Complete Game Notes
Game 4: Lincoln (0-3, 0-3 MIAA) at Central Oklahoma (1-3, 1-3 MIAA)
Date/Time: Saturday, Oct. 2 - 2:00 p.m.
Location: Edmond, Okla.
Stadium (Capacity): Wantland Stadium (10,000)
Tickets: Available online at https://bronchosports.com/tickets
Streaming - https://themiaanetwork.com/lubluetigers/
Radio - KOKC 95.3 FM - Edmond, Okla.
Audiocast - https://www.iheart.com/live/news-talk-1520-kokc-7057/
Live Stats - https://bronchosports.com/sidearmstats/football/
Series - UCO leads, 3-0

THE KICKOFF 
It's back to the road for the Lincoln footbal team, which heads to Edmond, Okla. to play Central Oklahoma on Saturday (Oct. 2). Kickoff is set for 2:00 p.m. CDT for the fourth meeting in history between the Blue Tigers and the Bronchos.

LU is coming off a record-breaking performance last Saturday (Sept. 25), as quarterback Zamar Brake threw for 454 yards, setting new single-game indivdual and team passing marks in the process. The Blue Tigers ended up gaining over 600 yards on offense, but dropped a narrow 49-48 decision to Northeastern in overtime. Lincoln will enter the weekend with a 0-3 record.

Central Oklahoma is 1-3 on the year after being shut out by Northwest Missouri, 38-0, on the road last Saturday. The Bronchos opened the season with a 24-20 victory over Missouri Western, but fell to Emporia State, 31-21, and lost to Missouri Southern, 14-10.

QUICK HITS 
- Lincoln and Central Oklahoma will play for the fourth time in series history on Saturday, with UCO having won each of the previous four meetings. The teams first met in 2012, with the Bronchos winning, 56-25, in UCO's only trip to Jefferson City. In 2013, Lincoln took the Bronchos down to the wire before falling, 49-42 in Edmond. Last year, the teams again played in Edmond, with Central Oklahoma prevailing, 63-0.

- A win for Lincoln would be its first in the Sooner State since 2015, when LU opened the year with a 35-32 victory in Oklahoma over Langston.

- Lincoln is seeking its first road win over a conference opponent since October 20, 2018, when the Blue Tigers, then members of the GLVC, won at William Jewell, 23-14. LU's last league road win as a member of the MIAA came in 1975, when the Blue Tigers beat Central Missouri, 20-7, in Warrensburg, Mo.

- A victory on Saturday would improve the Blue Tigers to 1-3 both on the season and in MIAA play. It would also be Lincoln's first victory since Oct. 19, 2019, when LU beat another team from Oklahoma, Northeastern State, 27-9, in Lincoln's annual Homecoming game.

- The Blue Tigers enter the 2021 season with an all-time record of 261-467-25.

- 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 1-13 and an overall record of 4-20.

- 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 - Zamar Brake turned in a record-setting performance against Northeastern State, passing for 454 yards and four touchdowns, both of which are new single-game standards at Lincoln. Brake is averaging 261.3 yards per game and has thrown six touchdown passes with zero interceptions on the year.

Hosea Franklin, a 2019 Don Hansen Division II All-American honorable mention, had his first 100-yard rushing performance of the season against Northeastern State, rushing for 115 yards and three touchdowns. Winston Ausmer leads the Lincoln receiving corps with 18 grabs for 253 yards and three scores, while Charles Johnson has five receptions, including two touchdown grabs.

DEFENSE - Elliott Albert has begun the season very well, leading Lincoln with 30 total tackles while tallying two tackles for loss, an interception, a fumble recovery and three broken-up passes. Both Julian Jackson-Linkhart and Chris Parker have an interception, while Cody Bagby has made 17 tackles, forced a fumble and totaled two tackles for loss. TeAndre Skinner, meanwhile, has blocked a kick and made 21 tackles, including two for loss.

Jaylon Mosley has 16 solo tackles and 23 total takedowns on the year, and Samuel Amituanai leads the defense with three tackles for loss and joined with Terrion Williams for a sack. As a team, LU has made 14 tackles for loss, including one by Skinner and another from Aeneas Tibbs.

Zyan Thomas-King has broken up two passes and made 11 tackles, and Charles Robertson has made 12 tackles, including 10 solo. Caleb Rozar has 10 tackles on the year, and Devyn Sigars has notched seven takedowns.

SPECIAL TEAMS - Winston Ausmer is the main returner, averaging 7.3 yards on punt returns and 11.0 yards on kick returns. Tori Hicks averages 19.0 yards on kick returns, while Brandon Mackey, Jr. is next with 13.0 yards per return. Clayton Winkler is Lincoln's kicker, and averages 43.4 yards on kickoffs. On punts, Winkler is averaging 39.2 yards, with four kicks traveling at least 50 yards and one resulting in a fair catch.

CENTRAL OKLAHOMA AT A GLANCE
The Bronchos enter the weekend averaging 13.8 points per game while allowing 25.8, as well as 254.5 passing yards per contest compared to 239.0 by opponents. Most of UCO's offensive success has come on the ground, as the Bronchos average 107.0 rushing yards per game and have scored six touchdowns on rushes compared to just one on a pass. Central Oklahoma has thrown four picks on the year and has intercepted two, but has lost just one fumble in its first three contests.

Three Broncho players have over 100 rushing yards on the year, led by Stephon Brown with 173 and two scores. Jayce Gardner is next with 130 yards while Payton Scott has gained 105 yards on the ground, with both players also having a touchdown run. Markiese King and Tucker Pawley have also scored rushing touchdowns. Brown is also UCO's starting quarterback, and has thrown for 431 yards with Josh Moore leading the receiving corps with 11 receptions. King has the lone touchdown reception.

Dylan Buchheit is the team's top tackler with 33 on the year, and Michael Slater has made 7.5 tackles for loss as well as 1.5 sacks. Lamontre Huval is next on the tackling list with 21, followed by Elijah Wright with 19, while Deon Woods and Noah West each have broken up a pair of passes. On special teams, Bo Phelps averages 37.0 yards per punt, and Alex Quevedo, who is 2-for-4 on field goal tries, averages 58.5 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.

Nick Bobeck has 43 victories in his nine seasons leading the Bronchos, including six-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 RECORDS:  Lincoln enjoyed its best passing performance ever against Northeastern State, as quarterback Zamar Brake threw for 454 yards and four scores. The yardage breaks team and individual single-game records, which stood at 445 and 424, respectively, entering the season. The four touchdown passes also tied the single-game record. Additionally, Lincoln ran 92 plays on offense, tying the team single-game record.

PACING THE NCAA:  Zamar Brake finished with 505 yards of total offense against Northeastern State, which is the most by any player in a single game in NCAA Division II this season. His 454 passing yards, meanwhile, are the third-most in a contest in DII. For the season, Brake currently is 20th nationally in yards per completion (15.1), 26th in passing efficiency (156.4) and 40th in total offense (269.7).

NCAA LEADERS:  Through the first four weeks of the season, Lincoln ranks highly in NCAA DII in several statistics. With just one interception thrown on the year, LU is tied for seventh in the nation. The Blue Tigers are 36th in passing yards per completion (14.3) and 46th in passing yards per game (266.0). Lincoln is also 28th in Division II in fewest turnovers lost (four) and 47th in fewest penalty yards (198).

FOR THE WIN-STON:  Winston Ausmer has been on a tear through the first three games of the year, catching 18 passes for 253 yards and three scores. Ausmer, who is currently second in the MIAA in touchdown grabs, ranks 32nd in DII in passes caught per game, and 51st in receiving yards per contest (84.3).

WHAT A RUSH: Hosea Franklin set the Lincoln standard in rushing in 2019, finishing with 1,359 yards, a new program record. Franklin earned first team All-MIAA and all-region honors for the year, as well an All-American honorable mention award.

BACK ON THE RUN:  After being slowed by the defenses in Lincoln's first two contests of 2021, Hosea Franklin broke through with 115 yards and three scores vs. Northeastern State. Franklin is now 54th in Division in rushing scores.

GET DEFENSIVE:  Elliott Albert is averaging 10 tackles per game, which is the 20th-most by an NCAA Division II player this season, while his average of six solo tackles is the 17th-best in the nation. Jaylon Mosley averages 8.3 solo tackles, ranking him 36th nationally. Three Blue Tigers have intercepted a pass: Chris Parker, Albert, and Julian Jackson-Linkhart, the last of whom accomplished the feat in his first collegiate game. Cody Bagby is third in the MIAA in forced fumbles.

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 at 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:  Lincoln returns to Dwight T. Reed Stadium next Saturday (Oct. 9) for Homecoming, as LU takes on Missouri Southern at 2:00 p.m. CDT.