It's been a long time coming.
The Lincoln Blue Tigers will attempt to pull off a win against Truman State for the first time since 1973 when they take the field at 2 p.m. today at Dwight T. Reed Stadium.
The Bulldogs return to Jefferson City for the first time since 1989. As former MIAA foes, the two Missouri institutions meet as Great Lakes Valley Conference members for the second time in as many seasons.
Last season, the Bulldogs handed the Blue Tigers a 29-20 loss in Kirksville.
"A lot of these guys don't understand the magnitude of this type of game, but hopefully they'll know from practicing and getting prepared that this is going to be a big game for us," Lincoln head coach Mike Jones said. "They've had our number and we have to figure out how to stop this streak."
College football is three weeks into the season and Lincoln (1-2) has continued last season's trend of losing close games. The Blue Tigers' two losses are by a combined seven points. Last season, five of their nine losses were lost by a touchdown or less.
Jones hopes this year's team can stop that trend before it defines them once again.
"You just got to win one," he said. "Bottom line is you can start a trend by winning one, and you can end a trend by winning one. We just got to get off the snide and go from there."
Last week's 42-37 loss to Quincy was a comeback that fell short. Jones wasn't happy with how the defense played, especially in the first half. Quincy scored 28 points in the second quarter to give them a 35-17 lead that the Blue Tigers couldn't recover from.
"We challenged them at halftime and they came out defensively and gave up only seven points," Jones said. "We came out the second half and we didn't lay down."
Lincoln did improve in penalties - they committed just six - and improved their play in the third quarter, which was another issue of the past. The two teams played to a tie at 7 in the third quarter before the Blue Tigers' 13-0 fourth quarter came just short of a GLVC win.
"We challenged them at halftime and they came out defensively and gave up only seven points," Jones said. "We have to be discipline. Each week we've done good in getting our penalties down. Five or six is where we want to be. We got to get rid of the mental mistakes in all three phases of the game. We need to be able to play hard and smart."
As for the task ahead, the Blue Tigers will need to stop a balanced Truman State team searching for its first win of the season. Picked to finish second in the GLVC this season, the 0-3 Bulldogs should have some extra fight.
"We better be prepared for anything. Truman State is a well-coached team. (Truman State head coach) Gregg Nesbitt is going to have their guys ready to play," Jones said.
The Truman State offense runs a spread offense, but also likes to run the ball. They've rushed for 338 yards and totaled 347 through the air.
Truman State quarterback Devonte Black has thrown for 269 yards, while rushing for 134 yards on 33 carries. Running back Aaron Hartfield has racked up 110 yards on the ground, but is without a touchdown. Wide receiver Joey Schenck has been the go-to man in the passing game for Black, as they've connected 13 times for 102 yards and a touchdown.
"They spread you out but still pass and run, so they still try and keep it balanced," Jones said. "We can't get over zealous about (the passing game) because they can run the ball."
When asked about recruiting battles between the two schools, Jones said: "I know we had a lot of kids that we were recruiting that went to Truman State. But as far as a rivalry or anything like that, we can't say that because we haven't beat them."
That may be step one.
"We say the same thing every week," Jones said. "We want to be 1-0 at the end of the week. We don't take anyone lightly. We have a chance to redeem ourselves."
Notes: Lincoln junior RB Miles Drummond had a light week at practice and will play today. Drummond has scored in all three games and has accumulated 276 rushing yards for the Blue Tigers. ... Freshman RB Alonzo Travis filled in for Drummond when he didn't play in the fourth quarter and gained 112 all-purpose yards. Jones hopes Drummond and Travis, along with senior running back Keith Lakey can become a "running back by committee." ... Senior QB Owen Jordan has thrown for 718 yards and six touchdowns so far this year. ... Junior LB Kareem Joyner leads the defense with 37 tackles after three weeks. He had 19 tackles in the home opener against St. Francis.
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