Even though Missouri Western is one of the most-balanced offenses between the run and the pass in the MIAA, Lincoln coach Malik Hoskins had a feeling the Griffons were going to favor running the ball against the Blue Tigers.
He wasn't wrong.
Missouri Western rushed for 411 yards Saturday, averaging 8.1 yards per carry, to spoil Lincoln's Senior Day with a 41-12 win at Dwight T. Reed Stadium.
"Statistically, it's a balanced football team," Hoskins said. "Just looking at them on film, their sets and how they line up, it's all predicated on the run game."
The Griffons used seven ball carriers and five finished with a rushing touchdown.
"A lot of times, we were in position to make a play," Hoskins said. "We had missed tackles, linebackers weren't fitting and filling gaps like they're supposed to."
The first score went to Shen Butler-Lawson Jr., who had a 3-yard touchdown run on Missouri Western's first possession of the game. Thomas Kopcho added the extra point to make the score 7-0 with 7:35 left in the first quarter.
"The big runs came from their running backs bouncing outside, and we just didn't have a support player there to be physical enough," Hoskins said.
Lincoln punted on its first two possessions, but Clayton Winkler's second punt went 51 yards and pinned Missouri Western on its 9-yard line. On the next play, quarterback Reagan Jones was strip-sacked in the end zone and an offensive lineman fell on the football for a safety.
"The energy today on that side of the ball was different than what it has been all season," Hoskins said of Lincoln's defense, which allowed a season-low for points in the regular-season finale.
Lincoln received the ensuing kickoff with a chance to take the lead. The Blue Tigers advanced the ball to the Griffons' 37-yard line, but quarterback Desmond Hunter lost a fumble and Missouri Western's Terrance March recovered it.
"If we go down and score right there, we force them to get a little antsy," Hoskins said.
The Blue Tigers' first five possessions started no better than on their own 25-yard line, and each time, they moved the ball into Griffon territory, only for a turnover to occur or for a drive to stall once they crossed midfield.
"That was self-inflicted, which is what's been going on all season," Hoskins said. "We have success, we drive the football and we do something to shoot ourselves in the foot.
"We were playing against Missouri Western, but we were also playing against Lincoln at times."
Brison Cobbins followed with a 13-yard touchdown run for Missouri Western and Jones scrambled to his right and found Traveon James for a 28-yard touchdown reception in the final minute of the second quarter, giving the Griffons a 20-2 halftime lead.
Hoskins had a simple message for his coaching staff at intermission.
"Don't change anything," he said. "We're moving the football, and defensively, it was bend-but-don't-break. Just make sure our guys understand there's a lot of time left and we can compete with this team."
Missouri Western added to its lead to start the second half with a 7-yard touchdown run by Jones. The Griffons were driving again on their next series, but Lincoln's Elliott Albert intercepted a pass at the Blue Tiger 12-yard line and returned it 45 yards into Griffon territory midway through the third quarter.
"That was a happy moment for me," Hoskins said. "I'm on him constantly, he drops more interceptions in practice than I've ever seen in my life. And lo and behold, he catches one and he almost takes it to the house."
Hoskins had another proud moment on Lincoln's ensuing possession. Although the Blue Tigers moved the ball inside the Griffon 10-yard line, they would have to settle for a field goal.
Winkler, a California graduate who was recruited to Lincoln as a punter, came on and made his first collegiate field goal from 26 yards to cut Missouri Western's lead to 27-5 with 4:11 to play in the third quarter.
"He ran to the sideline and said, 'Coach, that's my first one!'" Hoskins said with a smile. "He's had nine PATs in a row, converting them all, and he's doing a heck of a job punting the football."
Missouri Western followed with a Jonas Bennett 10-yard touchdown run and a Travon Harris 11-yard touchdown run to extend its lead to 41-5.
Lincoln took advantage of a botched punt attempt by Missouri Western in the fourth quarter. Zamar Brake threw a 24-yard touchdown pass to a wide-open Tori Hicks, and Winkler added the extra point to make it 41-12 with 7:09 to play.
"It's a play we've been working on the past three or four weeks," Hoskins said. "We've called it several times, we just haven't executed it the way we should have. Tori did a really good job of selling the run and leaking out, Zamar did a really good job on the sprint and buying time.
"They just totally forgot about Tori, they were so focused on the run."
Hunter left the game late in the second quarter due to injury. Since Lincoln only has two quarterbacks on its roster, Hoskins said Brake would only be used in an "emergency purpose" because he had bruised ribs.
"We had to protect him," Hoskins said.
Hosea Franklin, who also wasn't playing at 100 percent, still finished the game with 17 carries for 91 yards. He ends the season with 791 yards rushing, which ranks third in the MIAA.
"He's been running like crazy anytime he touches the ball," Hoskins said.
Missouri Western (6-5) outgained Lincoln 450 yards to 140, but the Griffons were also hampered by 115 penalty yards. Jones led the Griffons' rushing attack with 136 yards.
Each team forced three turnovers. In addition to Albert's interception, Lincoln also had an interception from Jaylon Mosley and a fumble recovery by Cody Bagby. Zyan Thomas-King led the Blue Tiger defense with nine tackles.
Lincoln ends the 2021 season with an 0-10 record, the Blue Tigers' first winless season since 2009.
"The plan is to do team evaluations, and coaches will be focused this week on getting out to some of the junior colleges and trying to bring in some mid-year talent," Hoskins said. "Then we'll start to focus on the high school talent once we come back from Thanksgiving break."