By Nick Bowton
nbowton@salisburypost.com
Livingstone played what coach Lamonte Massie called the best game the Blue Bears have had in his two-year tenure last weekend in a 15-10 loss to Bowie State.
Today, the Blue Bears have a perfect opportunity to build on that progress.
Still searching for its first victory under Massie, Livingstone (0-4, 0-1 CIAA) plays at Lincoln today in a game that counts in conference play. Lincoln, which will play a CIAA schedule this season but is ineligible to win a conference title as a first-year member, reformed its football program for this season after a 48-year hiatus.
The Lions (1-3) have only eight players on their roster with prior college experience, one of which Massie knows well. Quarterback Kareem Dennis, a junior, played for Massie when he coached at Edward Waters.
“He had his challenges with our offense as far as picking up things,” Massie said. “One of the things I think we’ll do a lot to him is mix up our coverages. I know from past experience that showing him different fronts will make him a little bit confused.
“But the thing about that is he overcomes that with being a really good athlete. There are some things he does well, like the zone read and the quarterback trap.”
Massie said he knows about more than just Lincoln‚s quarterback. The Lions, he said, will run a spread offense ó four receivers no matter what.
Defensively, Lincoln runs a system similar to that of Savannah State and Bowie State, two teams the Blue Bears have already played. Lincoln’s defense has allowed an average of 58.0 points losses to Division II teams Fayetteville State and Shaw and NAIA team Southern Virginia. The Lions beat George Mason’s club team 34-7.
“We got some blitz protections that will compensate for that,” Massie said. “After playing Savannah State and Bowie State with the 3-3, I think we’re well-versed with how to protect our quarterback with the 3-3.”