WILBERFORCE, OH. – One team will come away with their first victory of the season Saturday when Lincoln plays at Central State in Great Lakes Football Conference action. Central State has taken the past two games in the series, including a 36-17 victory at Lincoln last year. The Blue Tigers defeated Central State, 10-0 back in 2005.
Central State (0-6, 0-1 GLFC) is coming off of a 20-14 defeat at the hands of Kentucky State and the previous week before that dropped their GLFC opener at Kentucky Wesleyan in double overtime, 31-30. The Marauders are another pass-heavy team in terms of yardage, throwing for 925 yards, as opposed to 289 rushing yards.
Quarterback Jeff Brooks leads the passing attack, having completed 54-of-118 attempts for 573 yards and two touchdowns. Jude Diegue has also seen time at QB, throwing for 209 yards on 20 completions. The passing game for the Marauders has also led to many turnovers; with opponents tallying 10 interceptions to just four the team has recorded.
Rushing has been split between three different backs, with Joshua Anderson leading the way in total yardage with 161 yards on 45 carries and three touchdowns. Eriq McCorkle has carried it the most out of the backfield, with 65 attempts tallying 98 yards and QB Brooks, when he isn’t passing, has rushed 40 times, reaching the end zone three times and tallying 38 total yards rushing, while racking up 104 yards of lost yardage.
Jerred Hill and Evan Wallace have become the go-to receivers for Central State, with the two combining for 47 receptions, 651 yards and three touchdowns. Hill has snagged 26 passes for 416 yards and two touchdowns, he ranks first in the GLFC in yards and 69th nationally. Wallace has chipped in 21 receptions for 235 yards and a touchdown to rank third in the GLFC.
On the defensive side of the ball, Darius Wilson leads the team in total tackles (47), which ranks him second in the GLFC and 37th nationally and also leads the team in interceptions (2) as the Marauders as a team have tallied just four interceptions. When Wilson isn’t making all the plays, Ryan Walker has provided solid numbers, leading the team in solo tackles (23), while ranking second on the team with 44 total tackles.
Lincoln (0-7, 0-1 GLFC) nearly came back to win their last game at home against Peru State, but fell short on a game-ending interception near the Bobcats’ 10. The game against the Bobcats was the first this season in which Lincoln outgained an opponent, tallying 273 total yards of offense to Peru State’s 266. The passing game opened up for the first time all season, as the Blue Tigers aired it out for 187 yards, compared to 86 yards on the ground. The Blue Tigers entered the game against the Bobcats having only thrown for 152 yards total on the season.
Freshman Andre Young remains the top rusher for the Blue Tigers, having carried the ball 114 times for 350 yards. Juniors AJ Simeon and Josh Goffigan have each tallied over 100 yards on the ground, with Simeon accounting for 156 yards and Goffigan posting 110 yards and both rushing touchdowns. Through the air, junior Allan McClain in only 37 attempts has passed for 172 yards and a touchdown, coming in the fourth quarter the past few games. Goffigan not only has both rushing touchdowns, but he also has half of the receiving touchdowns, tallying one last week and he leads the team in receiving yards with 111 yards on just six catches.
Sophomore linebacker Devin Mack remains the force in the middle of the Blue Tigers’ defense, racking up 38 total tackles, with 31 solo, which both lead the team. He has added to that 3.5 tackles for loss, a sack and a pass breakup. Senior Clourse Hardy, fresh off of his GLFC Defensive Player of the Week honors, remains near Mack in almost all categories, with 32 total tackles, 26 solo, three tackles for loss and also tallied his first interception of the season against the Bobcats.
Freshman defensive lineman Carlie Williams remains the team leader in sacks with two and Freshman O’Hara Fluellen continues to lead in interceptions with three.
The Blue Tigers will play at Central State this Saturday, October 17 with kickoff set for 1:30 p.m. ET/12:30 p.m. CT. Fans can follow the action through Central State’s live stats by clicking on the link below. Once on the website, look for the livestats link on the bottom, right-hand part of the homepage.
www.maraudersports.com
Central State will also have a radio broadcast streamed on the internet, follow the link below and look for the listen now icon at the top of the page to listen live to the game.
http://www.wcsufm.org