KIRKSVILLE, Mo. – The Lincoln football team shut out Truman State in the first quarter, but the Bulldogs found their offensive footing afterwards to hand LU a 37-0 loss on Saturday night (Sept. 24).
 
The Blue Tigers' defense came up big in the first quarter, recording four sacks, including two by Anthony Mitchell, to keep the Bulldogs off the board. It marked the third time in four games that Lincoln shut out an opponent in the first quarter.
 
Truman State (3-1, 2-0 GLVC) scored three times in the second quarter, with the first coming on a 28-yard run with just over 10 minutes until halftime. Later in the period, Lincoln (0-4, 0-2 GLVC) forced Truman State into a punt, but the Bulldogs managed to down in just outside the end zone, and got a safety a couple plays later. Truman State then added another touchdown on the ensuing drive to take a 16-0 halftime lead.
 
The Bulldogs scored on their opening drive of the second half and tacked on two more touchdowns before the evening was over. The Blue Tigers' best drive of the second half ended up being its last, which was jump-started by a 30-yard completion by Dennis Vinson to Miles Drummond. A facemask penalty moved LU into Bulldog territory, and a carry by Drummond moved the ball down to the 34, but time expired on Lincoln's scoring opportunity.
 
Taj Moore led Lincoln's defense with 15 tackles while Mitchell added six takedowns, including 3.5 for loss. The LU defense finished with 12 total tackles for loss, costing Truman State 57 yards. Amani Nelson also had a sack and matched Maurice Simmons with eight tackles while Jeff Jones added seven and Addison Tucker added six.
 
Marvin Holley, Lawrence Hogue, Isaiah Doss and Chrishun Richardson each broke up passes while Willard Cotton, Noah Johnson and Jervonta Jones each were credited with quarterback hurries. Johnson also had a sack.
 
Vinson completed 21 passes for 148 yards while Will Randolph led the rushing attack with 22 yards. Drummond had a team-high 40 receiving yards while Bryson Winfrey (28 yards) and Randolph (25 yards) each made four receptions. Anthony Townsend contributed three catches for 26 yards.
 
The Blue Tigers will be back at home for their next two games, starting next Saturday (Oct. 1) with a non-conference game against Lane College at 2:00 p.m. CDT. That will be Lincoln's annual Think Pink Game, and fans are invited to join Blue Tiger players and coaches in wearing pink to show support for breast cancer awareness.