Complete Game Notes
Game 4: Upper Iowa (1-2, 0-0 GLVC) at Lincoln (1-2, 0-1 GLVC)
Date/Time: Saturday, Sept. 26 - 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: Upper Iowa leads, 2-0
 
THE KICKOFF 
The Lincoln football team is back in Jefferson City to host its annual Homecoming game this week, as the Blue Tigers play Upper Iowa at Dwight T. Reed Stadium on Saturday (Sept. 26) at 2:00 p.m. CDT. This is the earliest that the Blue Tigers have celebrated Homecoming since 2017, when Lincoln played Truman State on Sept. 23.
 
The Blue Tigers opened the season with a 27-11 win over Central Methodist, but have suffered a pair of close losses over the past two weeks. The Blue Tigers fell at home to Langston, 19-14, on Sept. 12 before coming up just short, 34-27, at Quincy last Saturday (Sept. 19). Lincoln is 1-2 on the season and 0-1 in GLVC play.
 
This is the first league game of the year for Upper Iowa, which is also 1-2 on the season. Upper Iowa opened its season with a 30-13 home victory over Jamestown, but lost close road games to Missouri Southern (21-19) & Michigan Tech (33-32).
 
QUICK HITS 
- The relatively new series between Lincoln and Upper Iowa dates back to 2024. UIU leads the series, 2-0.
 
- The Peacocks beat the Blue Tigers last season, 31-10, in Fayette, Iowa.
 
- Lincoln is seeking its first Homecoming victory since 2024, when the Blue Tigers beat Lincoln (CA), 40-14, for the first victory in Moses Harper's tenure as head coach.
 
- A Blue Tiger win would be the first for Lincoln against a conference opponent since Oct. 19, 2019, when LU beat Northeastern State, 27-9, as a member of the MIAA.
 
- 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 27-11 victory against Central Methodist in Reed Stadium on Aug. 29.
 
- A win for the Blue Tigers would also be their first against a GLVC opponent since 2018, when Lincoln won in Liberty, Mo. against William Jewell, 23-14. That was the last season LU played as an associate member of the league.
 
- The Blue Tigers enter this weekend with an all-time record of 265-517-25.
 
- 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 4-21 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 39 passes for 514 yards and three touchdowns this year, and he has also rushed for 114 yards and a score. McKay is averaging 4.4 yards per carry and 171.3 passing yards per game. The leading rusher is Kantrell Jordan with 233 yards on 36 attempts, an average of 6.5 yards per carry. Jordan has a team-high four rushing touchdowns, and Leonard Butler IV, who also has a touchdown run, had 130 rushing yards on the season.
 
Shakim Atkinson, Jr. has caught nine passes for 143 yards while Ron Lunz is next with seven grabs for 113 yards. Both players have caught touchdown passes, as has Jordyn Robinson-Ugwuh, who has three receptions. Gage Bohannon additionally has caught seven passes.
 
DEFENSE - TJ Kelly is one of the top defenders in the GLVC through the first month of the season, as he leads Lincoln with 24 total tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks. He also has forced a fumble and returned a punt for a touchdown. Next on the tackling list is Scotty Dobbins with 15, and Mark Gorbatenko, who has 1.5 sacks, has 13 takedowns and 2.5 tackles for loss.
 
Dempsey Spears also has 15 total tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss as well as an interception. Justin Spears is next with 11 tackles while Isaiah Franklin has forced and recovered a fumble. As a team, the Blue Tigers have been credited with 17 hurries, 11 broken up passes and four blocked kicks. One of those blocks belongs to Christian Harris, who has six tackles to go with a pair of pass break-ups.
 
SPECIAL TEAMS - Antwone Gooden and Jayce Laughter split the punting duties for Lincoln, with Gooden averaging 42.9 yards with a long of 75. Laughter has averaged 37 yards on punts, and the pair have combined to pin opponents inside their own 20 on three occasions. Laughter averages 64.5 yards on kickoffs with eight touchbacks.
 
TJ Kelly had a 46-yard punt return for a touchdown against Quincy. Christian Harris averages 13.0 yards on punt returns while Kalvin Moua and Kymani Clark also have punt returns. DJ Hicks is averaging 19.6 yards on kickoff returns.
 
UPPER IOWA AT A GLANCE
Zamar Wise has thrown for 511 yards and four scores, and he is also Upper Iowa's leading rusher 339 yards and three touchdowns on 57 carries. Jayden Gordon is next on the rushing chart with 64 yards, and he, Ronald Wilson, Jr. and Damon Head, Jr. each have a rushing touchdown. LJ Nyenow, Jr. has caught 10 passes for 189 yards and two touchdowns, all of which are team-highs. Wilson, who has 109 receiving yards, and Merv Amazan have also caught touchdown passes this season.
 
The Peacocks are strong against the pass, with 15 break-ups and three interceptions on the season. Aaron King and Nevan Foss have each broken up three passes while Dominic Salibi leads UIU with four broken up passes. The top tackler is Braylon Kammrad with 18 total and 12 solo takedowns.
 
Demontay Mack, who has 14 tackles on the season, and Jalen Hodo, who has 12, have each made three tackles for loss, with Hodo and Daniel Robinson each tallying one sack. Robinson also has 12 tackles. Michael Mulherin is second on the team with 17 takedowns. Hodo, Salibi and Christian Lassiter each have an interception.
 
Nathan Behne handles all the kicking duties for Upper Iowa, and he is averaging 35.3 yards on punts with three pinning opponents inside the 20. He is 5-for-8 on field goal attempts with a long of 43, but two of those misses were blocked. He also averages 62.5 yards on kickoffs. As a team, the Peacocks average 18.7 yards on kick returns.
 
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.
 
Jason Hoskins has been on the Upper Iowa coaching staff since 2019, serving as the head coach for last six seasons. Hoskins led UIU to seven victories in 2024, its most ever as an NCAA Division II program. Hoskins has coached 24 total All-GLVC first team and second team selections, with Nathan Behne being named the 2025 GLVC Special Teams Player of the Year.
 
HIS GAIN IS THEIR LOSS:  No player in NCAA Division II has more tackles for loss than Lincoln's TJ Kelly, who is leading the nation with 2.5 per game after recording four against Quincy. Kelly is eighth in the GLVC in total tackles per game (8.0) and third in the league in solo takedowns (4.7), with the latter average ranking 59th in the nation.
 
TO THE HOUSE:  Only 22 players in Division II have a punt return touchdown in 2026, and one of them is a Blue Tiger. TJ Kelly returned a punt 46 yards for a score against Quincy, giving Lincoln the only touchdown on a punt return in the GLVC so far this season.
 
KANT STOP ME NOW:  Kantrell Jordan has four touchdowns on the season, making him one of the top running backs in the GLVC. Jordan is second in the league in both total points per game and points off touchdowns per contest (8.0), and his four scores rank as the 26th-most in the country. Jordan additionally ranks sixth in the conference in both total rushing yards (233) and rushing yards per contest (77.7), and his four total touchdowns are the 45th-most in Division II.
 
HOLDING ON:  Through their first three games of 2026, the Blue Tigers have done an excellent job of holding onto the ball. Lincoln has only turned the ball over three times, the fewest by any team in the GLVC as well as the 28th-least in the country. The LU defense has forced four turnovers, the fourth-most of any league program.
 
BLOCK PARTY: Lincoln has blocked four kicks this season, tied with Michigan Tech for the most by any NCAA Division II team. Four different Blue Tigers have blocked a kick, and their work has helped Lincoln rank fifth in the nation in red zone defense (.444).
 
OTHER NATIONAL NOTES: The Blue Tigers have NCAA Division II's 33rd-best rushing attack, averaging 204.0 yards per game. The offensive line has also excelled at pass protections, as Lincoln is ranked 15th nationally in sacks allowed with only 0.7 per contest. The Blue Tigers average seven TFLs, per game, the 31st-most of any DII progam. LU's defense has only allowed 53 first downs, the 35th-fewest in the country.
 
TOP-THIRD:  Lincoln has been one of the GLVC's best teams on third downs on both sides of the ball. The Blue Tigers have allowed opponents to reach the first down marker just 13 times on 38 attempts for a percentage of .342 that ranks fourth in the GLVC. It is also the 56th-best mark in NCAA Division II. LU is even sharper when its offense faces a third down situation, with the Blue Tigers converting 20 of their 44 opportunities into first downs. Lincoln is ranked third in the GLVC with a success rate of .455 that also ranks 37th nationally.
 
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 is back on the road next Saturday (Oct. 3), as the Blue Tigers travel to Bolivar, Mo. to play Southwest Baptist at 1:00 p.m. CDT.