Complete Game Notes | Home Game Policy
Game 11: Indianapolis (9-1, 7-0 GLVC) at Lincoln (1-9, 0-7 GLVC)
Date/Time: Saturday, Nov. 16 - 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 Six - Free  | Non-LU Students/LU Faculty & Staff - $5 | U 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: Indianapolis leads, 6-0
 
THE KICKOFF 
It's senior day for the Lincoln football team, which closes its 2024 season on Saturday (Nov. 16) with a 12:00 p.m. CST home game against the current GLVC leader, Indianapolis. A special ceremony will be held on Saturday to recognize Lincoln's graduating players.
 
The Blue Tigers are coming off a hard-fought loss to Lane last Saturday (Nov. 9). Lincoln led early and had chances late in the contest to get back on top, but LU eventually fell to the Dragons, 41-28. Lincoln is playing to end the season with a win for the first time since 2013.
 
Indianapolis has been leading the GLVC for most of the season, as the Greyhounds are 9-1 overall and 7-0 in conference play. Indianapolis currently is ranked 14th in the American Football Coaches Association's Division II poll and have won six in a row, with the Greyhounds' only loss being a 28-24 decision against Saginaw Valley State.
 
QUICK HITS 
- Lincoln and Indianapolis are meeting for the seventh time in a series that dates back to 1983, when UIndy was known as Indiana Central. The Greyhounds have won each of the previous six meetings.
 
- These teams last met in 2018 with the Greyhounds, then ranked No. 22 in the country, earning a 41-17 victory in Indianapolis, Ind.
 
- Indianapolis, which enters the week ranked No. 14, is the only ranked opponent Lincoln faces in 2024.
 
- A victory for Lincoln would give the Blue Tiger multiple wins in a season for the first time since 2018.
 
- Lincoln is playing for multiple home wins in a season for the first time since 2014, when the Blue Tigers beat both Quincy and Texas College. The Blue Tigers earned a 40-14 victory against Lincoln (CA) in Reed Stadium on Oct. 5.
 
- A win would be the first for the Blue Tigers in the month of November since ending 2013 with back-to-back wins.
 
- 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 262-505-25.
 
- 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 1-9 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 - Jareese Howard averages 6.8 .yards per carry and leads the Blue Tigers with 534 yards on 79 carries. Howard has five touchdown runs and Isaiah Tate, who has thrown for 1159 yards with five touchdown passes, has four touchdowns on the ground. As a team, LU has run for 1,618 yards for an average of 121.2 yards per contest.
 
Kellen Porter, Kantrell Jordan and LaMarco Yates have also run for touchdowns and DeMareus Hosey has gained 97 yards on 45 attempts. In the receiving game, Armani Turner averages 18.8 yards per reception while Darian Fletcher averages 22.5 yards per catch. Israel Tate leads Lincoln with 23 receptions and Turner is next with 13 while next on the chart is Tobias Williams with 10.
 
DEFENSE - Lincoln has blocked five kicks, with Ke'Ron Blankumsee returning one of those blocks 74 yards for a touchdown. Jordan Hoskins leads the Blue Tigers with 60 overall tackles while Cory Macon is next with 43, and Hoskins has made 37 solo takedowns. Jacob McGhee has a team-high 10.0 tackles for loss while Vez Carter, who has 34 total tackles, has 6.0 tackles for loss. Jeremiah Gill also 28 tackles while Zenin Hall has 19.
 
Donte Moore has two sacks and scored on a 97-yard interception return against Lincoln (CA) to go with 36 tackles on the season. Rakeim Ashford has picked off three passes and broken up three others while Renard Willis has tallied 7.0 tackles for loss and two sacks. As a team, Lincoln has made 66 total tackles for loss as well as 16 sacks.
 
SPECIAL TEAMS - Mo Alwaely made 10 field goals with a long of 49 yards a year ago and is 9-for-15 this year with his longest going 50 yards. On kickoffs, Alwaely is averaging 50.8 yards. In the punting game, Clayton Winkler has had 13 kicks go at least 50 yards, 16 kicks pin opponents inside the 20, and averages 43.4 yards per kick.
 
Macon had a rare defensive two-point conversion after returning a blocked extra point 95-yards to the end zone against McKendree. Fletcher averages 16.2 yards on kickoff returns and Tobias Williams is averaging 20.3 yards with a long of 54. Fletcher has also handled punt return duties.
 
INDIANAPOLIS AT A GLANCE
Gavin Sukup is finishing a regular season in which he has completed 166 passes for 2,356 yards and 19 touchdowns against just four interceptions. The Greyhounds are also excellent at running the ball, with Jon Lewis leading the way with 1,009 net yards and 11 scores. Both Sukup and Garrett Sherrell each have four rushing touchdowns and five other Greyhounds have reached the end zone on a carry this season. Ethan Hand has caught a team-high six touchdown passes while Anthony Crowell, who has four scores, leads Indianapolis with 39 receptions for 613 yards. Alonzo Derrick averages 20.0 yards per catch and has four touchdowns.
 
Indianapolis has made 75 tackles for loss, led by Kole Viel with 15.5 TFLs. Clay Schule, who leads UIndy with 83 tackles, has 11.5 tackles for loss as well as four sackes, and Aaron Barnett has 8.5 tackles for loss and a team-leading seven sacks. Key Crowell has intercepted five passes and broken up three others while San Flowers has forced three fumbles and recorded 52 tackles overall. Amarion Evans, meanwhile, has 16 tackles, including nine tackles for loss and five sacks. Brandon Smith has blocked three kicks.
 
Ian Burr averages 38.1 yards on punts with a long of 61 yards and 10 pinning opponents inside the 20. Burr also handles field goals and is 10-for-13 on the season with a long of 41 yards. The kickoff specialist is Colin Seymour, who averages 58.3 yards with 20 touchbacks. Crowell is averaging 13.2 yards on punt returns and Markez Gillam has two kickoff return touchdowns.
 
THE COACHES
Moses Harper was named the head coach of the Blue Tigers in January and is in his first season leading the LU football program. Harper is no stranger to Missouri as he graduated from Central Methodist and has worked at both William Jewell and Missouri Western. Most recently he was the passing game coordinator and receivers coach at Nebraska Kearney, a former rival of the Blue Tigers in the MIAA.
 
Chris Keevers has spent over 30 years on the coaching staff at Indianapolis and is in his sixth season as the head coach. Keevers, a three-time GLVC Coach of the Year, has led UIndy to three NCAA Division II playoff appearances and has won nearly 80-percent of his games. Since joining the staff at Indianapolis, Keevers has helped the squad win nine GLVC championships and reach the postseason eight times.
 
MOVING THEM BACKWARDS:  Lincoln has 55 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 50th in Division II in tackles for loss as well as fifth in the GLVC. Jacob McGhee has 10.0 tackles for loss on the year and individually ranks sixth in the GLVC while Vez Carter is next with 7.0 TFL.
 
PLAY LIKE JORDAN:  Jordan Hoskins has made plays all over the field for the Lincoln defense and leads the team with 60 total tackles as well as 37 solo tackles. Hoskins has forced two fumbles to go with a fumble recovery, a pass break-up, a pair of tackles for loss and two quarterback hurries. On a national scale, Hoskins is 40th in Division II in forced fumbles, 81st in solo tackles and 127th in tackles per game (6.7).
 
THEY ARE SPECIAL:  The Blue Tigers have made their presence known on special teams, including blocking five kicks, the third-most in the GLVC and the 17th-most in the country. Mo Alwaely's .600 field goal percentage is the 61st-best in DII and he also ranks 42nd in the country in field goals made. Clayton Winkler, meanwhile, is 12th in the nation with a 43.5 punting average.
 
OTHER NATIONAL NOTES: Rakeim Ashford is 57th in the nation in interceptions per game (0.3) while Isaiah Tate is 81st in Division II in passing yards per completion (11.9) and Jareese Howard is 92nd nationally in rushing yards per game (59.3). As a team, LU is 32nd in fewest passes intercepted, 75th in fewest fumbles lost, 41st in turnovers (12), 85th in interceptions (eight) and 15th in blocked punts (two). Lincoln is also 38th nationally in fourth down defense (.400).
 
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.
 
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 43.5 yards per punt, an average that also ranks 12th in NCAA Division II. Winkler's success has also led to Lincoln ranking fourth in the league in net punting average (34.5).
 
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:  Lincoln will release its 2025 football schedule this Spring. Stay tuned to www.LUBlueTigers.com to learn LU's opponents next season.