Lincoln hopes to rebound from devastating loss

Lincoln was left with a bad taste after the Blue Tigers fell to Langston last week in the season opener.

Now, they're anxious to get back on track.

Lincoln will open its home and Great Lakes Valley Conference slate against a familiar foe on Saturday when the Blue Tigers host Southwest Baptist at 2 p.m.

"Both teams know each other," Lincoln head coach Mike Jones said Thursday. "Every year we play, it gets a little chatty. It's almost like a rival. Southwest Baptist - they don't like us, and we don't like them at times."

The Blue Tigers (0-1, 0-0) and Bearcats (0-1, 0-1), full members of the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association in all other sports, are both in their first year as associate, football-only members of the Great Lakes Valley Conference.

Lincoln hosted Southwest Baptist in its final MIAA game last season, beating the Bearcats 51-28 on Nov. 16.

"We want to start out fast in the GLVC," Jones said. "We let one get away last week, but this is our first league game and we want to start off and play well. We're just going to go out there and play football. Hopefully, we execute and get a chance to win."

The Blue Tigers lost the Missouri Classic by one point in Week 1, falling to Langston 49-48. Lincoln had an extra point blocked with just under two minutes left to play.

Jones thinks that loss has motivated his team leading into Week 2.

"These guys are frustrated, and that's a sign of a program growing," he said. "(Thursday) we had some scuffles in practice because guys are frustrated about losing, and that's what we want to get to.

"Now, we've got to take a step moving forward from a game like that, building on it, know the things we did bad and correct, and the things we did good, keep building on them."

Lincoln quarterback Jacob Morris turned in one of NCAA Division II's most efficient performances last week, completing 18-of-25 passes for 301 yards and four touchdowns. The senior's efficiency rating of 225.9 is currently sixth best in the country.

Khiry Draine was one of Morris' favorite targets in the opener, finishing with 101 yards receiving and three touchdowns. Bryson Winfrey caught a team-best six passes for 54 yards, while Christopher Willis had four receptions and a score.

Senior running back Morris Henderson returned a kickoff 91 yards for a touchdown. He finished with two more touchdowns and ran for 78 yards on 20 carries.

"We expect to play well on offense," Jones said. "We've got some playmakers. We're big up front. We just have to make sure we do our responsibilities. When we execute, we're pretty good, so that's what we have to do. We have to execute."

Lanston, ranked No. 23 in the NAIA at the time, finished with 468 yards of total offense to rally back from a 14-point halftime deficit.

"We gave up too many big plays," Jones said. "That's the bottom line. They hit us on a couple big plays, where we missed three or four tackles and they scored a touchdown. We've got to be sound when we line up on defense."

Southwest Baptist also dropped its season opener, which was also its first GLVC game, to William Jewell last week. The Cardinals (1-0, 1-0) returned a 90 yard kickoff for a touchdown with just over four minutes to play to hand the Bearcats a 29-22 loss.

Senior quarterback Wilie Tindal completed 28-of-58 passes for 395 yards, while throwing for two touchdowns and one interception.

Nathan Mourik had 11 catches for 219 yards to help lead Southwest Baptist, which finished with 469 yards of total offense.

Bubba Jenkins led the ground attack with 40 yards rushing on nine carries, while Jaha McCray had 30 yards on seven carries.

"They have a balanced attack," Jones said. "They want to run the ball and throw it and they do a good job. We've got to make sure we stay on the back end, do a good job in our front and get after the quarterback."

A win against the Bearcats would mark Lincoln's third straight league victory and third straight home win - something the Blue Tigers haven't done since 1972.

"It'd be a great win for the program," Jones said. "You know how long it's been. We just have to be a smarter, more disciplined team. If we do that, we should have a good chance of winning."