Complete Game Notes
Game 1: Central Methodist (0-0) at Lincoln (0-0)
Date/Time: Saturday, Aug. 29 - 6:30 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 | 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 
The Lincoln football team kicks off its 2026 season on Saturday (Aug. 29) when the Blue Tigers host Central Methodist at 6:30 p.m. CDT in Dwight T. Reed Stadium. This will be the first-ever contest between LU and CMU. Saturday also marks the start of the 95th overall season of LU football.
 
Lincoln got its 2025 season off to a fast 2-0 start, including winning its season opener at home, 55-6, against Lincoln University of California. The Blue Tigers will try to repeat that feat in 2026, as LU's first two games (this weekend and on Sept. 12 against Langston) will be played in the friendly confines of Dwight T. Reed Stadium.
 
Central Methodist, an NAIA school that is part of the Heart of America Athletic Conference, went 3-8 last season. In addition to being the first time Lincoln has played the Eagles, this game also will mark the first time head coach Moses Harper, a 2010 CMU grad, coaches against his alma mater.
 
QUICK HITS 
- Despite being located just 34 miles from one another, Lincoln and Central Methodist will compete in football for the first time on Saturday evening.
 
- The Blue Tigers went 2-1 against non-conference teams in 2025.
 
- Lincoln kicked off the 2025 season with a 55-6 win over Lincoln (CA). On Saturday, the Blue Tigers will attempt to win season-openers in consecutive years for the first time since beating Morningside (41-0) and Fort Hays State (21-13) in 1979 and 1980, respectively.
 
- A win would also mark the first time the Lincoln has won consecutive season openers at home since 1971-72, when the Blue Tigers respectively beat Bemidji State and Langston in Dwight T. Reed Stadium.
 
- After Saturday's game, Lincoln will have the first of two BYE weeks on its schedule, with LU's next schedule game set for Sept. 12. The Blue Tigers will also be idle on Oct. 10.
 
- Saturday's game theme is Bleed Blue. Fans are invited to show their support for the Lincoln football program by dressing in blue attire and cheering loudly in the stands.
 
- The Blue Tigers enter this weekend with an all-time record of 264-515-25.
 
- 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 3-19 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 - Lincoln will have a brand new person under center, as Antwon McKay, Jr., a transfer from Division I Western Illinois, is likely to get the start on Saturday. Among his targets is one of the best receivers in the GLVC, Marcus Harris, who earned all-league first team honors in 2025 after a season with 37 receptions for 791 yards and five scores. Travis Reeves, Jr. is the other top-returning receiver with four grabs and a touchdown in 2025.
Jordyn Robinson-Ugwuh, who played in all 11 games in 2024, is also back after missing last year with an injury.
 
Kantrell Jordan averaged 3.1 yards per carry in a situational role at running back last season, and this year joins Leonard Butler IV as Lincoln's top rushers. Shaun Williams, Micah Williams, J'lyn Burns, Sebastian Germain and Dylaan Richmond return as veteran offensive linemen.
 
DEFENSE - Michael Allen returns in 2026 hoping to follow up on a big sophomore campaign where he made 34 tackles, including six for a loss, and 1.5 sacks. Isaiah Franklin intercepted two passes and broke up a third while making 29 total tackles, and Justin Hollingsworth had 23 takedowns to go with a blocked kick. Christian Harris, who also had a pick in 2025, is among LU's other projected starters on the defense.
 
The Blue Tiger defense will also feature transfers like Mark Gorbatenko, who started his career at Division I Chicago and came to LU as a graduate player. Scotty Dobbins, who joined Lincoln from Arkansas Tech, and Dempsey Spears, a Sul Ross State transfer, round out the starters on the line. Jeremiah Wright, who transferred from Chowan, will start in the secondary.
 
SPECIAL TEAMS - Lincoln's secondary will also have a whole new look, though one of those faces may be familiar to Blue Tiger soccer fans. Antwone Gooden, a goalkeeper on the men's soccer team, will serve as Lincoln's punter. Jayce Laughter joins the team as the place kicker while Kalvin Moua and DJ Hicks are slated to handle the kick and punt return duties. Julius Lowery, a Jefferson City native, is the long snapper and quarterback Tyson Bradden is the holder.
 
CENTRAL METHODIST AT A GLANCE
The Eagles used two quarterbacks last season, Jordan Gile (943 yards, 11 touchdowns, four interceptions) and AJ Donovan (865 yards, six touchdowns, six interceptions), and both players could see time on the field on Saturday. Darius Shakor George is the top-returning running back after gaining 208 yards on 59 carries; he and Kason Clark, who averaged 2.3 yards per carry a year ago, are the two players likely to carry the ball this weekend. Dakota Troost and Elijah Owens are the most prominent receivers returning from last year's squad, as each player caught a pair of touchdown passes.
 
Standout Treyvion Hourel, Jr., who had 114 total tackles, 16.5 tackles for loss, two interceptions, a sack and a pair of forced fumbles in 2025, returns to lead the CMU defense this season. Another defender to keep an eye on is Ashton Fowler, who led the Eagles with three interceptions and had 37 tackles overall last season. Derrick Kelley, Jr. had two picks and seven break-ups to go with 2.5 tackles for loss. Kamarrion Ferguson, meanwhile, broke up 11 passes and made 27 tackles. Central Methodist enjoyed a lot of success defending the pass last season, with 15 picks and 61 breakups. Two of those interceptions were by Malakhi Edwards, who also recorded 19 tackles.
 
Cristobal Delgado made 10 of his 18 field goal attempts in 2025 with a long of 42 yards. He also averaged 34.6 yards on punts with 22 pinning opponents inside the 20, but Anthony Schembri will most likely handle the punting duties on Saturday.
 
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.
 
Dave Brown is beginning his fourth season as the head coach at Central Methodist. Over the past three years, Brown has coached 12 all-conference selections and one Associated Press NAIA All-American. Brown previously was the offensive coordinator for five years, including in 2019, when the Griffons averaged 41.5 points per game and won the Live United Bowl.
 
IN GOOD HANDS:  Marcus Harris had a fantastic 2025 season and was rewarded for his efforts with a spot on the All-GLVC first team. Harris led LU and finished fourth in the league in total receiving yards (791) and receiving yards per game (71.9). Harris ranked 38th and 41st in NCAA Division II in those respective categories. He caught 37 total passes, scored five touchdowns and averaged an impressive 21.4 yards per catch. Harris also finished the season ranked 14th in the league in all-purpose yards per game (72.8).
 
HOME COOKING:  Six of Lincoln's 10 games this year will be played at Dwight T. Reed Stadium, a number that includes each of LU's first two games. The Blue Tigers have just one road game in each of the months of September and November, and also have two BYE weeks this season. Even when the Blue Tigers go on the road, they won't have to go too far; three opponents are located in Missouri while the fourth, Quincy, is just across the border in Illinois.
 
HBCU RIVALRY:  On Sept. 12, Lincoln renews a long-standing rivalry with Langston, another HBCU. The two teams will meet in Jefferson City for the 65th game in a series that dates back to 1924, making Langston one of the oldest rivals for the Blue Tigers. On Sept. 11 there will be a Battle of the Bands before the football game on the 12th, which marks the first meeting in the series since 2017.
 
BET ON BLUE:  The Blue Tiger Athletics Club will hold their annual Casino Night fundraiser on Oct. 24 at 5:30 p.m. CT. The event, which features a meal and gaming, will be held this year at the new Health & Security Sciences building, located at 705 E. Dunklin St. Every dollar raised at the event goes to support LU student-athletes through equipment purchases, scholarships, and facility maintenance.
 
COMING HOME: Blue Tiger fans should make their plans for Lincoln's annual Homecoming Week, which will take place from Sept. 20 through Sept. 26. Highlighting the final day of the week is Lincoln's football game against Upper Iowa, which will kick off at 2:00 p.m. CDT. For a complete list of Homecoming activities, visit www.lincolnu.edu/Homecoming.
 
THE LINCOLN LOCOMOTIVE:  Since he first stepped foot on Lincoln campus 75 years ago, Leo "The Lincoln Locomotive" Lewis has been a big part of the legacy of LU football. To commemorate the anniversary of Lewis, who is in multiple halls of fame, his family will hold a special presentation in the Scruggs Ballroom on Friday, Sept. 11 starting at 6:30pm. Artifacts from Lewis' time at Lincoln as a player and as a coach, as well as from his years in the Canadian Football League, will be on display, and everyone is invited to attend.
 
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 will be back at Dwight T. Reed on Sept. 12 to host Langston in a battle between HBCUs at 6:00 p.m. CDT.