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The Lincoln University football team gave their fans a Homecoming game to remember as they earned their first win of the season, defeating Elizabeth City State University 21-20 at Lions Stadium.
With the win the Lions improve to 1-6 and 1-3 in Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) games. The win was also Lincoln's first ever win over the Vikings. Elizabeth City State falls to 1-4 overall and 0-3 in league play. The win also snapped the Lions 24-game losing streak which dated back to September of 2016 when they beat Lincoln (Mo.) 33-23.
"The key to the game today was our execution," said Head coach Josh Dean. This is just the best game we executed both on offense and defense. We were able to get off the field on third downs and we were able to advance the ball and score."
And score early…Lincoln's Kendall Brooks (Washington, DC /Bell ) put the Lions on the board early, recovering a blocked field goal attempt and running it back 84 yards for the touchdown. Cole Klubek (Biloxi, Miss.) added the extra point for a 7-0 Lions lead.
They were driving the ball on us defensively and the fact that we got that block was huge," adds Dean. I thought it and the touchdown changed the momentum and I think that when we came back out offensively we had a certain freeness among our players that we could go out and play and execute well."
Quarterback Vincent Espinoza (Madera, Calif /Madera (West Hills)) used another big play to cap off a 97-yard drive as the first quarter came to a close, connecting with Carlos Croslin (Baltimore, Md. /Frederick Douglass (Globe Tech) ) for a 46-yard touchdown pass with Klubek then adding the extra point for a 14-0 lead heading into the second quarter.
Espinoza added a 49-yard touchdown pass to Reginald Mays Jr to push the Lions lead to 21-0 with 2:09 left in the half.
"He (Espinoza) played well today," said Dean. "He did a great job managing the game. He knows ball security and he made a lot of huge plays for us, especially early to get us going and keep the chains moving."
The Vikings quickly followed with an 80-yard kickoff return to get on the board before the end of the half and the Lions led 21-7 at the break.
Espinosa led the Lions offensive attack with both his arm and his legs, throwing for 122 yards and a pair of TDs on 6 of 11 passing, while also topping Lincoln's list of rushers with 59 yards Lavelle Cloyd (Lexington, Ky./Bryan Station (Kentucky State)) chipped in with another 42 yards on 12 carries.
On the defensive end, Lincoln's defense was absolutely stellar in the second half, despite giving up 13 points on two big plays in the fourth quarter. The special teams came up big after the Vikings scored their third touchdown as they forced ECSU kicker Jason Monastra to ick wide on the extra point attempt that would have tied the game with 5:35 remaining.
Solomon Bassett (Fort Worth, Texas/Boswell) and D'rico Cook (Waldorf, Md. /St. Charles) each had two sacks in the second half, none bigger than Cook's late in the fourth quarter with just under two minutes remaining and the Vikings driving and facing a third and four. Cook broke through the ECSU offensive line and brought down Viking quarterback Kedri Patterson for a 14-yard loss, forcing the Vikings to punt.
The Lions were then able to run out the clock to earn the win.
Bassett finished the game with five tackles and two sacks. Three of the five tackles resulted in lost yardage for the Vikings. "I think what goes unnoticed is the play of Solomon Bassett (Fort Worth, Texas/Boswell)," said Dean. "He's a guy that can play and start and be a star for any team in this conference. You put his stats against any other defensive lineman in this conference and he's second to none. He keeps consistently playing, regardless of the situation, regardless of the score, regardless of anything and our guys feed off his energy."
"D'rico Cook, he comes from the same cloth, adds Dean. "He's a freshman but he came with the mindset of wanting to make an impact." Cook indeed made an impact in the game, leading the team with six tackles while also recording two sacks and two tackles for loss.
Vincent Woodard (Accokeek, Md. /Gwynn Park) also added two sacks, giving the Lions six for the game, their highest total since Lincoln recorded seven in its win over Chowan 31-15 in 2011 (that game was also the Lions last homecoming day win.). It is also the first time in the history of the program that three different players recorded at least two sacks in a game.
"This feels amazing," said Espinosa after the win. "It's been a long time just to get a win, and to have it come on my last homecoming is really special. This is great for all us seniors, because we'll never have another chance to win on homecoming."
"I think it's huge for the seniors having the opportunity to win your last homecoming game.," adds Dean. "Right now we're playing for positive memories and positive things to send the seniors out on."
By Bob Heller
Originally posted on www.lulions.com