Complete Game Notes
Game 2: Langston (0-1) at Lincoln (1-0)
Date/Time: Saturday, Sept. 12 - 6:00 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 | 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: Langston leads, 40-22-2
 
THE KICKOFF 
The Lincoln football team seeks a 2-0 start to the season on Saturday night (Sept. 12) when the Blue Tigers host Langston at 6:00 p.m. CDT. This is a battle between two longtime HBCU rivals, as the series dates back to 1924, making Langston one of Lincoln's oldest rivalries. This is the first time the teams will play since 2017, when the Lions won, 30-14.
 
The Blue Tigers opened the 2026 season with a 27-11 victory over Central Methodist in Dwight T. Reed Stadium on Aug. 29. Lincoln posted 419 yards of total offense and blocked a kick, forced a pair of fumbles and intercepted a pass while also tallying five sacks.
 
Langston opened its season last Saturday (Sept. 5) with a conference contest at Louisiana Christian. The Lions fell in that game, 70-14, and were held to 230 yards of offense.
 
QUICK HITS 
- The series between Lincoln and Langston dates all the way back to 1924. The teams have played each other 64 times, with the Lions leading the series, 40-22-2.
 
- Langston won the last meeting between the two teams, 30-14, in Oklahoma back in 2017.
 
- The last true Lincoln victory in the series came in 2015, when the Blue Tigers won in Oklahoma, 35-32. Langston last played in Jefferson City in 2016 and won, but later had to forfeit the victory for using an inelligible player.
 
- Lincoln kicked off the 2025 season with a 55-6 win over Lincoln (CA). The Blue Tigers began the 2026 season with a 27-11 win over Central Methodist, marking the first time that LU has won season-openers in consecutive years since beating Morningside (41-0) and Fort Hays State (21-13) in 1979 and 1980, respectively.
 
- The Blue Tigers have won consecutive season openers at home for the first time since 1971-72, when the Blue Tigers respectively beat Bemidji State and Langston in Dwight T. Reed Stadium.
 
- A win would give Lincoln a 2-0 start to a season for the second-straight year.
 
- The Blue Tigers enter this weekend with an all-time record of 265-515-25.
 
- 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 4-19 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 - Antwon McKay, Jr. threw for 230 yards and two touchdowns to lead Lincoln to a win against Central Methodist in its first game of the 2026 season. Shakim Atkinson, Jr. and Ron Lunz both caught touchdown passes, with Lunz leading the team with 79 receiving yards. Atkinson caught three total passes and Travis Reeves, Jr. had two receptions.
 
Kantrell Jordan rushed for 91 yards and averaged 10.1 yards per carry while scoring a touchdown in LU's season-opening victory. Leonard Butler IV also had a big day, rushing for 50 yards a scoring a touchdown while averaging 6.3 yards per carry. The Blue Tigers averaged 5.4 yards per rushing attempt, with Nicolas Johnson averaging 7.3 yards on four carries.
 
DEFENSE - TJ Kelly had a huge night in the win over Central Methodist, tallying 11 tackles, 2.5 sacks and 3.5 total tackles for loss. Dempsey Spears intercepted a pass and Mark Gorbatenk forced and recovered a fumble on a strip sack. Gorbatenko had five tackles, 2.0 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks. Julius Lowery also sacked the quarterback and made four tackles.
 
Keshun Archie broke up two passes, forced and recovered a fumble and made four takedowns in the season opener. Christian Harris blocked a kick and broke up a pass, as Lincoln broke up a total of five passes, including one by Maddox Jones. The second-leading tackler was Jeremiah Wright with seven; wright additionally had a pair of hurries. Scotty Dobbins and Spears each notched six tackles and Isaiah Franklin posted five takedowns. Justin Hollingsworth also finished with five tackles and Sebastian Rouse recorded three.
 
SPECIAL TEAMS - Antwone Gooden and Jayce Laughter split the punting duties, with Gooden averaging 49 yards with a long of 58. Laughter had an average of 46 punting yards and averaged 66.5 yards on kickoffs with four touchbacks.
 
Christian Harris returned one punt for 13 yards against Central Methodist. DJ Hicks attempted three kick returns and averaged 16 yards with a long of 22.
 
LANGSTON AT A GLANCE
Steele Wasel completed 10 passes for 132 yards with a touchdown and an interception in Langston's opener at Louisiana Christian. Brooks Kerbow attempted passes twice, completing one for seven yards and thrown an INT on the other. Janel Langley caught three passes for a team-high 73 yards and a score. Roland Vera also had three receptions and gained 20 yards. Seth Maldonado, Jax Smith, Aiden Thomas Jacoby Bellazar & True Booker finished with one grab apiece. On the ground, Charles Carter had a touchdown while Qwontrel Walker finished with eight carries for 43 yards. Bellazar averaged 6.0 yards per attempt.
 
Ramar Smith led the Lion defense with nine tackles, BJ Caesar forced a fumble to go with eight takedowns, and Ke'Maurrie Davis was next with seven total tackles. Four Lions had five tackles apiece, including Elijah Asberry, who intercepted a pass and returned it for 44 yards. The fumble recovery belonged to Amon Gill. Also tallying four takedowns were Kyveon Perkins, Kane Bowen and Kaden Neff. Asberry and Savella Greer combined for one tackle for loss.
 
Elliot Janish averaged 37.0 yards on seven punt attempts with a long of 48 yards. Raphael Villa handles kickoffs and averaged 60.3 yards while also making both of his point-after tries. Thomas led Langston's returners with seven kick returns for 132 yards, including a long of 25. Bellazar and Jalen Hollins also returned kicks for LU in its season opener.
 
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.
 
Calvin Miller is beginning his 34th year as a collegiate coach and his first as the head coach of the Lions. He was the defensive coordinator and defensive line coach the past seven years. Miller coached at major NCAA Division I schools Kentucky and Oklahoma State as well as Central Oklahoma, a Division II program. Miller has coached five players who were drafted into the NFL.
 
LEADING THE LEAGUE:  Multiple Blue Tigers are leading the GLVC through the first two weeks of the season. Ron Lunz leads the league in yards per catch (39.5) and receiving yards (79.0). With 13.0 yards on punt returns, Christian Harris is the league leader in that category. TJ Kelly is leading the conference in tackles for loss (3.5) and sacks (2.5), and Keshun Archie and Mark Gorbatenko are tied for the league-lead in fumbles forced and recovered with one of each.
 
GOING FOR TWO:  After winning 27-11 against Central Methodist in its season opener on Aug. 29, the Blue Tigers can achieve a 2-0 start to a season for the second-straight year if they beat Langston on Saturday. The last time LU began consecutive seasons 2-0 was in 1958 and 1959, as Lincoln began both campaigns with 4-0 records. A victory would also give Lincoln consecutive home wins for the first time since 2013, when the Blue Tigers ended the season with victories at Reed Stadium against Northeastern State and Southwest Baptist.
 
ON THE BLOCK:  In Lincoln's season-opening win, Christian Harris blocked a punt to help set up the Blue Tiger offense at the opposing 11-yard line. Harris is the only GLVC player who has blocked a kick during the first two weeks of the 2026 season, and Lincoln is tied for seventh in NCAA Division II in blocked kicks.
 
NATIONAL NOTES:  Lincoln leads the country in tackles for loss (11) and is seventh in defense in the red zone (.250). LU's third down defense (.222) is ranked 17th in Division II and, with only 16 first downs allowed, is 13th nationally in that statistic. LU is also 13th in the nation in receiving yards per completed pass (17.7).
 
GO TJ: Lincoln's leading defender in the opener was TJ Kelly, who made 3.5 tackles for loss, which so far has him ranked first in NCAA Division II. He had 2.5 sacks, the third-most in the country, and 11 total tackles, rating him 25th nationally.
 
OKAY, MCKAY!: Antwon McKay, Jr. averaged 17.7 yards per completion in the season-opening win and is 12th in the country in that stat. He also is third in the GLVC in passing yards per game (230) and sixth in passing efficiency (115.4).
 
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:  The Blue Tigers play on the road for the first time in 2026 next Saturday (Sept. 19) as Lincoln travels to Quincy, Ill. to play Quincy at 1:00 p.m. CDT.