JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - Two individual single-game records and two team single-game mark were set on Saturday (Sept. 25), but the Lincoln football team dropped a hard-fought game to Northeastern State, 49-48, in overtime.

It was 50 years to the day from the first game ever played at Dwight T. Reed Stadium, and Lincoln made it a memorable affair. Zamar Brake threw for 454 yards, breaking LU's old individual single-game passing record of 432 yards, as well as the team single-game record of 445 yards. Brake also threw four touchdown passes, tying the single-game record for that statistic as well. On the day, Brake completed 28 of his 47 pass attempts and did not have an interception.

The Blue Tiger offense racked up 625 yards on 92 plays, tying the single game record for offensive plays in a contest. Hosea Franklin had his first 100-yard rushing day of the season, gaining 115 yards and scoring three touchdowns on 25 carries. Winston Ausmer led the receiving corps with 10 grabs for 162 yards and two touchdowns, and Charles Johnson made two scoring grabs and finished with 90 yards on the afternoon. Aderias Ealy caught two passes for 86 yards, while Franklin added 49 yards through the air on six receptions.

Lincoln (0-3, 0-3 MIAA) scored on its first drive of the game, driving 73 yards with Ausmer catching a 41-yard pass from Brake to put the Blue Tigers on the board. Northeastern State (2-2, 2-2 MIAA) answered later in the second half with a six-yard scoring pass, but Lincoln regained the lead at the beginning of the second quarter when Brake found Johnson in the end zone for a 27-yard touchdown. The extra point was blocked, and the Blue Tigers ended up taking a 13-7 lead into halftime.

While the first half of the game was controlled by both teams' defenses, the second half turned into a shootout, with NSU scoring on each of its first two drives of the third quarter. A 46-yard catch and run by Ealy allowed LU to reach the NSU one-yard line, and Franklin punched it in on the next play. The Blue Tigers went for two, and Chrisshun Robinson caught Brake's pass in the end zone to tie the game at 21.

Both teams required very little time to score their next touchdowns. NSU used a 70-yard kickoff return to set up a short scoring drive, and the Blue Tigers answered with a 67-yard reception by Ausmer that set up a 10-yard Franklin scoring run. Lincoln then kept the momentum on its side by fooling the RiverHawks with an onside kick, and Franklin scampered 38 yards for another touchdown to put LU back on top, 35-28.

Northeastern State had another quick response, as an 84-yard rush left the contest tied at 35 entering the fourth quarter. On LU's first drive of the period, Brake hit Johnson on a 50-yard touchdown pass, and LU went back ahead, 42-35. With 9:22 to play, however, the RiverHawks used a 42-yard running play to get inside the LU five-yard line, and later tied the game up once again with another scoring rush. 

The defenses stiffened afterwards, with both teams making big stops to keep the other off the board. None was bigger than the final play of regulation, however, as Northeastern State line up for a 25-yard field goal to try to clinch the win. TeAndre Skinner broke through the line and got his hands up high enough to block the kick, Julian Jackson-Linkhart recovered the ball, and the Blue Tigers sent the game into overtime. Skinner finished the day with seven tackles, including one for a loss, while Jackson-Linkhart intercepted a pass during the first half.

Lincoln started with the ball in overtime, and was initially forced to try a 22-yard field goal, which was no good. The Blue Tigers got a second chance on the play as NSU was called for roughing the kicker, and LU capitalized with a two-yard scoring toss by Brake to Ausmer to give Lincoln a 48-42 lead. The extra point was no good, however, leaving the LU advantage at six points. The RiverHawks gained five yards on their first play of overtime, but Cody Bagby forced a fumble which led to an eight-yard loss, setting NSU up with third-and-long. 

Northeastern State's next pass ended up incomplete, but a pass interference call gave NSU new life of its own. After a 12-yard quarterback scramble, NSU punched the ball in on a two-yard rush to tie the game one final time. The extra point was good, and the RiverHawks ended up escaping with the victory.

Elliott Albert had a big day on defense, recording 17 tackles, a tackle for loss, two pass break-ups and a fumble recovery. Samuel Amituanai and Terrion Williams combined on a sack, and Amituanai ended the day with five total tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss. Bagby also had a tackle for loss to go with six total takedowns, and Jaylon Mosley provided eight tackles, as well as a tackle for loss. Aeneas Tibbs and LaMarr Spencer each made four tackles while Jon Jefferson broke up a pass.

The Blue Tigers are back on the road next week, traveling to Edmond, Okla. to play Central Oklahoma on Saturday (Oct. 2) at 2:00 p.m. CDT.