The Langston Lions simply picked up where they left off last season – winning.
Langston traveled to Jefferson City, Mo., to open the season at Division II rival Lincoln and came away with a 23-13 victory.
The Lions are 1-0 on the year and have now won six straight games, dating back to the midpoint of the season in 2015. This also coincides with the elevation of Quinton Morgan to the head coach position.
Morgan said he was pleased, but not entirely satisfied, with the outcome on Saturday.
“It feels pretty good,” Morgan said. “The kids did a great job this evening. There are a couple of things that we’ve got to correct, though. We still have a lot of work to do, but overall we’re happy with the win.”
It took a while to get the scoring started. Finally, the Lions were able to sustain a possession and Mark Wright, Jr. capped the 14-play, 62-yard drive with a 1-yard touchdown run with 48 seconds remaining in the half. But the PAT attempt was blocked.
Lincoln used that momentum to move quickly down the field and scored on the final play before the intermission, a 33-yard pass from Dennis Vinson to Anthony Townsend, and took a 7-6 lead into the break.
“It was definitely a game of a field position war,” Morgan said. “There were a logo of momentum swings throughout the game, but our guys stuck in there and persevered. They stuck in there and they fought for four quarters.”
Langston scored the next 17 points to retake the lead and keep it.
The Lions got a 20-yard field goal from Michael Ryan-Calderon.
And Lar’Darion Cobb caught touchdown passes from both of the Langston quarterbacks, Wright and Norbert Ralph, and the Lions had a 23-7 lead late in the fourth.
Vinson and Townsend connected for a final score to bring the score to the 23-13 final.
Wright Jr. led the way for the Lions with 18-of-28 passing and two TDs, as well as 17 carries for 51 yards and a score.
Cobb had three receptions total in the game for 56 yards.
Morgan talked about a part of this game about which he was happy, but that many may not have noticed.
“A lot of my freshmen and sophomores played in this game,” Morgan said. “Just to see those young men grasp the concept of our schemes and to be successful makes me happy as a coach to see.
“I’m seeing that our program is starting to build up depth, which is really important at our level.”
The Lions come back to Oklahoma for their next game, and although it will be counted as a home game, it will not be played in Anderson Stadium.
Langston hosts Bethany College at Douglass High School on Saturday, Sept. 10, at 6 p.m.