JOPLIN, Missouri -- The Missouri Southern football team will look to go to 3-0 for the second season in a row as the Lions play host to Lincoln University this Saturday in the MIAA TV Game of the Week. Kickoff from Fred G. Hughes Stadium is slated for 2:37 pm. The Series: Lincoln won the first two games in the series back in 1969 and 1970, but the Lions have won the last seven in a row. Southern is 7-2 overall in the series and are 4-1 at home, while carrying a 2-1 record in Jefferson City. Southern won 56-14 in 2011 when the two teams played in the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis and the Lions won again last year in a rain-soaked 21-14 game that came down to the last play.
The Dish on the Blue Tigers: Lincoln is coming off of a 47-34 win over Division I Grambling State in the Missouri Classic at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City. The Blue Tigers are 1-1 on the season after dropping a season-opening game at Lindenwood, 24-22.
Offensively, Morris Henderson leads the rushing attack with 28 carries and 236 yards, hitting the endzone three times. Quarterback Jacob Morris is the second-leading rusher on the team with 79 yards and one score. Although Henderson has more yards than Morris, Morris has more carries, having lost 49 yards on sacks. Khirey Draine is the leading receiver for Linclon, having caught nine balls for 93 yards and 10.3 per catch. He has one touchdown. Maurice Woodard has eight catches for 118 yards and Andre Borney has five receptions and a touchdown.
Defensively, the Blue Tigers are led by Kendrick Causey as the senior linebacker has 21 tackles. Brian Smith has 16 tackles, including two forced fumbles and two recoveries. Justis Schulte leads the team with a sack and has nine tackles and one forced fumble.
The Blue Tigers will be back at home next weekend, playing host to Pittsburg State in Jefferson City.
A Victory vs. Lincoln Would: give the Lions eight wins in a row against the Blue Tigers. It would be the second season in a row the Lions had started 3-0. It would be the first time a Southern team had gone 3-0 to start the season in back-to-back years since the Lions did it in each of the 1975, 76 and 77 seasons. The Lions haven't gone 4-0 to start a season since 2002.
The Coaches: Daryl Daye is in his second season as the head coach at Missouri Southern. Last year, he led the Lions to a 6-5 record, the first winning season since 2007. After installing a triple-option offensive attack, the Lions set school records for rushing yards and rushing attempts, while tying a school record for rushing touchdowns.
Daye came back to Southern after serving two seasons with the NFL's Buffalo Bills as Assistant to the Head Coach. He assisted Defensive Coordinator Dave Wannstedt in coaching the inside linebackers and also helped to coach the special teams units. Prior to his stint with the Bills, Daye served for four years with the Lions as the team's defensive coordinator. In 2008, the Lions led the MIAA in pass defense. Southern held its opponents to 172 passing yards per game and recorded 58 tackles for a loss, 15 sacks and recovered all 15 fumbles the team forced.The 2007 MSSU defense helped the Lions to their first winning season in 12 years. The defense led the MIAA in total defense for the 1st time in school history and also led the MIAA pass defense, opponents' first downs, passing efficiency and were ranked second in Opponents third and fourth down conversions. The Lions' defense was ranked 21st nationally in total defense and also broke a 17 year old division II school record with 21 interceptions.
Prior to Southern, Daye worked as special teams coach for the Southern University and also served as head coach at Nicholls State University in Thibodeaux, La., from 1999-2003, and as an assistant at Liberty, LSU and Southern Miss.
Former NFL linebacker and St. Louis Ram Mike Jones is in his second year as a collegiate head coach and in his third season at Lincoln University. He is 3-21 overall in two seasons at Lincoln. Jones spent the past season as linebacker coach at Southern University in Louisiana, where the Jaguars went 2-9. Southern's defense recorded several solid numbers in 2010, including 26 sacks, eight interceptions and 92 tackles for loss.
Before his time at Southern, Jones spent six years at Hazelwood East High School in St. Louis, where he spent two years as head coach leading the team to a state title in 2008, when the team went 12-2. Overall as a head coach, he went 18-7.
COURTESY MISSOURI SOUTHERN STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS
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