Complete Game Notes
Game 8: Lincoln (2-5, 1-4 GLVC) at Truman State (4-4, 4-1 GLVC)
Date/Time: Saturday, Oct. 31 - 12:00 p.m.
Location: Kirksville, Mo.
Stadium (Capacity): Stokes Stadium (4,500)
Tickets: Available at https://trumanbulldogs.com/sports/2023/8/22/tickets-page.aspx
Streaming: https://www.glvcsn.com/lincolnbluetigers/
Live Stats: https://trumanbulldogs.com/sidearmstats/football
Series: Truman State leads, 26-4-1
 
THE KICKOFF 
The Lincoln football team closes October on the road on Saturday (Oct. 31) by traveling up to Kirksville, Mo. to play Truman State at 12:00 p.m. CDT. The Blue Tigers and the Bulldogs renew an old MIAA rivalry that has continued now that both teams are in the GLVC. This series began in 1968, making the Bulldogs the oldest rivals for the Blue Tigers in the GLVC.
 
Lincoln rallied from an early hole to pull within seven of McKendree entering the fourth quarter last Saturday (Oct. 24), but the Bearcats managed to score late to win, 30-20, in Jefferson City. LU is 2-5 overall and 1-4 in league play entering this week.
 
Truman State opened the season with three losses, but has turned things around and now won four of its last five, with the only loss being a two-point defeat on the road to Upper Iowa. TSU won its last game, 41-17, over Southwest Baptist.
 
QUICK HITS 
- Saturday marks the 31st meeting between Lincoln and Truman State in a series that dates back to 1968, when TSU was called Northeast Missouri State. The Bulldogs lead the series, 26-4-1.
 
- Lincoln's last win in the series came in 1973, when the Blue Tigers shut out the Bulldogs in Kirksville, 21-0.
 
- The Blue Tigers are seeking their first road win since a 27-15 victory over Lane in Jackson, Tenn. at the beginning of the 2025 season.
 
- It would also be LU's first league road win since a 23-14 victory in Liberty, Mo. over William Jewell in 2018.
 
- A victory would give Lincoln multiple conference wins in a season for the first time since 2018, when LU earned GLVC wins over Southwest Baptist and William Jewell.
 
- A win would also give LU its most wins in a season since going 3-8 in 2018.
 
- If the Blue Tigers win, they will also reach their highest conference win total since going 2-5 in league play in 2018, the last season LU was an associate member of the GLVC before returning to the MIAA.
 
- The Blue Tigers enter this weekend with an all-time record of 266-520-25.
 
- Moses Harper was named the head coach of the Lincoln football team in 2024. He is in his third season leading the Blue Tigers and has an overall and program record of 5-24 entering this week.
 
- Lincoln, which was a full member of the MIAA for 26 years (overall), joined the GLVC as a full member in 2024. The Blue Tigers, who were an associate member of the GLVC from 2014-18, have played in five different leagues in their 95-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 95th 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 - Antwon McKay, Jr. has completed 85 passes for 1,200 yards and 11 touchdowns this year, and he has also rushed for 235 yards and two scores. McKay is averaging 3.6 yards per carry and 171.4 passing yards per game. The leading rusher is Kantrell Jordan with 347 yards on 73 attempts, an average of 4.8 yards per carry. Jordan has a team-high five rushing touchdowns, and Leonard Butler IV, who also has a touchdown run, has 175 rushing yards on the season.
 
Shakim Atkinson, Jr. has caught 19 passes for 289 yards while Khylin Arnett has 14 receptions for a team-high 290 yards. Ron Lunz has caught four TD passes and tallied 15 total receptions. The other LU player with a touchdown grab is Jordyn Robinson-Ugwuh. As LU's other QB, Kenny Rosenthal has both a passing and a rushing touchdown.
 
DEFENSE - TJ Kelly is one of the top defenders in the GLVC,leading Lincoln with 51 total tackles and 9.5 tackles for loss. Mark Gorbatenko has 5.5 sacks and 8.5 tackles for loss as well as 45 total tackles. The two players have combined for five forced fumbles, three recoveries, two broken-up passes and 12 quarterback hurries.
 
Scotty Dobbins has 35 tackles and Justin Spears has 27 to go with four broken up passes. Justin Hollingsworth has made 31 takedowns, Keshun Archie has broken up three passes and totaled 27 tackles, and Julius Lowery also has 27 tackles to go with a sack and a blocked kick. Dempsey Spears and Isaiah Franklin have each intercepted passes and Christian Harris has blocked two kicks.
 
SPECIAL TEAMS - Antwone Gooden and Jayce Laughter split the punting duties for Lincoln, with Gooden averaging 40.1 yards with a long of 75. Laughter has averaged 35.2 yards on punts, and the pair have combined to pin opponents inside their own 20 on five occasions. Laughter averages 61.8 yards on kickoffs with 17 touchbacks.
 
TJ Kelly had a 46-yard punt return for a touchdown against Quincy. Christian Harris averages 15.0 yards on punt returns while Kalvin Moua and Kymani Clark also have returned punts. DJ Hicks is averaging 17.3 yards on kickoff returns.
 
TRUMAN STATE AT A GLANCE
Madden Irving leads Truman State's ground attack with 907 yards and 10 touchdowns, averaging 113.4 yards per game and 6.5 yards per carry. As a team, TSU averages 186.3 rushing yards per contest, with quarterback Dylan Hair rushing for 4.8 yards per attempt. Hair has thrown for 1,536 yards and 14 touchdowns, averaging 192 yards through the air per contest. Jackson Overton has been his top target with 24 grabs for 277 yards. Irving, meanwhile, has 12 catches, three of which have gone for touchdowns. Kel Battle is second on the team with 13 receptions and Jalen Kent has caught 11 passes. Vance Herring, Luke Allen and Nathan Ryan each have two touchdown catches.
 
The Bulldogs have made 60 total tackles for loss in 2026, including 18 sacks. Alex Medina, who has 32 tackles, is leading TSU with 8.5 tackles for loss while the top sacker is Tucker McDowell with 3.5. Bryant Pool, who has 6.5 TFL, has 60 overall tackles, and Jack Weltha, who has made 6.0 tackles for loss, leads the team with 66 overall takedowns. Idrique Carmichael has broken up seven pass attempts and Dalton Brown has blocked a kick. Logan Montoya has 6.5 tackles for loss and Alijah Jackman is next with 4.5.
 
Diego Perez is 8-for-11 on field goal tries with a long of 43 yards while Mason Gessert averages 36.4 yards on punts with 13 resulting in a fair catch. On kickoffs, Perez has had 14 result in touchbacks, but five that have gone out of bounds. Luke Allen is averaging 29.1 yards on returning kickoffs.
 
THE COACHES
Moses Harper was named the head coach of the Blue Tigers in 2024 and is in his third season leading the LU football program. In 2025, Harper led Lincoln to its best start to a season since 1972. 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.
 
Kellen Nesbitt was named the 2025 GLVC Coach of the Year, joining his father, Greg, as the only Bulldogs to win that award. Last season, Nesbitt led Truman State to a 7-1 mark in GLVC play and the program's first berth in the NCAA playoffs since 1994. Nesbitt, who is in his third year as the coach at Truman State, has led the Bulldogs to 20 victories.
 
THEY'RE SPECIAL:  Lincoln's special teams have lived up to that first word, with the Blue Tigers in the top-25 in the country in four statistics. Lincoln is fourth nationally in kicks blocked (six) and fifth in punts blocked (three). LU has not allowed a punt to be blocked and is tied for the national lead in that category. The Blue Tigers also rank 19th in the country in punt returns, averaging 13.3 yards.
 
TJ TO THE HOUSE:  TJ Kelly scored a touchdown on his only punt return attempt of the season and is one of just two GLVC players who can claim that feat in 2026. Kelly has been a force on defense with 7.3 tackles per game, the 13th-most by a defender in the GLVC. He averages 1.4 tackles for loss, the 18th-most in NCAA Division II.
 
ON THE MARK:  Mark Gorbatenko's pass rush has caused problems for opposing teams, leading to three recovered fumbles, making him one of only 12 Division II players with that many in 2026. He is tied for the national lead in that stat and is fourth in the country with four forces. With 5.5 sacks, Gorbatenko leads the GLVC and is 13th in NCAA Division II, and he's also 30th nationally in tackles for loss (1.2 per game).
 
SACK MASTERS:  Lincoln's defense has sacked the quarterback 18 times in 2026, an average of 2.6 per game that ranks 32nd in NCAA Division II. LU is also ranked high in tackles for loss, as Lincoln's 6.6 tackles for loss per contest rate second in the GLVC and rank 39th nationally. The Blue Tigers do a good job of protecting their own quarterback, allowing 1.1 sacks per game, the third-fewest in the GLVC and the 32nd-fewest in the country.
 
OTHER NATIONAL NOTES: Among the other stats in which Lincoln excels is passing yards per completion, as LU's 14.1 yards per catch ranks 29th in Division II. LU owns DII's 41st-best red zone defense (.735) and the Blue Tigers are 43rd in fumble recoveries (six). Lincoln is also 71st in DII and fifth in the GLVC in rushing offense (154.1).
 
HOLDING ON: Lincoln has guarded the ball well, with just four fumbles lost in 2026. That total ranks second in the GLVC and 37th in NCAA Division II. The Blue Tigers rank third in the GLVC, and 65th in the country, in turnovers lost (11).
 
YES THREE, NO FOUR:  Lincoln is one of the top teams in the GLVC when it comes to converting third downs, as the Blue Tigers are third in the conference with a success rate of .450 that also ranks 34th nationally. LU also has been stout defensively on fourth down, with opponents converting at a rate of just .400. That percentage is the third-lowest in the GLVC as well as the 38th-best in DII. On the opposite sides of the ball, LU allows opponents to convert on third downs at a .471 clip, and picks up fourth downs with a success rate of (.385).
 
TICKETS:  Like in the past three 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 2026 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 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 2026. All six of LU's home games can be heard live on 88.9 FM KJLU. Those not in the Jefferson City area can also listen to the games online via KJLU's website, http://radio.securenetsystems.net/v5/KJLU.
 
...AND ONLINE:  Every Lincoln game in 2026 will stream online on the GLVC Sports Network at https://www.glvcsn.com/lincolnbluetigers. The home games will include a simulcast of the KJLU broadcast, while the 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 remains on the road to play Missouri S&T in Rolla, Mo. next Saturday (Nov. 7) in a 1:00 p.m. CST contest.