Game Notes: Week One versus Cheyney
Chris Weeden, Director of Sports Information and Marketing
Game Notes
ON TAP: Lincoln University opens the 2010 season versus Cheyney University of Pennsylvania at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Sep. 5 at Northeast High School in Philadelphia. The game is dubbed the Battle of the Firsts because both schools claim to be the first historically black college. The game is technically at a neutral site but LU is the host institution for the afternoon.
BROADCAST: The game can be streamed live on the LU broadcast home www.BrandywineRadio.com. Jon Schaeffer has the action 15 minutes prior to kickoff.
THE COACHES: O.J. Abanishe led Lincoln to a 3-7 mark a year ago in Lincoln’s second season of football, a two win improvement from 2008. Abanishe, in his third season at Lincoln, is 4-16. Cheyney is coached by Jeff Braxton, who is also in his third year, and is 0-22 with the Wolves.
ABOUT CHEYNEY UNIVERSITY: Seventeen starters return from a year ago. Gabe Johnson Siano is tabbed to start again at right guard where he earned All-PSAC honors a year ago. Johnson Siano was named an Honorable Mention Pre-Season All-American by the Consensus Draft Service. Local product Tyler Wilkinson, Avon Grove High School, will handle the kicking duties once again for the Wolves. Last season as a freshman, Wilkinson was an impressive 6-7 on field goals including a long of 41 yards. During the 2009 campaign ,he hit on 11 of 14 PATs. On defense the Wolves will look to Tim Hume. Hume was an All-PSAC performer his freshman year. He garnered 45 tackles a year ago and led Cheyney with 10.5 tackles for loss. He was also second on the squad in sacks with five.
THE SERIES: Last season, in the first installment of the rivalry since 1946, Cheyney started quickly with a 3-0 lead, but aided by three defensive touchdowns, the Lions claimed a 41-20 victory. Lincoln used a 27-point second quarter effort to overcome the slight deficit beginning with a 35-yard touchdown strike from Kareem Dennis to freshman wide receiver Matthew Coston (Queens, NY/Dover) just 46 seconds into the period. Deano Buycks returned a fumble 65 yards less than two minutes later to provide separation between the two rivals. The victory was the first for Lincoln over an NCAA opponent since 1959 when the Lions edged Howard on Thanksgiving. In 2008, LU’s lone win came against George Mason, a club team.
All-time, the Lions are 9-0-1 versus the Wolves.
1934 20-13 W 1935 - 0 T
1936 7-0 W 1937 10-0 W
1938 64-0 W 1939 13-0 W
1940 33-0 W 1941 46-0 W
1946 72-13 W Aug. 29, 2009 (N) 41-20 W
FINALLY THERE: After enduring a three-year transition from NCAA Division III to Division II, on July 13, Lincoln University officials announced that it had become a fully active member of NCAA Division II. The result is simple: Lincoln is finally eligible for the postseason and conference awards.
COUNTING ON LAQUAN: Laquan Williams not only gets a Homecoming game of sorts by returning to Philly, but after not seeing action in last year’s meeting, he is now the incumbent quarter back after starting the final game of 2009. Last season, he was 89-for-194 (45.9 percent) for seven touchdowns and an efficiency of 82.02.
GETTING VERTICAL: Last season, Coston was second on the team in receptions (29) and yards (380), trailing departed senior Trey Thomas. He was also tied with Thomas for the lead with four touchdown grabs. After competing on Lincoln’s track & field team during the indoor and outdoor seasons as an 800-meter runner and anchoring the 4x400-meter relay, the speedy wide out poses an even greater threat down the field.
D’ANTE DOES IT ALL: Junior running back D’Ante Smith led Lincoln in rushing last season with 494 yards on 101 attempts, a 4.4 average. He is also the lone running back to rush for more than 100 yards in a game in the program’s first two seasons since 1960. As a freshman, he was a reliable punt returner, and in 2010, he figures to see more time as wide receiver as the coaching staff tries to find new ways to get him the football.
DIVISION II LINEBACKER U: Although Penn State might boast the reputation as college football’s Linebacker U, under defensive coordinator Herb Pickens and linebackers coach Shelton Bynum, Lincoln may solidify itself as the CIAA version to boast that moniker. Brucelee Sterile and Brandon McElwee have vied for the tackle lead each of the two years with Sterile gaining the edge in both campaigns. In total, they total 185 and 177 tackles respectively. With strong junior seasons, both are worthy of consideration of post-season awards.
WAIT, WHO WAS THAT? This season could be a case of mistaken identity for the casual observer. Erick Smith (a 5-10 junior safety wearing No.30) and Eric Smith (a 5-7 running back wearing No. 38) share the same first names with slightly different spellings. In all, there are four Smiths ( No. 7 cornerback Kwaheem Smith and No. 31 corner back Ben Smith). The roster also includes three Joneses, two of which play linebacker (No. 20 Daron Jones and No. 28 Chadd Jones) while Jordan Jones is a starting offensive lineman.
SOURCE OF INSPIRATION: Water boy Xavier Oliver will patrol the sidelines during home games for the second consecutive year. After losing his father in a car accident and helping care for a sick mother, the 10-year-olds godmother introduced him to Lincoln football in the summer of 2009. In addition to being featured in multiple outlets, he was also present at the 2010 Student-Athlete Awards Banquet and was welcomed to the stage by a standing ovation.
LIONS ALL OVER THE COUNTRY: Ten states traversing the country are represented on the 2010 Lincoln University football roster: Pennsylvania, New York, Maryland, New Jersey, Florida, California, South Carolina, Georgia, Delaware and Illinois.
FINALLY THERE: After enduring a three-year transition from NCAA Division III to Division II, on July 13, Lincoln University officials announced that it had become a fully active member of NCAA Division II. The result is simple: Lincoln is finally eligible for the postseason and conference awards, among other benefits.