ELIZABETH CITY, N.C.- The Vikings overpower the Lions of Lincoln University to secure a 34-18 homecoming victory Saturday at Roebuck Stadium.
Everyone in Roebuck Stadium today will remember the name
Dajuan Greene (Washington, D.C). Greene was on fire today for the Vikings with three touchdowns and 184 yards on ten receptions.
Deon Yarborough also gave the Vikings pass game some versatility with his three receptions for 80 yards and a touchdown in today's win.
"I just wanted to come out and make a play," shared Greene. "Coach told me before the game today that he needed me to make a play today and big time players make big plays."
Sophomore quarterback
Kedrick Patterson (Winston Salem, NC) threw for 343 yards today completing 18 out of 27 passes with five touchdowns in the air.
"We were going to make it a point of emphasis to get the passing game going today," said Patterson. "I feel like it was super important that we got to a good lead and really hurt their spirit early."
Juanya Majette (Hampton, Va) and
Gregory Miller (Philadelphia, PA) led the charge for the Vikings defense recording five tackles each.
Dah'mear Triplett was the key player of the game for the Lions offense totaling 74 yards on six receptions and all three LU touchdowns. The Lions were defensively led by Devon Cathcart registering eight tackles.
Both teams came out strong defensively to start the game, but the Vikings quickly adjusted, took control of the game, and never looked back. ECSU put together a six-play drive for 69-yards; highlighted by a 34-yard pass from Patterson to Greene to put the Vikings up 7-0 with three minutes left in the first quarter.
The Lions decided to go for it early on 4th & 8 to end the first quarter, but Majette made them pay for it with a sack for a 10-yard loss.
On the first drive of the second quarter the Vikings put together another six-play drive, but this time Patterson connected with Yarborough for the 23-yard touchdown and a 13-0 lead. Moments later Taejon Reynolds (Virginia Beach, VA) intercepted a pass picking up 22 yards to give the Vikings offense the ball back in great field position at the 11-minute mark.
The interception resulted in a 26-yard touchdown five plays later off a screen pass from Patterson to
Deshon Saunders (Suffolk, VA).
The Vikings entered halftime with momentum in their favor after Greene scored his second touchdown of the contest giving them a 26-0 lead.
Lincoln came out in the third quarter with a sense of urgency making several key plays to advance the ball to the goal line, but the Vikings defense did not back down. On 4th and goal, Miller brought down Eban Jackson tallying a 10-yard loss on the sack.
The Lions and Vikings exchanged touchdowns to end the third quarter as the Vikings maintained a 34-6 lead over the Lions completing a 2-point conversion with a pass to Greene adding insult to injury.
The Lions outscored the Vikings 12-0 in the fourth quarter, but it would not be enough to recover from the large first half deficit.
The Vikings will travel to Murfreesboro, N.C. next Saturday to take on the Hawks of Chowan University. Kick-off is slated for 1:00 p.m.
