While they are stuck on two wins through the first eight games of the season, the Lincoln Blue Tigers still have something to play for.
But they will have to finish strong in order to accomplish their remaining goals.
It starts today when Lincoln travels 1,948 miles to take on Central Washington at 3 p.m. in a non-conference game in Ellensburg, Wash.
"We still have some goals to attain," Lincoln head coach Mike Jones said Thursday. "We still have the things that we can accomplish. We're trying to stay positive in what we're doing, and hopefully we can finish out the season strong."
A victory against the Wildcats (4-4, 3-2 Great Northwest Athletic Conference) would give Lincoln (2-6, 1-5 Great Lakes Valley Conference) its first true road win since beating Haskell in 2008.
"A win would be big," Jones said. "We still haven't had a win on the road in a very long time. We're still looking for that first one. That's still one of our goals."
The trek to Ellensburg will be the longest road trip in Lincoln history. Jones believes it will be a good opportunity for his players and could be used a recruiting tactic in years to come.
"We thought it would be a good opportunity when we're recruiting to say that we had the opportunity for our players to fly to a game," he said. "We've got about 10 guys that have never flown before. It's going to be a first for a lot of our guys."
The Blue Tigers are trying to rebound after suffering a 52-14 road loss to GLVC leader Indianapolis. The Greyhounds held Lincoln to a season-low 228 yards of total offense, though senior running back Morris Henderson had a strong day with 141 yards rushing on 16 carries.
"It was one of those game where everything went right for them and nothing went right for us," Jones said. "We didn't execute, we didn't translate what we worked on in practice.
"You've got the 24-hour rule, whether you win big or lose big. We've moved on. We just have to learn from our mistakes."
The Blue Tigers know it won't be easy to get their third win of the season against the Wildcats, who are coming off a 38-20 loss to Humboldt State.
Lincoln and Central Washington traded film from four games this season, so the teams know a little about each other.
"It's going to be a challenge," Jones said. "We're flying that far to play a game against a team like Central Washington, who we've never played before. It's going to be a different style of football than we're used to seeing, so it's going to be interesting."
The Wildcats rely heavily on their passing game, but they have three different running backs that have ran for at least 200 yards this season. Senior quarterback Jake Nelson is 170-of-284 with 10 interceptions and 16 touchdowns to lead the offensive attack.
Jordan Todd has compiled 498 yards rushing on 130 carries, while Ishmael Stinson has gained 222 yards on the ground on 46 carries.
"The first thing is, we have to tackle," Jones said. "Our tackling hasn't been as sharp as we would like it to be the last couple weeks, and we have to play assignment football."
Defensively, Central Washington is ranked 15th nationally in NCAA Division II with 15 interceptions this season. Putting the pressure on opposing quarterbacks has led to success in that department for the Wildcats.
Tovar Sanchez has posted 18 tackles for a loss, the third most by any player in Division II, and has compiled 91/2 sacks. J.B. Torsy has four sacks, while James Fakkema and Mitch Haldane each have 41/2.
Jones hopes the Blue Tigers can do a better job of establishing the running game on first down against Central Washington's aggressive defense.
"That sets up everything else," he said. "We also had some dropped passes last week that we don't typically have. Hopefully we'll get back to catching the ball more consistently."
Notes: Owen Jordan will get his eighth start this season for the Blue Tigers after going 8-of-21 for 34 yards and one interception. On the season, Jordan is 111-of-199 with eight touchdowns and six picks. ... Jake Morris, who entered the season has the starting quarterback, is expected to get a medical redshirt after suffering a neck injury in Week 1.
Check @GoBlueTigers on Twitter for updates posted during Saturday's game.