Complete Game Notes | Home Game Information
Game 5: Lincoln (CA) (0-5) at Lincoln (MO) (0-4)
Date/Time: Saturday, Oct. 5 - 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 - $15 | Children Under the Age of Six - Free | Non-LU Students/LU Faculty & Staff - $10 | LU Students (With ID) - Free
Streaming: https://www.glvcsn.com/lincolnbluetigers/
Radio: KJLU 88.9 FM - Jefferson City, Mo.
Audiocast: http://radio.securenetsystems.net/v5/KJLU
Live Stats: https://lubluetigers.com/sidearmstats/football/
Series: First Meeting
 
THE KICKOFF 
It's Homecoming weekend for the Blue Tigers, highlighted by the Lincoln football team hosting a "Battle of the Lincolns" on Saturday (Oct. 5) at Dwight T. Reed Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. CDT as Lincoln University of Missouri takes on Lincoln University of California in the first-ever meeting between the two schools which bear the name of the 16th president of the United States of America.
 
Lincoln played its closest game of the season last Saturday (Sept. 28), holding the lead at halftime before falling to Southwest Baptist in Bolivar, Mo., 17-13. The Blue Tigers are seeking their first win of the season.
 
This week's opponent, the Oaklanders, are also in search of their first victory. The program, which is independent and unaffiliated with any athletic association, plays all of its games on the road and is 0-5 entering this weekend.
 
QUICK HITS 
- This will be the first-ever meeting between Lincoln (MO) and Lincoln (CA).
 
- The Blue Tigers are playing for their first Homecoming win since beating Northeastern State, 27-9, on Oct. 19, 2019.
 
- A victory for Lincoln would be its first non-conference win since opening its 2018 campaign by beating Lane, 10-7, in Memphis, Tenn.
 
- Should the Blue Tigers win on Saturday, it would be Lincoln's first win over an opponent it was playing for the first time since 2014, when LU opened its series against Quincy with a 42-13 win in Jefferson City.
 
- A victory on Saturday would be the first for Lincoln since defeating Northeastern State, 27-9, in Jefferson City on Oct. 19, 2019.
 
- The Blue Tigers are hosting a non-conference contest while being a member of a conference for the first time since hosting Wisconsin-Oshkosh in 2018.
 
- Lincoln is the only GLVC program that started the 2024 campaign with four-consecutive league games.
 
- The Blue Tigers enter this weekend with an all-time record of 261-500-25.
 
- Moses Harper was named the head coach of the Lincoln football team in 2024. He is in his first season leading the Blue Tigers and has both an overall and program record of 0-4 entering this week.
 
- Lincoln, which was a full member of the MIAA for 26 years (overall), is joining the GLVC in 2024. 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 (MWAA), the Great Lakes Football Conference (GLFC), the Central States Football League (CSFL), the GLVC and the MIAA.
 
- This is the 93rd 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 due to Covid-19 restrictions.
 
BLUE TIGERS TO WATCH
OFFENSE - Lincoln has broken some big plays during its first four contests, including scoring on three plays of longer than 50 yards vs. McKendree on Sept. 14. Jareese Howard averages 6.9 yards per carry with a longest rush of 86 yards. Quarterback Isaiah Tate has two rushing touchdowns to go with 425 passing yards while Armani Turner leads the Blue Tigers with 196 receiving yards.
 
Howard has rushed for 152 yards and a score and DeMareus Hosey and LaMarco Yates have been the other main backs in Lincoln's rushing attack. Yates also has a rushing touchdown and he and Darian Fletcher have each caught two passes. Max Rodriguez has three grabs while Tobias Williams and Hosey each have four receptions.
 
DEFENSE - Lincoln has blocked three kicks, with Ke'Ron Blankumsee returning one of those blocks 74 yards for a touchdown. Jordan Hoskins leads the Blue Tigers with 31 overall tackles and 22 solo takedowns while Blankumsee has blocked a kick and broken up three passes. Cory Macon is next on the tackling chart with 26 tackles and Vez Carter has 5.5 tackles for loss, with Carter joining Nathan Harden as Blue Tigers who have blocked kicks.
 
Rakeim Ashford, who has 15 tackles, leads LU with two interceptions. Carter has 20 tackles and Donte Moore, who has three tackles for loss as well as two sacks, is next with 16 tackles. Lincoln has 31 total tackles for loss and six sacks on the season, with 15 different Blue Tigers recording at least half of a tackle for loss.
 
SPECIAL TEAMS - Mo Alwaely made 10 field goals with a long of 49 yards a year ago and is a perfect 6-for-6 this season with his longest going 43 yards. On kickoffs, Alwaely is averaging 55.0 yards. Clayton Winkler, meanwhile, averages 45.7 yards on punts with nine of his 24 kicks going at least 50 yards and a long of 68 yards.
 
Macon had a rare defensive two-point conversion after returning a blocked extra point 95-yards to the end zone against McKendree. Fletcher averages 19.8 yards on kickoff returns and Tobias Williams is averaging 22.0 yards with a long of 54. Fletcher has handled punt return duties.
 
PLAYER OF THE WEEK:  After a big performance against William Jewell, Ke'Ron Blankumsee was named the GLVC Special Teams Player of the Week on Sept. 23. Blankumsee blocked a 28-yard field goal attempt by the Cardinals and, later in the game, scooped up the ball after another block and ran it back 74 yards for a Lincoln touchdown. With the honor, Blankumsee becomes the first Lincoln player to be named GLVC Special Teams Player of the Week since kicker Alex Templeton earned the distinction in 2016.
 
MOVING THEM BACKWARDS:  Lincoln has 31 total tackles for loss, with nine of those coming in the opener against Quincy and one resulting in a safety. Nationally, the Blue Tigers rank 29th in Division II in tackles for loss as well as fifth in the GLVC. Vez Carter has 5.5 tackles for loss on the year and individually ranks 50th in the country and third in the league.
 
MACON IT HAPPEN:  Lincoln's defense was led by Cory Macon in the season-opener, as the senior led the Blue Tigers with nine total tackles, six of which were solo efforts. In the home opener vs. McKendree, Macon returned a blocked kick 95 yards to give LU a defensive two-point conversion. For the season, he is second among the Blue Tigers with 26 total tackles including 20 solo efforts, the 37th-most in the country.
 
THEY ARE SPECIAL:  The Blue Tigers have made their presence known on special teams, including blocking three kicks, the most in the GLVC and the sixth-most in the country. Mo Alwaely is one of just 12 kickers in Division who has not missed a field goal try and his six field goals rank him 10th nationally. Clayton Winkler, meanwhile, is fifth in the nation with a 45.7 punting average.
 
TURN ON THE JETS:  When Armani Turner catches the ball, he makes it count, averaging 21.8 yards per reception. Turner, who leads Lincoln with nine catches and 196 yards, ranks 16th in DII in yards per reception.
 
OTHER NATIONAL NOTES:  Jordan Hoskins ranks 24th nationally in solo tackles (5.5) and 70th in total tackles (7.8). Rakeim Ashford is 29th in the nation in interceptions per game (0.5).
 
KICKING IT:  Clayton Winkler had a big day in LU's season opener, punting for 370 yards while averaging 46.3 yards per attempt, both of which led the GLVC through the first week of the season. Winkler currently leads the GLVC with 45.7 yards per punt, an average that also ranks fifth in NCAA Division II. Winkler's success has also led to Lincoln to ranking first in the league and 50th in the country in net punting average (37.0).
 
TICKETS:  Like in the past two years, 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 2024 season. The season ticket package also includes parking passes for all six of Lincoln's home games.
 
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 2024. 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:  All 11 of Lincoln's games in 2024 will stream online on the GLVC Sports Network at https://www.glvcsn.com/lincolnbluetigers. 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.
 
UP NEXT:  The Blue Tigers are back on the road, as LU travels to Tahlequah, Okla. to play an old MIAA rival, Northeastern State, on Saturday (Oct. 12) at 6:00 p.m. CT.