JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - After missing 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Lincoln football team will finally take the field against another opponent on Friday evening (Feb. 19), as the Blue Tigers will be in Thibodaux, La. for a 6:00 p.m. CST contest against Nicholls State. The game will be an exhibition contest for the Blue Tigers, who take on a Colonels squad that was ranked No. 14 in the NCAA Division I FCS coaches poll at the end of 2019.

Friday's game will be televised by Cox Sports TV. To find out if the station is available in your area, check out the Affiliate Map or  Affiliate Listing. The contest can also be viewed online at https://geauxcolonels.com/watch/?Live=491 and a the NSU radio broadcast will be available at https://onlineradiobox.com/us/kleb1600am/. Live stats will also be available at https://geauxcolonels.com/sidearmstats/football/.

Leading the offense for the Blue Tigers is Hosea Franklin, a Don Hansen NCAA Division II All-American honorable mention and an All-MIAA first team selection in 2019 who broke LU's single-season rushing yard record with 1,359 yards. Franklin had 251 yards in LU's 2019 season opener, the most of any DII player in the first week of the season, and was the only MIAA player to break the 1,000-yard mark that season. Franklin averaged 123.6 yards per game and scored five touchdowns. Tori Hicks, meanwhile, averaged 3.2 yards per carry and also had a score.

LU will have a new quarterback this spring, with returner Desmond Hunter, who had one touchdown pass in limited action in 2019, competing with transfer Josh Cartwright for the starting job. Lincoln returns its top-three receivers, led by Dre'Shon Alston, who had 13 grabs for 119 yards and a touchdown. Chrisshun Robinson also had 119 yards and a score on 10 catches, while Hicks caught 16 passes for 103 yards and two touchdowns. CJ Closser, who averaged 17 yards per reception in two games before suffering a season-ending injury, is also back this spring.

On the defensive side of the ball, Vontavious Thacker is Lincoln's top-returning tackler after making 62 takedowns, including 37 solo, in 2019. TeAndre Skinner, who had 46 tackles and 5.0 tackles for loss, joins Elliot Albert (31 tackles) and Quan Mason (29 tackles, 5.0 tackles for loss) as defensive players to watch this spring. On the special teams, Javier Moreno (52.0 yards per kickoff) is back as LU's place-kicker, and is joined by returning long snapper Josh Zakavec and new punter Clayton Winkler.