Complete Game Notes    
Game 3: Northeastern State (1-2, 1-2 MIAA) at Lincoln (0-2, 0-2 MIAA)
Date/Time: Saturday, Sept. 25 - 2:00 p.m.
Location: Jefferson City, Mo.
Stadium (Capacity): Dwight T. Reed Stadium (5,500)
Tickets: Available online at http://lubluetigers.com/tickets  Adults - $10 | Children Under the Age of Six - Free  | Non-LU Students/LU Faculty & Staff - $5 | LU Students (With ID) - Free
Streaming - https://themiaanetwork.com/lubluetigers/
Radio - KJLU 88.9 FM - Jefferson City, Mo.
Audiocast - http://radio.securenetsystems.net/v5/KJLU
Live Stats - https://lubluetigers.com/sidearmstats/football/
Series - LU leads, 2-1

THE KICKOFF 
The Lincoln football team returns to Jefferson City to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the first game at Dwight T. Reed Stadium on Saturday (Sept. 25) when the Blue Tigers host Northeastern State at 2:00 p.m. CDT. It will be 50 years to the day since the first game at Dwight T. Reed Stadium, which was played on Sept. 25, 1971 against Bemidji State.

Lincoln will play for its first victory of 2021, as LU is 0-2 after dropping its opener at home against Washburn on Sept. 2 and falling to Fort Hays State on the road last Saturday (Sept. 18). The Blue Tigers' last victory came in 2019, when Lincoln beat Northeastern State on Homecoming, 27-9.

Northeastern State enters the weekend with a 1-2 record after dropping a home contest to Pittsburg State, 48-13, last Saturday. NSU also has a home loss to Emporia State, but picked up a road win against Missouri Southern, winning 21-17 on Sept. 11.

QUICK HITS 
- Saturday's meeting will be the fourth all-time between Lincoln and Northeastern State, with LU holding a 2-1 lead in the series. The RiverHawks won the first game between the teams in 2012, but Lincoln has won the last two games, including beating the RiverHawks, 27-9, in 2019 in its annual Homecoming game. The Blue Tigers also beat Northeastern State at home in 2013, 44-33.

- Lincoln is playing for its first win since Oct. 19, 2019, when LU beat Northeastern State on Homecoming, 27-9.

- A victory would be the first for Lincoln in the month of September since 2018, when the Blue Tigers won in their final home game of the month, 28-13, against Southwest Baptist.

- This is Lincoln's second home game of the 2021 season, following it home opener against Washburn on Sept. 2. The Blue Tigers do not have back-to-back home games in 2021, marking the first time that has happened in an LU football season since 2005.

- 2021 marks the 50th anniversary of the opening of Dwight T. Reed Stadium. The Blue Tigers first played in the venue on Sept. 25, 1971, when Lincoln beat Bemidji State, 35-13.

- The Blue Tigers enter the 2021 season with an all-time record of 261-466-25.

- Malik Hoskins was named the interim head coach of the Blue Tigers in May of 2019, and was promoted to the full-time position at the end of that year. He enters the week with an LU record of 1-12 and an overall record of 4-19.

- Lincoln is in second-consecutive year, and its 25th overall as a football-playing member of the MIAA. 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 90th 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 was the only played in the MIAA to rush for over 1,000 yards during the 2019 regular season, and he finished the year with a Lincoln single-season record of 1,359 yards. His play culminated in Franklin earning first team all-region and All-American honorable mention status, as well as All-MIAA first team distinction.

Zamar Brake has thrown two touchdown passes and is averaging 165.0 yards per game to go with an efficiency rating of 142.2. Chrisshun Robinson leads LU with 107 receiving yards and is tied with Winston Ausmer with one touchdown reception.. Ausmer has caught a team-high eight passes.

DEFENSE - Jaylon Mosley has a team-high 11 solo tackles and a team-leading 15 total takedowns while Samuel Amituanai leads Lincoln with 1.5 tackles for loss. Amituanai, Chris Parker and Caleb Rozar each have 10 tackles, and Parker and Elliott Albert have both intercepted passes. Albert also has a tackle for loss, 13 tackles and a pass break-up.

Cody Bagby and TeAndre Skinner both have made 11 tackles, and each player also has notched one tackle for loss. Charles Robertson is next on the list with nine tackles to go with a broken up pass. Zyan Thomas-King has broken up two passes and has tallied eight takedowns.

Piere' Jones also has a break-up and is tied with Stanley Mageo, Devyn Sigars and Terrion Williams with five tackles apiece. Terrell Adetunji has made four tackles and Quan Mason and Osi Tongotea each have three while Tyler Brown, Dontonio Moore and Jahkari Larmond each have tallied two apiece.

SPECIAL TEAMS - The LU special teams will have a new look in 2021, with all three positions in the kicking game manned by new players. Clayton Winkler will serve as both the team's punter and kicker. Winkler is averaging 36.0 yards on kickoffs and 39.0 yards on punts. Winkler has had three punts go for at least 50 yards, with one resulting in a fair catch. Winston Ausmer is averaging 11.0 yards on kickoff returns while Tori Hicks averages 19.0 yards.

NORTHEASTERN STATE AT A GLANCE
The RiverHawks enter the weekend averaging 13.7 points per game while allowing 34.3, and averaging 254.0 yards of total offense while allowing 434.0. Northeastern State has intercepted two passes against five picks of its own, and has neither forced nor lost a fumble. NSU has had a kick blocked, and opponents have recorded 22 tackles for loss against the RiverHawks.

Marques Williams leads NSU with 30 tackles, and joins Gage Parrick as RiverHawks with an interception. Blake Corn and Jarvon Williams each have two tackles for loss and two sacks, as Northeastern State has registered six sacks as a team. Triumphant Olatunji is second on the team with 18 tackles and has made a sack as well as 1.5 tackles for loss. Trae Hampton has made 17 tackles, and Isaac Little is next with 16 takedowns.

On offense, Darius Hopkins has the only rushing score of the season, while Isaiah Davis averages 51.7 yards per game and 5.2 yards per carry, both team highs. Six NSU players have attempted at least one pass, with starter Grant Elerick having 38 completions for 336 yards with three touchdown passes. Dashawn Williams leads NSU with 15 receptions, while Mark Wheeland has a team-high 125 yards on 10 catches.

Northeastern State has not yet made a field goal in 2021, but Tim Davis averages 39.1 yards per punt and Tyler Crawford averages 50.6 yards on kickoffs.

THE COACHES
Malik Hoskins is in his second season as the head coach of the Lincoln football team. Hoskins was elevated to the position of interim head coach prior to the 2019 season after spending two seasons serving as Lincoln's offensive coordinator. In his first year as the head coach, he led the team's return to the MIAA, culminating with a 27-9 win over Northeastern State on Homecoming. After the 2019 season, Hoskins was named the full-time head coach of the Blue Tigers. Hoskins also was the interim coach at Lane in 2015.

JJ Eckert was a four-year letterwinner at Northeastern State and is in his second season coaching his alma mater. From 2007-2018 Eckert served as Kilgore College's head coach, winning 72 contests as well as three Southwest Junior College Football Conference Championships. After going 0-11 in 2019, Eckert has Northeastern State off to a 1-2 start in 2021.

NCAA LEADERS:  Through the first three weeks of the season, Lincoln ranks highly in NCAA DII in several statistics. The Blue Tigers are seventh in kickoff return defense, allowing just 10.5 yards per return. Lincoln has only been penalized for 96 yards, the 13th-fewest in NCAA Division II, and LU's 14 total penalties are the 27th-fewest in the country. The Blue Tigers also have avoided the turnover, ranking 19th nationally in intercepted passes and 20th in fumbles lost.

TAKING CARE OF THE BALL:  Lincoln has done a good job of avoiding turnovers, with just one interception and one fumble lost through the first three weeks of the season. In addition to ranking among the top-20 teams in NCAA Division II in those categories, LU's two turnovers lost are the 12th-fewest in the nation. In the MIAA, Lincoln is second in turnovers lost, third in interceptions thrown and fourth in fumbles lost.

WHAT A RUSH: Hosea Franklin set the Lincoln standard in rushing in 2019, finishing with 1,359 yards, a new program record. Franklin is the only MIAA player who rushed for over 1,000 yards in the regular season, and he finished the season ninth in NCAA Division II in both total rushing yards and rushing yards per game (128.8).

ALL-AMERICAN:  Hosea Franklin's 2019 season did not go unnoticed, as rising junior was named a Don Hansen Division II All-American honorable mention. That followed Franklin being named to the Don Hansen All-Super Region 3 first team, as well as his earning All-MIAA first team honors.

PASSING GRADE:  Lincoln's passing game is one of the most efficient in the MIAA, as starter Zamar Brake's efficiency rating of 142.2 is the fifth-best in the conference. As a team, LU has completed 60.9 percent of its passes, ranking the Blue Tigers fifth in the MIAA and 44th in Division II.

DISCIPLINED APPROACH:  The Blue Tigers were rarely penalized in 2019, with Lincoln being flagged only 68 times on the year, the fifth-fewest in the MIAA. Thus far in 2021, Lincoln has been called for 14 penalties, ranking LU fourth in the league, while the 96 lost yards rate as the 13th-fewest in NCAA Division II.

GET DEFENSIVE:  Through two games in 2021, Jaylon Mosley is averaging 7.5 tackles per game, the 11th-most by an MIAA player. Mosley has made 11 solo tackles, the fifth-most in the conference and 32nd-most in Division II. Elliott Albert, Zyan Thomas-King and TeAndre Skinner are each averaging 4.0 solo tackles per contest, ranking them 18th in the conference. King and Albert join Chris Parker in averaging 1.0 pass break-ups per game, which ties them for ninth in the MIAA.

OUT OF STATE:  The Blue Tigers will spend a lot of time on the road in 2021. LU is scheduled to play five games on the road this year, and none in the state of Missouri. Lincoln will play three games in Kansas (at Fort Hays State on Sept. 18, at Pittsburg State on Oct. 16 and Emporia State on Nov. 6), one contest in Oklahoma (at Central Oklahoma on Oct. 2) and one in Nebraska (at Nebraska Kearney on Oct. 23).

TICKETS:  For the first time ever, fans can purchase their tickets to Lincoln's home football games online. Head to http://lubluetigers.com/tickets to purchase both season and individual game tickets for the 2021 season.

JOIN THE TEAM BEHIND THE TEAM:  The Blue Tiger Athletics Club is a great way to engage with other LU fans while supporting Lincoln student-athletes. Every dollar raised by the club goes towards scholarships for students, improving campus facilities and purchasing and maintaining equipment. To join the BTAC, or to learn more about the club, please visit www.LUBlueTigers.com/BTAC.

LU PLAYS ON KJLU:  Veteran play-by-play announcer James Stanley returns to the airwaves to provide Lincoln fans the action on the field in 2021. Stanley will call all five of LU's home games, and fans can listen to him live on 88.9 FM KJLU. Those not in the Jefferson City area can also listen to the games on KJLU's website, http://radio.securenetsystems.net/v5/KJLU.

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:  The Blue Tigers are in Edmond, Okla. next Saturday (Oct. 2) to play Central Oklahoma in a 2:00 p.m. CDT contest.