Welcome to www.Collegefootballfan.com

"Get off the couch and go to a game!"

The Goal - See 'em all!

Dennis and Defense lead Lions past Wolves, 41-20

NE Philadelphia - In the "Battle of the Firsts", the first game between Historically Black Pennsylvania Colleges, Cheyney University (0-1) and Lincoln University (1-0) , since the latter ceased playing football in 1960 until last year, the Lincoln Lions demeanor changed drastically with the insertion of QB Kareem Dennis late in the first quarter. The Lion defense held Cheyney to 124 yards rushung and 124 yards passing while scoring three times on its way to a 41-20 win to open the season for both teams.

    Cheyney got off to a 3-point lead complements of a Stan Banks' interception of Brandon Austin's first pass on the first play of the game to set the Wolves up at he Lincloln 20.   Cheyney's Tyler Wilkerson put up a 25-yard FG for an early CU lead.  Austin fumled the ball on his next play on an exchange and Cheyney was in Lion territory once again, but failed to score.  Two series later, Austin turned the ball over for the third time with an interception.  Before Cheyney punted the ball away, SR QB, 6'5" Kareem Dennis warmed up on the sideline.  Coach O.J. Banishe had seen enough. until late in the game. 

     Banishe's move paid off in early in the second period.  Depsite mishandling a low snap from center, Dennis fired a 35-yard scoring strike to WR Matthew Coston in the end zone for a TD and a 7-3 Lion lead.  The Lions would put up 20 more points in the period.  The first came within a minute later as LB Deano Buycks returned a fumble 30 yards for a score.  On the next Lion possession, D'Ante Smith burst up the middle for a 16-yard TD run on one of his carries for 95 yards on the day.  Within a minute, the Lion defense forced a Ron Hunter fumble and Lion LB Daron Jones ran it in from over 30 yards out.  Lincoln enjoyed a 27-3 lead with 7:35 left in the half.  The score remained that way until Wilkerson put his second through the uprights from 41 yards for the Wolves as time expired in the first half.

    Maybe it was because of my vantage point in the Lincoln stands, but the Lincoln Orange Crush Marching Band out-performed the Cheyney Band at halftime just as its team had in the first half of play.  Honoring Michael Jackson's 51st birthday (I ought to know, it's my b-day, too), the band started with some of Jackson's music and finished by performing their rendition of "Thriller".  The Crush Band mimicked the routine that the ghouls of the now famous video while probably the only blond-haired male of the Lincoln student body did his MJ moon walk imitation in the appropriate Jackson-style - outfit complete with black fedora, white sox, black loafers,  and white glove.  He and the band did multiple quick three-hops while grabbing their crotches in beat with the precussion section.  The crowd loved it!  Cheyney performed for their home side, and I didn't hear any dedications to Michael.  In the end, Lincoln would sweep the football/band double-header.  It was a half-time thriller by the Lincoln band.

     The teams started similarly in the second half, but the other way around.  Cheyney QB Malik White fired a pass for the sideline only to have DB Carlos Velasquez pick it off with no one in front of him and return it 45 yards for a 34-6 Lion lead.  Shorly after, the rain started to come down, and fans left.  Even as the sun shone in the western sky, the rain would come down harder, slowed down, and then picked up again until nine minutes remained in the game.  Not only was I soaked, so were my game notes.  Scribbling in pencil worked to no avail.  During the third period, White connected with WR TRavis Taltoan for a 17-yard pass play. 

    In the fourth, confident with a 34-13 lead, Banishe re-inserted his starting QB, Brandon Austin, to give him some experience with less pressure.  However, on his first snap back in the game, he mishandled the ball and 300-lb DT Benjamin Thompson picked it up and rumbled 50 yards to close the gap, 34-20.  Banishe saw enough and Dennis returned at QB on the next series.  The Lions scored once more to make the final, 41-20. 

   This was the second opening season win for the Lions in their two years of football sicne 1960, but the first against an NCAA opponent.  For the Wolves it was their 20th consecutive loss.  They've had losing seasons for the last 13.  It seems the Lions now have the inside track on recruiting in the SE Pennsylvania area and the most likely of the two to have a shot at a winning season.

Extra points - The two teams last played one another in 1946.  Lincoln leads the series 8-1-1.

The Wade Wilsom Classic is named for a former Cheyney student-athlete, professor, and school President, Wade Wilson.

A check of $21,000 was presented to Cheyney by the C Club before the game for their athletic progams.

The Northeast HS football scoreboard at Charlie Martin Stadium did not post yardline and other play information.  The stadium has turf, and parking was easy to find.  A nice size crowd was on hand for two teams on a combined 26-game losing streak.

Programs were scarce and mostly on the other side of the stadium.  I didn't get one.

Both teams' kicking games have a lot to be desired.  Punts were short, and all kick-offs were short or resulted in penalties for going out of bounds. 

Cheney travels to play PSAC opponent Mercyhurst next.  Lincoln hosts another team returning to D-2 football after a two-year hiatus, New Haven.  After that, they jump into their CIAA schedule.  Overheard were comments by LU fans fearing "Union".  Virginia Union that is, whom we saw defeated by East Stroudsburg in our opener last year.