Lincoln hosts Lane with dual-threat quarterback

It will feel like the Lincoln Blue Tigers will have seen their opponent before when they host the Lane Dragons today.

Lane boasts a dual-threat quarterback and a power running back, much like what Lincoln saw when it hosted Quincy in its Great Lakes Valley Conference opener two weeks ago.

"One of the things you have to watch out about this team is their quarterback," Lincoln interim head coach Lee Johnson said. "The things that really seem to make that team click, he does it all for them."

Lane sophomore quarterback Marcus Reynolds has completed 39-of-87 passes in four games for 418 yards and four touchdowns, but he has passed less and less each game, throwing for just 66 yards in last week's 38-7 loss to Tuskegee.

Reynolds has also carried the ball 50 times for 179 yards and another four touchdowns, resembling a similar dynamic to Quincy quarterback Robbie Kelley.

"When he gets out of the pocket, hit him hard, and try to keep him in the pocket as much as we can and collapse the pocket," Johnson said of Reynolds. " When they have to pass, keep him in the pocket, because he becomes very dangerous when he gets to the edges of the defense. He becomes a true dual-threat at that point."

Lane junior running back Marcus Holliday may not have the same build as what Lincoln saw in Quincy's Jaylan James 253-pound frame, but their numbers are similar. Holliday leads the Dragons with 67 carries for 486 yards and four touchdowns.

"If you watch him on film, some of the plays that he runs and makes big plays on, the play was designed to go to the right and he has such great vision, he breaks it back to the left-hand side and he's out the gate," Johnson said. "We have to have a great gap integrity."

Lane is averaging 26.8 points per game while allowing 23.8 points per game. The Dragons' offense has been a 2-to-1 run-to-pass ratio.

"They have a solid running game," Johnson said. "They rely on the run. They try to basically pound you into submission, and then the mobility of their quarterback will really try to stretch you out."

One area that hurt Lincoln against Quincy was the ability for the defense to get a third-down stop. Quincy converted on 9-of-17 third downs two weeks ago, but in last Saturday's 37-0 loss against Truman State, the Lincoln defense only allowed the Bulldogs to move the chains on 6-of-16 third downs.

"We've done a tremendous job of forcing guys into third-and-long," Johnson said. "Unfortunately, on third-and-long situations, we give up big plays. We have to try to find a way to curve that."

One player Lincoln's offense will have to keep an eye on is Whitney Richardson. Lane's junior defensive lineman has 25 tackles, but nearly half of them are for losses. Richardson also posted 6.5 sacks through the team's first three games.

"We're going to have to find a way to nullify him," Johnson said. "I believe we have a few things in our offense this week that will try to coax that."

Johnson said fans are going to see a different Lincoln offense today after gaining just 197 yards of total offense against Truman State.

"We're going to try to sprinkle in a few new plays," Johnson said. "Obviously, within a week, we can't just revamp the whole thing. But you're going to see some things out of us that you haven't seen before."

Kickoff is at 2 p.m. at Dwight T. Reed Stadium.

Notes: Today's meeting is the first between Lincoln (0-4) and Lane (3-1) since 2007, when Lane won 54-3. Lincoln leads the series with an 8-6 record. The only common opponent between Lincoln and Lane this season is Langston. The Blue Tigers lost to the Lions 23-13 in their season opener Sept. 3, while the Dragons won their meeting on the road 46-44 on Sept. 17.

Listen:

Lincoln Blue Tigers Football Podcast [Lane preview, Oct. 1, 2016]