For a game that didn't count, there was plenty riding on the final minute of the Lincoln Spring Game on Saturday at Dwight T. Reed Stadium.
OK, it was just bragging rights. But the score was tied at 40, and the Blue Tigers' offense faced fourth-and-3 on the defense's 21-yard line. With a first down, the offense wins. With a fourth-down stop, the defense wins.
Hosea Franklin took the handoff, but he was met at the line of scrimmage and tackled by Thomas Burton and Garen McKinney for no gain with 19 seconds remaining. With the turnover on downs, the Lincoln defense overcame an early 10-point deficit to beat the offense 43-40.
"One of the big things they've been doing all spring is they've been competing," Lincoln coach Steven Smith said as his Blue Tigers wrapped up the spring season. " They put themselves in great positions to get done what they needed to get done. I was proud of both sides."
The offense moved the chains frequently in the first half, totalling 11 first downs in the opening 30 minutes. Each first down added two points for the offense on the scoreboard.
Chancellor Johnson, a 6-foot-6 junior transfer from Albany State, played quarterback in the first half for the Blue Tigers. In addition to making a couple of early first-down completions, Johnson rushed for 69 yards on eight carries, including a fake handoff that led to a 34-yard gain before the defense finally caught him.
"Chancellor has been a part of winning teams and had a lot of success," Smith said.
Henry Ogala, Lincoln's starting quarterback during the 2018 season, played the second half. Ogala completed 7-of-14 passes for 76 yards, and he accounted for the offense's only touchdown, a 2-yard pass to Ezekial Lang on the first play of the fourth quarter.
"Henry has played better," Smith said. "Right now, they're competing for the (starting) spot."
Also highlighting Lincoln's offense was freshman running back TJ Hicks, who had 10 carries for 78 yards, including a 28-yard run.
The defense gathered its points by way of sacks - six total, worth one point each - and by punts or turnovers on downs. The offense punted eight times, worth two points each for the defense, and the three turnovers on downs added nine points to the defense's score.
The defense also came away with two takeaways, as Ja'Quan Mason and Michael Smith III each recovered a fumble in the second half, for 12 more points.
"They came up and blitzed," Smith said. "We have a run-blitz defense that we use, and it was good to see that. We have to be able to sustain our run game with that run-blitz defense."
Down 42-40, the offense came back on the field to try for a first down to tie the game. However, Smith III came up with a sack on the first play of the drive, increasing the defense's lead to three points.
On the game's final play, Cody Alexander - a 2017 Blair Oaks graduate - made a hard hit on TJ Hicks to break up a pass. Alexander played for the Blue Tigers in the fall of 2017, then took the 2018 season off before returning to the team this spring.
"We've got to hold onto the ball, but that was a good job by Cody, coming up and making the big hit," Smith said.
After the scrimmage, the referees spent five minutes with players, going over new rules and other areas that will be an extra point of emphasis during games this fall.
"That's real big, because we have to be successful," Smith said. "We cannot put ourselves in a position where we're getting flags here and there."
In 2019, Lincoln football will return to the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association. The Blue Tigers' first game of the season is Thursday, Sept. 5, at Washburn.
Lincoln's home opener is Thursday, Sept. 12, against Missouri Southern.
"We've got to be mentally strong," Smith said. "Physically, we got it done and we showed that last year we can be physically competitive. Now we've got to be mentally competitive. We have to put them both together."