Lincoln couldn't get much going offensively against the William Jewell Cardinals. When the Blue Tigers finally started moving the ball, they couldn't finish.
In Saturday afternoon's battle between a pair of teams each looking for their second win this season, William Jewell held Lincoln to 34 yards of offense in the first half and then forced two crucial turnovers in the second half to emerge with a 13-3 win at Dwight T. Reed Stadium.
"When it came down to getting the things we needed to get done, we didn't finish," Lincoln coach Steven Smith said.
The Blue Tigers had four three-and-outs to start the game and didn't record a first down until 2:25 was left in the second quarter.
The Lincoln defense did what it could to hold William Jewell, forcing the Cardinals to punt on their first two possessions.
Then William Jewell managed to break through on its next drive. The Cardinals were 3-for-3 on third-down conversions and capped the drive with a 2-yard touchdown run by Chance Nelson on third-and-goal. Dalton Dye added the extra point to give William Jewell a 7-0 lead with 1:10 left in the first quarter.
While William Jewell did not have a single three-and-out possession all game, Lincoln's defense bent but rarely broke. The Cardinals missed two field-goal attempts and held onto the ball for nearly 21 minutes in the first half to take the 7-0 lead into halftime.
"The defense played well," Smith said. "They forced a lot of third-down situations, they finished the drives, they got off the field.
"We have more veterans on defense, but we're young on offense, and it shows at times."
The Blue Tigers got to the William Jewell 20-yard line midway through the third quarter, but Drake Davidson's pass was picked off by Andrew Pence in the end zone to cut the drive short.
Terry Hunter carried the ball four times for 35 yards on Lincoln's next possession, moving the ball to the William Jewell 10-yard line. Hunter led the Blue Tigers with 11 carries for 66 yards.
"He ran the ball well," Smith said. "If we could do that all the time, that makes the game even more (competitive). That's what we have to get to, our run game being solidified every game, not just sparingly."
A false start penalty derailed Lincoln's drive, leading to a 35-yard field goal by Wolky Belancourt. Rather than tying the game, the Blue Tigers cut William Jewell's lead to 7-3 with :09 left in the third quarter.
"That's the story of this team right now," Smith said. "Every time we get going, something happens. Penalties, turnovers, something. We've got to stop it.
"We have to minimize the drive-stoppers. We only had four penalties all game, but that one was a drive-stopper in a crucial situation."
Lincoln forced a turnover on downs to get the ball back with 9:17 remaining in the game and a chance to take the lead.
Instead, Davidson's pass to Miles Drummond was bobbled and then picked off by Mason Goodell. Two plays later, Brad Strauss connected with Wyatt Miller for a 20-yard touchdown pass to extend William Jewell's lead to 13-3 with 7:05 left in the game.
The Blue Tigers advanced into Cardinal territory one final time but turned the ball over on downs at the 42-yard line with 2:07 to play.
Strauss completed 22-of-36 passes for 215 yards to lead William Jewell (2-8, 2-5 GLVC). The option quarterback also had 14 carries for 21 yards, scrambling past the first-down marker on third down three times.
"We didn't stay disciplined when we rushed the passer," Smith said.
Davidson completed 14-of-27 passes for 76 yards. Justin Korakakos was his leading receiver, hauling in six passes for 33 yards.
The Blue Tigers finished with 132 total yards, while the Cardinals had 327.
Will Cotton had a team-high 10 tackles for the Blue Tigers, with all but one coming in the first half. Edwin Durassaint added two sacks.
Lincoln (1-8, 0-6) wraps up the season next Saturday at Southwest Baptist (4-5, 3-4), with kickoff at noon. The Bearcats lost 28-12 on Saturday at Truman State.