Lincoln gave up three first quarter touchdowns to McMurry that proved to be the difference in the Blue Tigers' fourth straight loss on Saturday at Dwight T. Reed Stadium in Jefferson City.
Lincoln gave up 472 yards of offense in a 34-14 loss to McMurry. It was the Blue Tigers final non-conference game.
The Blue Tigers went without junior running back Miles Drummond for the second straight week. Drummond was a projected starter and all signs pointed towards a return for the leading rusher.
Lincoln head coach Mike Jones revealed following the game Drummond is dealing with a strained hamstring.
Freshman Alonzo Travis was given the reins in the backfield, rushing 19 times for 68 yards.
"He brings a different dimension to us," Jones said of Drummond. "And Alonzo is still learning how to play the game."
Senior quarterback Owen Jordan completed 23-of-42 for 228 yards in his first week back from spending a full week in a hospital with a MRSA staph infection. Jordan threw an interception for a Pick-6 to get the scoring going at 10:41 in the first quarter.
The Blue Tigers (1-4) showed some flashes of success on offense, but gained only five first downs in the first half (one in the first quarter). They were ultimately out-gained by McMurry 472-332.
"We're just not transitioning from the practice field to the game field," Jones said.
Jordan rushed for a 2-yard score late in the second quarter to make it a 28-7 game headed into halftime.
Third-down efficiency proved to be a problem for the Blue Tigers. They converted just 3-of-17 times on third down.
Jones said he'd like to be in the "40 percent" range.
Senior linebacker Kareem Joyner led the defense with 12 tackles and two interceptions.
"He's playing like he's capable of playing," Jones said of Joyner. "Our defense is going to play well when our linebackers play well. That is our heart of our defense."
Jordan and the Blue Tiger offense came up with a 12-play, 99-yard drive late in the fourth quarter. Jordan tossed a 3-yard touchdown pass to junior Darius Hicks. Hicks was Jordan's main target, much like he has been all season. He caught seven passes for 76 yards with the touchdown.
Junior wide receiver caught six passes for 44 yards.
Lincoln will return to Great Lakes Valley Conference play next week with a road trip to St. Joseph's College (2-3, 1-2 GLVC).
Joyner said it's time to go back back to the drawing board.
"It's tough man. I'm a leader on this team," Joyner said. "We just got to get to the drawing board and evaluate us. I don't want to point fingers at anybody because we're a team. we just got to break it down and see where we messed up and how we can get better as a unit.
"It's hard to get over that hump, but somehow we will."