Complete Game Notes
Game 3: Lincoln (0-2, 0-2 MIAA) at Central Oklahoma (1-1, 1-1 MIAA)
Date/Time: Saturday, Sept. 21 - 7:00 p.m.
Location: Edmond, Okla.
Stadium (Capacity): Wantland Stadium (10,000)
Tickets: Available at Site
Streaming - http://themiaanetwork.com
Radio - KRXO 104.5 FM - Edmond, Okla.
Audiocast - https://www.iheart.com/live/1045-classic-rock-7061
Live Stats - https://bronchosports.com/sidearmstats/football/
Series - Central Oklahoma leads, 2-0

THE KICKOFF 
The Lincoln football team plays its second road game of the season on Saturday (Sept. 21) when the Blue Tigers head to Edmond, Okla. for a 7:00 p.m. CDT contest against Central Oklahoma. It's the first meeting for the two teams since 2013, and the first trip to Oklahoma for LU since 2017.

After an impressive debut in which the defense forced seven turnovers and Hosea Franklin ran for over 250 yards against Washburn, Lincoln fell to Missouri Southern last week, 38-14, to fall to 0-2 both overall and against MIAA competition. LU was shut out in the first half, but rallied in the third quarter to pull within 21-14 of the Lions, who pulled away in the final quarter for the win.

Central Oklahoma enters the weekend 1-1 on the year after a pair of close contests. The Bronchos were edged in their opener, 37-35, by Pittsburg State before earning a 28-23 victory at Nebraska Kearney last week.

QUICK HITS 
- This will be only the third-ever meeting between LU and UCO, with Central Oklahoma having won the previous two meetings. The teams last played in 2013, when the Bronchos held off the Blue Tigers, 49-42, in Edmond.

- A victory for Lincoln would be its first against an MIAA opponent since the end of the 2013 season, and its first road win over an MIAA program since beating Central Missouri, 20-7, in 1975.

- Lincoln is seeking its first road win, and its first league road win, since beating William Jewell, 23-14, as a GLVC program on Oct. 20, 2018.

- A win would be the first for LU in Oklahoma since the 2015 opener, when Lincoln beat Langston, 35-32.

- With Lincoln's first two games of 2019 being played on Thursday evenings, this will be the latest time in a year in its 89-year history that LU will play its first Saturday contest of a season.

- Lincoln is in the midst of 11-straight conference games to begin the 2019 campaign. The only non-conference game will be the St. Louis Heritage Football Classic against Kentucky State in the Dome at America's Center on Nov. 23.

- The Blue Tigers enter this week's game with an all-time record of 260-456-25.

- Malik Hoskins was named the interim head coach of the Blue Tigers in May 2019 and enters the week with an LU record of 0-2 and an overall record of 3-9.

- After a five-year absence, Lincoln has returned to the MIAA for its 24th season as a football-playing member. The Blue Tigers, who were an associate member of the GLVC from 2014-18, previously played in the MIAA from 1970-89 and from 2011-13. The MIAA is the fifth different conference in which the Blue Tigers have been a member, joining the Midwest Athletic Association, the Great Lakes Football Conference, the Central States Football League and the GLVC.

- This is the 89th season of Lincoln football. The Blue Tigers first fielded a team in 1920 and played every year until 1943, when Lincoln took a year off due to World War II. LU then played each season from 1944-1989. The football program was disbanded at that point, but was brought back in 2000.

BLUE TIGERS TO WATCH
OFFENSE - Hosea Franklin had the best opening week of the season by an NCAA Division II rusher, as he gained 251 yards on 20 carries, breaking the LU single-game record in the process. Franklin is averaging 184.5 yards per game and 8.6 yards per carry.

CJ Closser and Dre'Shon Alston each caught TD passes from Chancellor Johnson in his first start as Lincoln's quarterback. Tori Hicks made a pair of touchdown catches against Missouri Southern, as Johnson is completing 56.1-percent of his passes with only one interception against four scoring throws through two games.

DEFENSE - The Blue Tiger defense made a huge impact in the season opener, forcing Washburn into seven turnovers. LU had three interceptions and forced and recovered four fumbles. The LU defense continued its opportunistic ways against Missouri Southern, tallying another pick and two more fumble recoveries.

Cody Alexander had a pair of interceptions in the opener and is third among the Blue Tigers with 13 tackles while Hasan Muhammad-Rogers, who has two fumble recoveries and an interception, leads the team with 21 total takedowns. Piere' Jones has broken up two passes and has a fumble recovery to go with nine tackles, and Quan Mason has a pair of quarterback hurries.

Bri'on Sanders is second on the team with 19 total tackles, and Chavon Gross, who also has a pick, is fourth with 11 tackles. Thomas Burton has forced two fumbles through two games, and Cody Bagby has a fumble recovery while Vontavious Thacker has a hurry. Thacker, Elliott Albert, Cecil Stallings and TeAndre Skinner all have eight tackles.

SPECIAL TEAMS - A trio of newcomers make up Lincoln's special teams unit in 2019. Javier Moreno, the place kicker, has yet to attempt a field goal, but has made five point-after kicks this year and is averaging 47.9 yards on kickoffs. Reagan Harrell, the team's punter and holder, averages 36.5 yards through two weeks, with five punts pinning the opponent inside their own 20. Josh Zakavec is the long snapper.

CENTRAL OKLAHOMA AT A GLANCE
Will Collins boasts a 151.7 passer rating and has thrown four touchdown passes against one interception through the first two weeks of 2019. Collins is averaging 206 yards per game, and his top target has been Dustin Basks, who has six grabs for 114 yards and a score. Nine different Bronchos have at least one reception, with Josh Moore, Amonte Phillips and Tyrone Howell also having caught touchdown passes. In the running game, four players are averaging more than four yards per carry. T.J. Roberts leads UCO with 177 yards while Chandler Garrett has a pair of touchdown runs.

The Broncho defense has yet to record an interception, but has forced and recovered five fumbles and broken up seven passes. O'Shay Harris is the leading tackler with 17 on the year, including 13 solo, followed by Jakarri Hunt and Jeremiah Hill with 15 takedowns apiece. Bryan Burns and Dillon Hall each have 14 tackles while, as a team, the Bronchos have nine total tackles for loss.

Kicker Alex Quevedo has a strong leg, booting six kicks through the end zone for touchbacks while averaging 64.8 yards on kickoffs. Jay Tedesco is averaging 40.3 yards on punts, with two going at least 50 yards and two pinning teams inside the 20. Central Oklahoma has yet to attempt a field goal or return a punt in 2019. In the return game, two players have handled kick returns for the Bronchos: Josh Moore, who gained 19 yards on his only attempt, and Dusin Basks, who has a long of 24 yards.

THE COACHES
Malik Hoskins was elevated to the position of interim head coach after spending the past two seasons serving as Lincoln's offensive coordinator. This is Hoskins' second stint as an interim head coach, as he held that title at Lane in 2015. Before coming to Lincoln, Hoskins coached at Bacone, where he worked with six offensive players who earned some form of all-conference recognition. In 2018, Hoskins was selected to attend the NCAA/NFL Coaches Academy due to his commitment to player development.

Nick Bobeck has 39 victories in his eight seasons leading the Bronchos, including five-straight over UCO's rival, Northeastern State. Bobeck, an UCO alum, has coached seven All-Americans, including two in a 2018 campaign that ended with the Bronchos winning the Heart of Texas Bowl over Angelo State after rallying from a 31-13 fourth quarter deficit. That was the third bowl appearance, and second win, in Bobeck's tenure at Central Oklahoma. 

BROKEN RECORD:  Hosea Franklin started 2019 on a record-breaking note by rushing for 251 yards against Washburn on Sept. 5. That total broke a nearly 50-year-old record, surpassing the 245 yards gained by Leo "The Lincoln Locomotive" Lewis in the early 1940s. Franklin averaged 12.6 yards per carry, the third-most by any NCAA DII player during the first week of the season.

LET'S BE FRANK: No running back in the MIAA is off to a hotter start than Hosea Franklin, as the sophomore leads the conference with 184.5 yards per game. Franklin also leads the conference in total rushing yards (369) and all-purpose yards (198.5), and he is 10th in the league in total offense (184.5).

NATIONAL LEADERS:  Hosea Franklin is off to a hot start, ranking fourth in NCAA Division II in total rushing yards (369) and fifth in rushing yards per game (184.5). Franklin, who additionally rates fourth in all-purpose yardage (198.5), is not the only Blue Tiger high in the national rankins, as Thomas Burton and Hasan Muhammad-Rogers are respectively leading the NCAA Division II in fumbles forced and fumbles forced.

TAKE ME AWAY:  Opportunistic would be the best way to describe the Lincoln defense's performance thus far in 2019, as the Blue Tigers have picked off four passes and both forced and recovered six fumbles. The 10 takeaways are the second-most in NCAA Division II in week one, with only Morehouse tallying more with 12. Lincoln also ranks second in DII in fumbles recovered and 12th in the nation in interceptions.

TACKLING MACHINES:  In addition to creating turnovers, Lincoln also tackles well, with a pair of Blue Tigers ranking among the best in Division II. Bri'on Sanders is leading the MIAA and is 10th in the nation with 14 total solo tackles, while Hasan Muhammad-Rogers is 24th in DII with 13.

THE RUNDOWN:  Bolstered by an outstanding opening night by Hosea Franklin, LU currently boasts the third-best rushing attack in the MIAA. LU, which is also 30th in the nation, is averaging 228.5 yards per game on the ground. Franklin's 8.6 yards per carry are 11th nationally.

ALL-CONFERENCE:  Lincoln returns a pair of players who earned All-GLVC recognition for their stellar play in 2018. Hasan Muhammed-Rogers, a playmaker who also helped the Blue Tigers on both offense and special teams, was an All-GLVC second team selection at defensive back, as he had 57 tackles while breaking up three passes. Chavon Gross, meanwhile, was named to the all-league team as an honorable mention at defensive back after breaking up 10 passes, notching 4.5 tackles for loss and 40 total takedowns.

HOMETOWN HEROES:  A few local players have made big plays during the first two contests of Lincoln's 2019 campaign. Cody Alexander, a Blair Oaks grad, made two interceptions vs. Washburn and is third on the team in tackles while CJ Closser, another Blair Oaks alum, had Lincoln's first touchdown reception of the season. JaJuan Chambers and Brennen DeMarco, both of whom hail from Columbia, Mo., each have tackles for LU.

UNDER THE LIGHTS:  For the first time in LU history, the Blue Tigers open the season with four-straight night games. Lincoln played at Washburn and hosted Missouri Southern in Thursday night games the past two weeks.

ON THE AIR:  Blue Tiger football is back on KJLU, as all six of Lincoln's home games will be broadcast this year. LU fans will also be listen to four of the Blue Tigers' five road games online, as Lincoln play-by-play announcer James Stanley will provide an audiocast for the games at Washburn, Pittsburg State, Northwest Missouri and Central Missouri. The game on Sept. 5 was on Facebook Live, while information will come later this year as how to LU fans can listen to the other three contests.

IT'S A CLASSIC:  Tickets are now on sale for the St. Louis Heritage Football Classic, a game at the Dome at America's Center between Lincoln and Kentucky State. Visit www.lubluetigers.com/shfc2019 to reserve your seats for the Nov. 23 match-up of HBCUs.

GEAR UP FOR THE GAME:  LU fans can get everything they need for the game at www.BlueTigersStore.com, the official online store for LU athletics. Everything from jerseys to office supplies can be found on the site, with a portion of all sales going to benefit Lincoln athletics.

UP NEXT:  Lincoln is back at Dwight T. Reed Stadium next Saturday (Sept. 28), hosting Emporia State in a 6:00 p.m. CDT showdown.