Lincoln football coach Malik Hoskins is willing to do just about anything to change things up, trying to break the Blue Tigers out of their losing streak.
Last week, he switched up the routine, leaving for a road game in the early morning hours on the day of the game, instead of leaving the day before.
It may not have worked, as Pittsburg State celebrated Homecoming with a 59-7 win last Saturday, but Hoskins isn't done trying.
"I think I made a mistake by traveling the day of the game," he said. "You could see how lethargic they were coming out."
The Blue Tigers (0-6) left Friday morning for their road trip to play today at No. 21 Nebraska-Kearney. Kickoff is at 2 p.m.
"They're freaking amazing," Hoskins said.
The Lopers (6-1), who are coming off a 42-35 win last weekend at Emporia State, run a triple-option offense that is averaging 463.6 yards and 33.9 points per game.
"It's kind of an unorthodox offense, it's just an old-school triple-option with a modern spin to it, and they do it very well," Hoskins said.
To help prepare for Nebraska-Kearney, Hoskins turned on the TV on Wednesday night, to watch Coastal Carolina run the same type of offense against Appalachian State.
"But I tell you what, if you can find a team that runs it correctly, and if you can find a quarterback who's athletic like they've got, it's very dangerous," Hoskins said.
Redshirt junior TJ Davis has proven to be the perfect quarterback for the triple-option. He ranks eighth in Division II with 2,254 total yards of offense.
"He's smart, he's patient, and then you put athleticism on top of that," Hoskins said. "The kid is tremendous."
Davis leads the MIAA with 825 yards rushing, averaging 5.1 yards per carry, and he has scored 13 touchdowns in the run game. He ranks in the top 10 in Division II in both rushing yards and rushing touchdowns.
"His speed is deceptive, and if you're not sound, if you're not disciplined and you don't wrap him up, you're going to look up and he's going to be running 80 yards for a touchdown," Hoskins said.
Davis has carried the ball 161 times in seven games. Redshirt senior running back Montrez Jackson is next, with 57 carries for 327 yards. Redshirt freshman Damien Cearns has 43 carries for 207 yards, and both backs have two rushing scores.
"With those three guys, if you're not playing sound football, you're going to be in trouble," Hoskins said.
And then there's the passing game. Davis has completed 81-of-125 passes for 1,429 yards with 13 touchdowns and just two interceptions.
"You get so caught up with the option and the run game that it sucks you in, and when it sucks you in, the coaches do a great job of putting him in a situation where they're going to be successful," Hoskins said. "They lull you to sleep, and then they hit you over the top. He's very accurate with the deep ball."
The Lopers have shared the wealth in the receiving game, completing passes to 14 players. Redshirt juniors Michael Koch and Cody Nelson are tied for the team lead with 13 catches.
"This team, the offense calls for you spreading the ball around, whether you're giving it to a different running back or whether you're throwing it to a different receiver," Hoskins said. "One thing it says about them is that they're not a selfish team."
Koch leads Nebraska-Kearney with 273 yards receiving and five touchdowns.
Defensively, Hoskins said the Lopers operate out of a three-man front, allowing just 22.9 points per game.
"They'll bring an overhang guy down and give you a four-man front look," he said. "Mainly they want to play a three-man front and keep everything in front of them."
Redshirt junior Darius Swanson, a safety, is Nebraska-Kearney's leading tackler with 61, recording at least six tackles in each game. He also has four tackles for loss, three interceptions and five pass breakups.
"He can play on any level, especially at linebacker, and they have him at safety," Hoskins said. "That just tells you that he's a physical football player and he's going to come downhill."
Zach Schlager, a redshirt sophomore linebacker, recorded a team-high 14 tackles - including 11 solo stops - in last week's win at Emporia State.
"He's the play-caller on that side of the ball," Hoskins said. "He's the engine that makes them go. He does a really good job of getting everybody lined up. Just looking at him on film, he's an extension of what they're doing on the sideline, as far as coaching."
Nebraska-Kearney enters this week's game tied for first place in the MIAA standings with Northwest Missouri, which suffered its first loss of the season last week, 17-16 at Washburn. The two teams play next Saturday in Maryville.
"They're a veteran team, they've been there, they have confidence," Hoskins said of Nebraska-Kearney. "They feel like they can win every football game."
Today's game may be an uphill climb, but Hoskins wants to see the Blue Tigers bounce back offensively after tallying just 229 yards of total offense against Pittsburg State. Running back Hosea Franklin accounted for 99 yards of those in the running game.
"They were really good defensively, and we knew that," Hoskins said. "We also thought that we could have success, and we could have success early, but that just wasn't the case."
Notes: Nebraska-Kearney leads the all-time series 2-1 against Lincoln. The Lopers won the past two meetings - 44-0 in 2019 and 24-14 in 2013, but the Blue Tigers won the first meeting 34-27, a matchup that had to be completed at Adkins Stadium due to severe weather. Each of Lincoln's six opponents scored their season-high in points in wins against the Blue Tigers. The Lopers' season-high point total is the 42 points scored last week against Emporia State. Hoskins said freshman defensive lineman Stanley Mageo suffered a torn MCL in the Missouri Southern game two weeks ago and will miss the rest of the season. Left tackle Demetrius Eddie and running back Tori Hicks were banged up in the Pittsburg State game, but Hoskins said both will play today. "We have some guys that are banged up, but everybody's banged up at this point of the season," Hoskins said.