Complete Game Notes | Home Game Information
Game 11: Central Missouri (9-1) at Lincoln (0-10)
Date/Time: Saturday, Nov. 11 - 12:00 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 Five - Free | Non-LU Students - $5 | LU Faculty, Staff & 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: UCM leads, 26-7

THE KICKOFF 
The Lincoln football team closes its 2023 season on Saturday (Nov. 11) as the Blue Tigers take on Central Missouri in a 12:00 p.m. CST contest. It is the sixth home contest for Lincoln this year as well as the third home afternoon game. It will also be Lincoln's final game before joining the GLVC as a full member in 2024.

Lincoln, coming off a 38-6 road loss to Nebraska Kearney last Saturday (Nov. 4), will try to finish the 2023 season on a high note by defeating the MIAA-leading Mules. Central Missouri enters the week on top of the league standings with a 9-1 record, and has clinched at least a share of the conference title.

Saturday is Senior Day for the Blue Tigers, and a special ceremony will be held prior to the game to recognize Lincoln's six graduating players. With the game also falling on Veteran's Day, Saturday is also Military Appreciation Day.

QUICK HITS 
- This will be the 34th meeting between Central Missouri and Lincoln, with the Mules leading the series, 26-7.

- Lincoln has played UCM more than any other team in the MIAA, with 33 meetings in a series dating back to 1957. Among the current members of the MIAA, Central Missoui is LU's most-played opponent, with Northwest Missouri next at 26 contests.

- The Blue Tigers have played only four other programs more than Central Missouri: Langston (64 games), Central State (57), Kentucky State (48) & Arkansas-Pinebluff (36).

- LU is seeking its first win over Central Missouri since 1978, when the Blue Tigers defeated the Mules, 21-6, in Jefferson City. Central Missouri has won 19-straight in the series since that Lincoln victory.

- A victory on Saturday would be the first for Lincoln since defeating Northeastern State, 27-9, on Oct. 19, 2019 in Jefferson City.

- It would also be Lincoln's first victory in a season finale since beating Southwest Baptist, 51-28, at the end of the 2013 season. After that season, LU joined the GLVC as a football-only member.

- The Blue Tigers enter this weekend with an all-time record of 261-495-25.

- Jermaine Gales was named the head coach of the Lincoln football team in 2021. In his second season leading the Blue Tigers, Gales enters the week with both an overall record and a record at LU of 0-21.

- For the first time since 2010, Lincoln will play a season as an independent. Lincoln, which played in the MIAA for 26 years (overall), is joining the GLVC in 2024-25. The Blue Tigers, who were an associate member of the GLVC from 2014-18, have played in five different conferences in their 92-year history: the Midwest Athletic Association, the Great Lakes Football Conference, the Central States Football League, the GLVC and the MIAA.

- This is the 92nd 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. Lincoln did not play a full schedule in 2020 or 2021 due to Covid-19 restrictions.

BLUE TIGERS TO WATCH
OFFENSE - Omar Allen leads the Lincoln rushing attack with 308 yards while LaMarco Yates, who is averaging 4.1 yards per carry, is second on the team with 256 rushing yards. Xzavier Vaughn, who scored on an 85-yard touchdown run on Lincoln's first offensive snap of the season, has rushed for 236 yards and passed for 1,310 yards with 10 total touchdowns. Aderias Ealy has caught a team-high 32 passes for 432 yards and three touchdowns. Nathan Valencia is next with 15 receptions for 232 yards, Winston Ausmer has caught 13 passes and Damon Bell is next with 10. Valencia, Ausmer, Jermarri Watson, Dawan Lomax and TY Maxwell each have one TD reception on the season.

DEFENSE - The Lincoln defense has forced six fumbles, with Cory Macon, who has two fumble recoveries, and Bryant Coley each having forced two apiece. Elijah Juarez leads the Blue Tigers with 64 tackles overall and 38 solo takedowns and he has also broken up two passes. Macon is next with 60 tackles while Coley, who has broken up three passes, has made 58 tackles. Donte Moore leads the team with 4.5 tackles for loss. Ian Hackney has 52 tackles and Adrian Hopper has 37, including 3.0 tackles for loss. Michael Harrison and TJ Jasper have each broken up four passes, with Harrison additionally totaling 35 tackles, and Jordan Batts has made 30 tackles, including 2.5 for loss. Coley and Ke'Ron Blankumsee each have picked off passes, Jesse Brown has 1.5 sacks and Batts has blocked a kick.

SPECIAL TEAMS - Mo Alwaely has made three field goals from 40-plus yards, including a 49-yard kick against Nebraska Kearney that's the longest field goal by a Blue Tiger since 2016. Alwaely, who has made eight field goals on the year, averages 56.3 yards on kickoffs with eight touchbacks. Clayton Winkler has pinned opponents inside their own 20 on 20 of his punts with a long of 71 yards, and 15 punts have resulted in a fair catch. Omar Allen, who averages 4.0 yards on punt returns, and Aderias Ealy, who has 157 yards on kick returns, are LU's main returners.

CENTRAL MISSOURI AT A GLANCE
Zach Zebrowski is having a phenomenal season with 46 touchdown passes against only five interceptions as well as 331 completions for 3,941 yards. Zebrowski has also rushed for 365 yards, the second-most on the team, and has a pair of touchdowns on the ground. Zebrowski's top target has been Arkell Smith, who has caught 80 passes for 1,124 yards 14 touchdowns, all team-highs. Both Price Morgan and Jack Pospisil have six touchdown receptions while Demarcus Gregory, who has 43 catches, has scored four touchdowns. Marcellous Hawkins leads the Central Missouri rushing attack with 946 yards and 15 scores.

Cale Miller has totaled a team-high 60 tackles to go with 8.0 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks. David Olajiga also has 8.0 tackles for loss as well as a team-high 4.5 sacks while Noah Blair and Jaden Dawson each have intercepted three passes. Curtis Appleton II has made 56 tackles and Wyryor Noil leads the Mules with 14 pass break-ups and five interceptions while also tallying 4.0 tackles for loss and 28 tackles.

Luke Dobson is 5-for-6 on the season kicking field goals with a long of 41 yards. Trevor Whiteman averages 56.0 yards on kickoffs with five touchbacks while Brett Grupe averages 53.8 yards with three touchbacks. Ethan Brown averages 38.1 yards on punts with 16 resulting in a fair catch and 12 pinning opponents inside the 20. Michael Noil and Jack Pospisil respectively average 16.9 and 35.7 yards on kickoff returns.

THE COACHES
Jermaine Gales is now in his second season as the head coach of the Blue Tigers after beginning Lincoln's rebuild in 2022. Gales is no stranger to developing programs, as he was part of a staff at Bluefield State that went 4-3 in its first football season in 40 years in 2021. Gales has more than 20 years of experience as an assistant coach at the NCAA Division I and Division II levels, and has helped programs like Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Mars Hill and North Carolina Central achieve winning seasons.

Josh Lamberson has led the Mules to a share of the MIAA championship in his second season as the head coach. After going 4-7 in 2022, Central Missouri has won nine of its 10 games this season, with the lone loss coming by one point to Pittsburg State. Lamberson was the offensive coordinator at UCM from 2010-14 and was the associate head coach, offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Division I Abilene Christian from 2017-21.

SENIOR DAY:  Prior to the start of Saturday's game, a ceremony will be held to recognize LU's six graduating players. The senior players who will take the field at Dwight T. Reed Stadium for the final time on Saturday include Omar Allen, Aderias Ealy, Tyler Geide, David Kinard, Ishaq Robinson and Ruben Saravia.

GET YOUR TICKETS:  Tickets are available now online for both the Lincoln's men's and women's teams' regular season home games. Single game and full-season ticket packages are available for purchase at www.LUBlueTigers.com/Tickets. The Blue Tiger men tip off at home on Nov. 16 while the LU women play in Jason Gym on Nov. 17.

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 become a member of 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 2023. Stanley will call all six 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.

...AND ONLINE:  While the Blue Tigers are competing as an independent team in 2023, all 11 of Lincoln's games will still stream online at www.themiaanetwork.com/lubluetigers. The six home games will include a simulcast of the KJLU broadcast, while the five road games will be called by the home team's radio broadcasting crew. All-season viewing packages are now available.

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.