With a 10-point lead early in the fourth quarter, Missouri Southern coach Jeff Sims made the unlikeliest of substitutions.
The Lions' first-year coach took out Jacob Park, a former starting quarterback at Iowa State, and inserted Sean Kelly, Missouri Southern's backup quarterback who hadn't played a down this season.
Turns out, it was a perfect switch.
Kelly rushed for a game-high 126 yards - all in the fourth quarter - and scored two touchdowns, helping Missouri Southern to a 38-14 win against Lincoln on Thursday at Dwight T. Reed Stadium.
"I tip my hat to coach Sims," Lincoln interim head coach Malik Hoskins said. "He's one of the most knowledgeable coaches that I've ever come into contact with.
"That was an adjustment. What we were doing defensively, he knew he needed to put a more athletic running quarterback in the game, and that's what he did."
With Missouri Southern leading 24-14 early in the fourth quarter, Kelly took over behind center. He started off with carries of 11 and 8 yards, then followed with a 17-yard touchdown run to extend the lead to 31-14 with 9:57 to play.
The Lions were pinned near the goal line on their next possession, but Kelly answered with an 89-yard run for another touchdown with 5:55 to play, giving Missouri Southern a 24-point lead.
"Defensively, we were out of position," Hoskins said. "We've got to get that fixed. We were nowhere to be found on the person that was responsible for the quarterback."
Lincoln's offense struggled in three of the four quarters. The third quarter, however, put the Blue Tigers back in the game after trailing 21-0 at intermission.
Chancellor Johnson capped the opening drive of the second half with a 10-yard touchdown pass to Tori Hicks, who was hit by a Missouri Southern defender at the 5-yard line but still found his way across the goal line. Javier Moreno added the extra point to make the score 21-7 with 12:23 left in the third quarter.
Johnson had a 48-yard run on a keeper, Lincoln's first big offensive play of the game, to set up the touchdown.
"That was a designed play where he reads the defense, and he made the correct read," Hoskins said. "That was exactly what we needed at that point."
Lincoln finished with 73 total yards of offense in the first half. Their first scoring drive in the second drive was 75 yards.
The Lions went three-and-out on their next possession, and committed a pair of turnovers on the two after that. On the play following an interception by Chavon Gross, Johnson connected again with Hicks, this time on a 30-yard touchdown pass to close the gap to 21-14 with 6:07 to play in the third.
But that would be the end of the scoring for Lincoln, and the end of the momentum for the Blue Tigers. Lincoln got back into Missouri Southern territory on its next drive, but a fumble by Hicks at the Lions' 41-yard line, the Blue Tigers' only turnover of the game, led to a 35-yard field goal by Paul Wolff early in the fourth quarter.
"These guys have to understand that they've got to come out in this league and they've got to play for four quarters," Hoskins said. "You can't play for a first half like we did against Washburn, you can't come out and play like we did for a third quarter like we did tonight against Southern."
Lincoln totaled just two first downs in the first half, one coming on a targeting penalty by Missouri Southern (1-1).
Wolff kicked a pair of field goals for 22 and 27 yards to start the scoring. Dalton James added a 3-yard touchdown run midway through the second quarter and Brailon Mouton caught a 17-yard touchdown pass from Park to put the Lions ahead by 21 points at halftime.
"We just had no resolve in that first half," said Hoskins, who was also bothered by the 13 penalties his team committed.
Hosea Franklin had his second straight 100-yard rushing performance, finishing with 23 carries for 118 yards to lead the Blue Tigers. Johnson completed 9-of-17 passes for 73 yards and also had 52 yards rushing.
Missouri Southern's Charles West also rushed for 107 yards in the win.
Lincoln finished the game with three takeaways. Hasan Muhammad-Rogers recovered a muffed punt return early in the first quarter and Cody Bagby recovered a fumble in the third quarter.
Muhammad-Rogers also led the Blue Tiger defense with 10 tackles.
Lincoln (0-2) plays next Saturday at Central Oklahoma. Kickoff is at 7 p.m.
The Bronchos (1-1) won 28-23 on Thursday at Nebraska-Kearney.
"We've got to put it together," Hoskins said. "People keep saying, 'We're right there, 'we're right there.' I'm so tired of hearing people saying we're right there. I want to be on the other side."