KANSAS CITY, Mo. - In a football game where little defense was played, the Lincoln Blue Tigers had a bit more offense and it translated into a big win.
The Blue Tigers racked up 600 yards of total offense while upsetting Football Bowl Subdivision foe Grambling State by a 47-34 score Saturday in the Missouri Classic held at Arrowhead Stadium.
Grambling, playing its first game since firing head coach Doug Williams, racked up 515 yards of offense of its own. But the Tigers lost the turnover battle 2-0 and also gave up four Blue Tiger touchdowns of 40 yards or more, including a 100-yard kickoff return by Morris Henderson.
The Blue Tigers played a great first quarter, jumping out to a 16-0 lead.
After Andrew Fishel got the scoring started with a 40-yard field goal at the 12:33 mark, Henderson scored the first of his three touchdowns on a 41-yard run with 4:55 left in the period.
Continuing the big-play trend, Lincoln's Percy Turner scored on a 51-yard run with :23 left in the first.
After a Grambling touchdown with 7:26 left in the first half, it took Henderson just 14 seconds to return the ensuing kickoff the length of the field for the score.
Grambling got one other score in the quarter to close the gap to 23-14 at halftime.
But Henderson was back at it to start the second half, scoring on a 44-yard run at the 12:52 mark of the third quarter.
Following a score by the Tigers, the Blue Tigers answered with a 11-yard run by quarterback Jacob Morris at the 7:28 mark. The Blue Tigers took a 37-21 lead into the fourth quarter.
The Blue Tigers made it 44-21 with 12:41 left on a 13-yard pass from Morris to Khirey Draine.
After a Grambling touchdown, Fishel kicked a 30-yard field goal with 6:12 left to finish the scoring for Lincoln.
Grambling got the game's final score with :10 left.
Henderson ended up with a game-high 137 yards on 11 carries. Morris completed 18-of-36 passes for 280 yards, with his favorite target being Draine, who caught seven balls for 74 yards.
Grambling falls to 0-3 on the season, while Lincoln improves to 1-1. The Blue Tigers return to action Saturday at Missouri Southern in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association Game of the Week.
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Game stats:
http://www.lubluetigers.com/custompages/2013%20Football/LiveStats/xlive.htm
Earlier coverage by The AP, posted at 9:15 p.m.:
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - Morris Henderson hurt Grambling State as a rusher, receiver and returner, producing 325 all-purpose yards as Lincoln defeated Grambling State 47-34 on Saturday night in the Missouri Classic at Arrowhead Stadium.
Lincoln (1-1) earned its first victory of the season, topping Grambling State (0-3) in the second-ever meeting between the two schools. It was the first game for Grambling interim head coach George Ragsdale.
Lincoln jumped to an early 16-0 lead in the first quarter, thanks in part to a 41-yard touchdown run by Henderson and a 51-yard run for a score from Percy Turner.
Henderson's 100-yard kick return for a touchdown in the second quarter gave Lincoln a double-digit lead it would keep for the remainder of the game.
Henderson rushed for 137 yards and 2 touchdowns and caught three passes for 74 yards.
Jestin Kelly had 138 yards rushing and two touchdowns to lead Grambling State.