of FIU Athletics on his official blog, The Prowl, at www.FIUSports.com.

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Hampton Pirates Swats DSU Hornets in 2017 Home Opener

HAMPTON, Virginia -- Delmon Williams threw for 305 yards and three touchdowns, while Aulden Knight caught four passes for 172 yards and two scores as Hampton opened its 2017 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference slate defeating Delaware State 28-15.

The Hornets stung first on the board forcing a safety as their defense pinned Hampton (1-1, 1-0) inside its five. A punt snap sailed out of the back of the end zone and put the Hornets up 2-0 with 9:31 left in the first quarter.

Delaware State pushed the advantage to 5-0 on its ensuing possession going 63 yards but stalling on the Hampton nine for a 26-yard field goal from Wisdom Nzidee with 3:54 left.

Hampton found some offensive traction in its next drive going 77 yards in nine plays. Williams was 4-of-4 on the drive hitting Yahkee Johnson for 21 yards, Wesley Wolfolk for four and a pair of completions to Ronald Bell. The first one went for 38 yards down to the DSU three, while two plays later he connected with Bell on a four yard pass to lead 7-5 with three seconds left in the opening quarter.

The start of the second quarter saw both teams score on their first possessions. Delaware State (0-2, 0-1) went 60 yards in nine plays as quarterback Jack McDaniels scored on a one-yard run to put the Hornets up 12-7 with 10:19 left. Hampton responded with a quick strike as Williams and Knight connected on a 48-yard scoring pass to take the lead again at 14-12 barely 40 seconds later.

The Pirate defense stepped up late in the quarter as after a blocked punt, Delaware State took over on the Hampton 15. After three running plays put the Hornets on the Hampton four, the defense stiffened and forced a 19-yard field goal from Nzidee to put the Hornets back on top 15-14 with 3:59 left.

Much like DSU's last scoring drive, Hampton responded very quickly as the tandem of Williams and Knight connected again on a 78-yard slant route that put Hampton up 21-15 21 seconds later.

After a scoreless third quarter, Hampton scored its final touchdown on a six-play, 71-yard drive as Johnson finished with a 15-yard scamper. Williams and Knight were large again on the drive connecting on a 35-yard pass to get Hampton down to the DSU 20.

Johnson topped the team in rushing with 86 yards on 15 carries, while Bell added a team-high six receptions for 89 yards and one touchdown. On defense, Raheim Huskey and Steven Smith Jr., shared the team lead with 11 tackles each. Hampton outgained Delaware State 439-267.

The Pirates return to action on September 16 at 6 pm when they host Livingstone College for Alumni Day and City of Hampton Day.

Hampton University friends and alumni, join us throughout the year in celebrating the 150th anniversary of Hampton University and the 40th anniversary of our President Dr. William R. Harvey.

For more information on Hampton University football, please contact the Office of Sports Information at 757-727-5757- or visit the official Pirates website at www.hamptonpirates.com

FOOTBALL PREVIEW: Lincoln (Pa.) Lions at Lincoln (Mo.) Blue Tigers

LINCOLN UNIVERSITY, Pennsylvania -- THE BASICS

Game #2: Lincoln (PA) (0-1) at Lincoln (MO) (0-1)
Date/Time: Saturday, Sept. 9 - 6:00 p.m.
Location: Jefferson City, Mo.
Stadium (Capacity): Dwight T. Reed Stadium (5,500)
Live Stream - http://glvcsn.com/
Audiocast - http://radio.securenetsystems.net/v5/KJLU
Live Stats - http://sidearmstats.com/lincolnu/football/xlive.htm
Series - Lincoln (PA) leads, 1-0

THE OPENING KICK

Saturday's game will be the second annual "Battle of the Lincolns".  The Lions won last year's contest at home 33-23.

The Lions will play in their first road game under the lights since visiting Division I Sacred Heart University on September 21, 2013.  Lincoln (Pa.) is seeking their first ever evening win on the road, coming into the game with a 0-7 nighttime road record since the program was revived in 2008.


Saturday's game will also be the first home night game for the Blue Tigers of Lincoln (Mo.) in 40 years.

Both teams are seeking their first win as the Lions opened their season with a 56-28 loss at Cheyney University in their annual "Battle of the First" contest against their area HBCU rival.  The Blue Tigers suffered a 30-14 to Langston University last week.

LAST MEETING

The Blue Tigers jumped out to a 17-0 lead in last year's game at Lions Stadium before Andre Price (Rialto, Calif./Jurupa Hills (Chabot)) caught the first of his two touchdown passes from quarterback Justin White (Ozone Park, N.Y./Grand Street) to close the gap to 17-7 at halftime.  Tyler Wilson (Baltimore,MD/West Hills College)'s touchdown reception early in the third quarter pulled the Lions within four 17-13 before the blue Tigers struck on their next possession, needing just one play – a 66-yard run by Will Randolph to go back on top 23-13.  The Lions roared back with 20 unanswered points, climaxing with a 76-yard touchdown reception by Elijah Smith (Elmont, N.Y./Sewanhaka (Monroe College)) with five minutes to go in the game.  White finished the game with 223 yards passing and four touchdowns.

LIONS FIRST GAME SUMMARY

Senior Rameses Owens (Warrensville Hgts., Ohio/Shaker Heights Robert Morris)) rushed for two touchdowns and quarterback Vincent Espinoza (Madera, Calif./Madera (West Hills)) scrambled for a third and passed for another, all in the second half but the Lincoln University football team was unable to overcome a sloppy first half as Cheyney University took the annual "Battle of the First" game between the two teams 56-28 on Saturday.
Lincoln trailed 56-0 entering the third quarter.  The Lions scored twice in the third and two more times in the fourth to make the final score somewhat respectable at 56-28.  Owens started the scoring with a 6 yard touchdown run in the third with Espinoza scoring form 16 yards out some four minutes later to make the score 56-12.
In the fourth quarter the Lions capitalized on two Cheyney fumbles, scoring both times.  Owens ran one in from eight yards out and Andre Price (Rialto, Calif./Jurupa Hills (Chabot))added a 41-yard touchdown reception late in the game.

LIONS TO WATCH

Offense – Quarterback Vincent Espinoza (Madera, Calif./Madera (West Hills)) came off the bench to complete 11 of 19 passes in Lincoln's season opener. Espinoza totaled 129 yards passing and had one touchdown toss.  He also ran for 47 yards and had one touchdown rushing.  Running Back Rameses Owens (Warrensville Hgts., Ohio/Shaker Heights Robert Morris)) netted 77 yards rushing in his Lions debut while scoring two touchdowns. Andre Price (Rialto, Calif./Jurupa Hills (Chabot)) had seven receptions while recording the second 100-yard receiving game of his career (105 yards) and one touchdown.
Defense – Junior linebacker Deion Miller (Sayreville, N.J./Jersey Coast Academy), a Second Team All-CIAA honoree last season led the team with nine tackles.  The Lions forced five fumbles, recovering three.  The last two recoveries led to Lions touchdowns in the fourth quarter. Rhamir Thomas (Washington, Pa./Washington (Youngstown St.)) and Cole Williams (Laurel, Md./DeMatha Catholic) had six tackles apiece while Williams recorded the Lions lone interception on the afternoon.
Special Teams – Carlos Croslin (Baltimore, Md./Frederick Douglass (Globe Tech) ) returned five kickoffs for a total of 138 yards, including a 65 yard run in the first half.  Cody Waddell (Elkton, Md./Northeast), Lincoln's primary punter averaged 36 yards per punt while Espinoza kicked twice, averaging 46 yards.  Waddell also averaged 33.4 yard on kickoffs.

BLUE TIGERS TO WATCH

Offense - The first offensive touchdown of 2017 was a pass by Henry Ogala to Miles Drummond in the second half of last week's loss at Langston. Anthony Townsend was Lincoln's top receiver, however, as he caught four passes for 65 yards. Ogala, who was filling in for an injured Eugene Sainterling, threw for 188 yards and the score in his first career appearance as a Blue Tiger. Kimbo Ferguson was the Blue Tigers' main rusher, as he averaged 3.1 yards on nine carries.
Defense - Addison Tucker tied for the team lead in tackles with 11 at Langston.   Willard Cotton also had a solid game in Lincoln's season-opener, totaling 11 tackles, four quarterback hurries, two tackles for loss, a sack and a broken up pass.
Special Teams - The Blue Tigers first touchdown of the 2017 season came courtesy of the special teams, as Isaiah Gray blocked a Langston punt and Victor Williams recovered it in the end zone. Wolky Belancourt made both of his extra points attempts and averaged 36.2 yards on punts and 58.0 yards on kickoffs. Gray had a 23-yard punt return while Blake Tibbs led Lincoln with 62 yards on kickoff returns

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.  

Steven Smith was named head coach of the Blue Tigers last December after a very successful four-year run as the offensive coordinator of Albany State. Smith, who has also coached at Tennessee State, Delta State and Virginia State, helped Albany State go undefeated in league play in three of his four seasons. Smith's teams have made for NCAA Division II playoff appearances and he has coached 21 all-conference honorees and eight All-Americans. Beyond his college career, Smith additionally has coached with six NFL teams, most recently serving as an assistant under Romeo Crennel with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2012.


UP NEXT FOR THE LIONS

Lincoln returns to the road next Saturday (Sept. 16), traveling to Philippi, West Virginia to take on Alderson-Broaddus University in their final non-conference game of the season.

LINCOLN UNIVERSITY LIONS SPORTS INFORMATION