Lincoln's rushing attack ready for GLVC opener

Lincoln Blue Tigers wide receiver Blake Tibbs pulls down a first half touchdown pass against the Lincoln (Pa.) Lions at Dwight T. Reed Stadium last Saturday evening.
Lincoln Blue Tigers wide receiver Blake Tibbs pulls down a first half touchdown pass against the Lincoln (Pa.) Lions at Dwight T. Reed Stadium last Saturday evening.

The Lincoln Blue Tigers are looking to do something they haven't done in five years: win back-to-back games.

The Blue Tigers will get that chance tonight when they open Great Lakes Valley Conference play on the road against the Quincy Hawks. Kickoff is at 6 p.m.

Lincoln coach Steven Smith already likes the improvement he saw from Week 1 to Week 2, with last Saturday's 49-19 home-opening win against Lincoln (Pa.) in the Battle of the Lincolns.

"They were disciplined in a lot of areas," Smith said. "It wasn't perfect, we've still got a lot things that we've got to correct. The one thing, more than anything, is they played dominant.

"When adversity hit, they played through adversity and continued to dominate the game."

Lincoln rushed for 265 yards in the win, surpassing the 200-yard mark for the first time since compiling 226 yards rushing in 2015 in a 42-37 loss to Quincy.

Smith said the Blue Tigers' three-headed monster in the backfield - Harold Lacy, Travis Martin and Miles Drummond - set the tone offensively.

"I think they produce a solid foundation where you have backs that come in who can run, who have speed and are powerful," Smith said. "You're going to make people have to tackle them."

Like Lincoln, Quincy also had a bounce-back win last Saturday in its home opener, beating Alderson Broaddus 50-21. The Hawks dropped their season opener 53-6 to Midwestern State, which is ranked No. 13 in NCAA Division II.

Quincy's offense is led by senior running back Chris Harris, who finished last Saturday with 157 yards rushing and three touchdowns on 18 attempts. Harris was named the GLVC Offensive Player of the Week on Monday.

Sophomore quarterback Andrew Rund has completed 26-of-42 passes for 313 yards and three touchdowns. Senior tight end Owen Schoenenberger, who was first-team All-GLVC last season, leads all receivers with 108 yards.

"They're a big gap-schemed team, they run a lot of power," Smith said. " They run play-action to their tight end, he's a big part of their game plan. The quarterback puts the ball where it needs to be. The running back runs hard.

"Defensively, we have to stay stout, plug some holes, make some great fits and cover the tight end, and I think we'll be OK."

Quincy's defense is led by junior linebacker Cody Leonard, who had 11 solo stops against Alderson Broaddus and leads the team with 18 tackles through two games.

The Hawks also return a pair of All-GLVC players in the secondary in senior cornerback Adehkeem Brown and junior linebacker T.J. Daniels. Brown had two interceptions last week.

"They have a three-man rush and a four-man rush," Smith said. "They come off the ball very effectively up front, they depend on their front seven. They blitz the quarterback a lot."

Quincy scored seven touchdowns against Alderson Broaddus, with no drive lasting longer than nine plays.

"They made a lot of plays against (Alderson Broaddus), and they made a lot of plays against Midwestern State," Smith said. "It's just the turnover ratio was different."

The Hawks did not commit a turnover last week, but had three turnovers in their loss.

Lincoln had a similar story, committing just one turnover last week - which led to a safety on the ensuing play - and lost four fumbles in Week 1 to Langston.

"We want to make sure that we do what we're supposed to do up front, defensively and offensively," Smith said. "We want to make sure our (defensive backs) are being big-time playmakers, as well as our receivers catching the ball and our running backs tucking away the ball."

Both teams lead the GLVC in terms of time of possession through two games. Quincy is averaging 35:24 of possession to lead the conference, followed by Lincoln at 34:40.

Last week, the Blue Tigers held onto the ball for 44:32, nearly three full quarters.

"We're going to have to start fast," Smith said. "We have to make them play catch-up.

"I think time of possession, what's going to come down to it is run game vs. run game, and who's going to be better."

III

Quincy leads the all-time series 2-1 against Lincoln, winning 40-14 last season at Dwight T. Reed Stadium. For the second straight week, Lincoln will face a team with a first-year head coach. Gary Bass is in his first season leading Quincy. Bass and Smith are the only two new head coaches this season in the GLVC. The Blue Tigers are seeking their first conference win since finishing the 1975 season with a victory at Central Missouri. Lincoln has scored a special teams touchdown in each of its first two games. "I can't say enough about special teams, they gave us great field position," Smith said.