JEFFERSON CITY, Missouri -- Lincoln football team scored 27 fourth-quarter points and amassed 452 rushing yards to end the 2013 season with a 51-28 victory over Southwest Baptist on Saturday (Nov. 16). The Senior Day win featured several record-breaking and tying performances, as LU sent its 20 seniors out on a high note.
Included in that rushing performance was a 137-yard day by Morris Henderson, who finishes the season with 1,266 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns. His yardage breaks the Lincoln single-season mark of 1,239, set by legendary LU running back Leo Lewis back in 1952. Henderson ends the year with an average per carry of 6.7 yards, which also breaks the 1952 single-season mark of 5.9, previously held by Lewis.
In addition to those 452 rushing yards, Lincoln quarterback also provided four rushing touchdowns and completed 12 passes for 182 yards. Both those marks make Morris LU's all-time single season leader in each category. Morris ends the year with 2,076 passing yards, making him the first LU quarterback ever to throw for 2,000 yards in a season and breaking Steve Bohlken's 1988-record of 1,939. With 173 completions on the year, Morris breaks his own mark of 169, set last season. Finally, Morris ends his junior campaign with a completion percentage of .571, breaking Bill Swats' 1982 season record of .558.
Lincoln began the game with 14 unanswered points, with Morris and Henderson scoring on one-yard runs to put the Blue Tigers up, 21-0. Southwest Baptist answered with a quick scoring drive of its own, then returned a punt on LU's next possession 57-yards to tie the game at 14 early in the second quarter. The Bearcats later drove 83 yards to take a 21-14 lead with 9:10 to play in the second quarter.
The Lincoln offense got going again on the next drive, answering the Bearcats' touchdown with a five-yard scoring run by Morris. The Blue Tigers seemed to have the momentum at this point, as the defense forced a three-and-out and the offense drove back into SBU territory. A fumble at the SBU 34 ended the threat, however, and Southwest Baptist threatened to once again take the lead. The Bearcats advanced deep into LU territory, but a completed pass that would have given SBU a first down at the Lincoln 21 was forced out of the receivers' hands by Kendrick Causey and recovered by Kerry Roby to give Lincoln back the ball.
After exchanging possessions to open the second half and holding the Bearcats to a three-and-out, Lincoln retook the lead on a 37-yard field goal into the wind by Andrew Fishel. It was part of a big day by the freshman kicker, who broke LU's single-season record for successful point-after kicks with his first PAT of the game. Fishel, who successfully converted 35 point after tries this year, breaking Gerald Walker's 1964 record of 29, added to single-season record for points by a kicker with the field goal and six successful PATs to give him 53 points on the year.
The lead would not last long, however, as Southwest Baptist answered with a 61-yard touchdown drive capped off by a two-yard run. Those were the last points the Bearcats would put on the board, as LU shut SBU out the rest of the way, including stopping two drives in Lincoln territory on Markuice Savage interceptions.
The Blue Tigers trailed, 28-24, entering the fourth quarter, but that deficit did not last long. Morris put LU back on top for good with a 24-yard scoring rush that gave Lincoln a 31-28 advantage with 12;51 remianing in the game. Lincoln's defense forced a three-and-out, and the Blue Tiger offense went back to work, with Percy Turner scoring on a 43-yard run that moved LU ahead by nine. Touchdown runs by Isam Pegues and Morris later in the quarter turned what had been a closely-contested game into a 23-point Blue Tiger victory.
Morris led the Lincoln rushing attack with 147 yards and the four scores while Deon Brock (37 yards), Pegues (48) and Turner (43) also had strong days. Martee Tenner added 42 yards, including a 26-yard game highlighted by a flip over a defender that was reminiscent of the play that got him national attention on ESPN's "SportsCenter" during the spring of 2012.
In the receiving game, Maurice Woodard caught six passes for 56 yards to finish his fourth and final season with 143 receptions, making him Lincoln's career leader in that category. Khiry Draine grabbed three passes for 66 yards while Andre Borney caught two passes for 60 yards.
Defensively, Kendrick Causey made a team-high 13 tackles, including 10 solo, while Savage finished with eight. Michael Lloyd made three tackles for loss, including Lincoln's only sack, and Tevin Brock and Tyrone Moore each broke up two passes. Darryl Blackmon had a pair of quarterback hurries while Darius Ford posted six tackles and Timmy Dunn added four. Treston Pulley made two tackles while Garrett Carrillo registered one.
The season caps off another record-breaking year for the Lincoln offense, which broke season records for total offense (4,917 yards) and plays from scrimmage (833). The win also comes in Lincoln's final game as a football-member of the MIAA, as the Blue Tigers will move to the Great Lakes Valley Conference for that sport only starting in 2014. Saturday's opponent, Southwest Baptist, will also be moving to the GLVC next season.
The Bearcats dropped to 1-10 on the season and 1-9 in MIAA play while Lincoln improved to 3-8 overall and 2-8 against league competition. The three wins are the most for an LU team since 2003, which was also the last year in which Lincoln won back-to-back games. Saturday's win also gave the Blue Tigers consecutive MIAA victories for the first time since beating Central Missouri and Truman State in back-to-back weeks in 1973. Finally, the 51 points LU scored on Saturday are the most for the Blue Tigers in a win since 1972, when Lincoln posted a 52-27 win over Southwest Missouri on the road.
By Dan Carr, Assistant AD for Media Relations
LINCOLN UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI BLUE TIGERS ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS
No comments:
Post a Comment