Should have, could have, would have.
That's probably what the Lincoln football program will be thinking this offseason.
The Blue Tigers ended their season with a 14-9 loss Saturday against Missouri S&T in a Great Lakes Valley Conference game in front of 525 fans at Allgood-Bailey Stadium in Rolla.
Lincoln went 2-9 overall and 1-7 in their first season as a football-only member of the GLVC - hardly the results the Blue Tigers wanted when they entered the season. They didn't achieve their goals of finishing the year with a winning record, a winning record at home and scratching out at least one road win for the first time since 2008.
They didn't even match last year's overall record of 3-8 - 2-8 in their final season as a member of the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association, a tougher league than the GLVC in the eyes of many.
While the Blue Tigers didn't achieve what they set out to accomplish, they did come close. Painfully close. Unfortunately, as the old saying goes, close only counts in horse shoes and hand grenades.
The Blue Tigers lost six games by nine points or less and four by seven points or less. The point differential vastly improved from last year when Lincoln only lost two games by seven points or less.
Despite what the numbers show, the Blue Tigers took a step in the right direction this season. They have something to build on now. They just need to figure out how to close out games.
Take the season-opener for example. The Blue Tigers scored 42 points in the first half, but suffered a 49-48 loss to Langston after Lincoln had an extra point blocked in overtime.
Fast forward to Week 4 when the Blue Tigers fell to Truman State 29-20 on the road. Lincoln turned the ball over three times - twice deep in Truman State territory - and were called for 13 penalties that resulted in a loss of 123 yards.
The following week, William Jewell was able to hold off the Blue Tigers for a 20-13 win in Liberty. On the final play of the game, Khiry Draine caught a pass from Owen Jordan at the Cardinals' 1-yard line. Time expired and Lincoln fell to 1-4 on the year.
In Week 6, the Blue Tigers committed five turnovers as St. Joseph's was able to escape with a 28-20 victory.
Three weeks later, Central Washington kicked a last-second field goal to complete a 10-point comeback in the final three minutes to beat the Blue Tigers 17-14. There were some questions regarding when the clock ran out, but Lincoln still had to make the 1,948-mile trip back to Jefferson City with their seventh loss of the season.
Then came the final game of the season. The Blue Tigers were limited to 36 yards rushing, and it didn't help when Morris Henderson, the second-leading rusher in the GLVC, was ejected with 6:17 left in the third quarter. Lincoln had 4:10 left to put one in the end zone, but the Blue Tigers went three-and-out and the Miners were able to run out the clock from there.
The season finale marked the sixth game during the 2014 campaign in which Lincoln was capable of pulling out a win.
Lincoln head coach Mike Jones said time and time again this season how two or three plays each game was the difference-maker for the Blue Tigers in these tight games.
If a couple of those plays go Lincoln's way, this season could have been very different for the Blue Tigers.
Hopefully those losses can be used as motivation for the 2015 campaign.
III
A tip of the cap is in order for the Lincoln men's basketball team and first-year head coach John Moseley after picking up its first win of the season.
After dropping their season-opener Friday night, Lincoln rebounded to claim a 64-61 win Saturday against Southwestern Oklahoma State University as part of the SBU Classic in Bolivar.
Lincoln will face some adversity this season. That's a given. But the Blue Tigers are off to a good start when it comes to responding when the going gets tough.
After winning just three games last season, Lincoln is motivated as ever to have a turnaround season, and more importantly, the Blue Tigers are buying into Moseley's new system.
III
The Lincoln women's basketball team might be more deserving of a curtain call.
After trailing by six at the half, the Blue Tigers put together a serge in the second half and went on to claim a 79-64 win Saturday against Ouachita Baptist in their season-opener.
Head coach Nicole Collier deserves credit for adding nine new players from last year's team that went 5-21. There were certainly some holes from that team, and Collier filled them.
Kate Frazier is the team's lone senior and she fulfilled that leadership role Saturday, pouring in a game-high 19 points after averaging just 2.5 last season.
The Blue Tigers have a chip on their shoulder after getting picked to finish last in the Mid-American Intercollegiate Athletics Association. Perhaps that will give Lincoln some added drive when league games start.
III
Since we're talking Lincoln basketball, it wouldn't hurt for Jefferson City and the surrounding communities to support their local team.
The men and women won't win every game, but they should be more competitive than they have been in recent years.
Besides, there's a lot of talented players in the MIAA that are worth watching.
Come watch some basketball at a reasonable price, grab a hot dog, and enjoy the atmosphere that Jason Gym has to offer.