Sunday, March 30, 2014

Second Missouri Classic Highlights Lincoln's 2014 Football Schedule

Blue Tigers Play Five Home Contests In Inaugural GLVC Season

JEFFERSON CITY, Missouri  -- The second-ever Missouri Classic, five home contests and a brand new slate of conference opponents highlight the Lincoln football team's 2014 schedule. Lincoln, which is joining the Great Lakes Valley Conference as a football-only member starting next season, will play 10 total games in 2014.

The season will start on a neutral field in Kansas City, Mo. as, for the second year in a row, Lincoln will play in the Missouri Classic at Arrowhead Stadium, home of the National Football League's Kansas City Chiefs. Last season, the Blue Tigers won the inaugural Missouri Classic, leading from start to finish in a 47-34 win against Grambling State in front of over 20,000 fans. This season, the Blue Tigers will play Langston on Sept. 6 at 3:00 p.m. CT, renewing a rivalry that dates back to 1924.

The Blue Tigers will open their home slate the following week with their first-ever GLVC game, albeit against a familiar opponent. Lincoln's home opener will be vs. Southwest Baptist, another MIAA program joining the GLVC as a football-only member in 2014, on Sept. 13 at 2:00 p.m. CT. Lincoln will remain at home for its next contest, another league tilt against Quincy on Sept. 20 at 2:00 p.m. CT, before facing another former MIAA school, Truman State, in its first true road game of the season. Lincoln will square off against Truman, which is now a full member of the GLVC, in Kirksville, Mo. on Sept. 27 at 7:00 p.m. CT.

LU will follow that contest with its second of three night games on it schedule, as the Blue Tigers will travel to Liberty, Mo. to play GLVC opponent William Jewell on Oct. 4 at 6:00 p.;m. CT. Two more home contests will then await the Blue Tigers, who will play another GLVC member, St. Joseph's, on Oct. 11 before stepping out of conference to host Texas College on Homecoming on Oct. 18. Both of those home games are scheduled to start at 2:00 p.m. CT.

Lincoln will play its longest road game of the season on Oct. 25, as the Blue Tigers will resume GLVC play in Indianapolis, Ind. against Indianapolis at 6:00 p.m. CT. The Blue Tigers will have a BYE week on Nov. 1 before concluding the season against two more GLVC opponents. Lincoln hosts McKendree on Nov. 8 at 2:00 p.m. CT in its final home game of the year, with LU's annual Senior Day celebration taking place at halftime. The Blue Tigers then end their first season in the GLVC on the road, playing at Missouri S&T in Rolla, Mo. on Nov 15 at 1:00 p.m. CT.

All of Lincoln's home games will be played at Dwight T. Reed Stadium in Jefferson City, Mo. Admission for all LU home games costs $10 for adults and $5 for non-Lincoln students and Lincoln faculty and staff members. Lincoln University students and children aged 12 and under are admitted for free. The Blue Tigers are led by head coach Mike Jones, who will begin his fourth season in 2014.

Downloadable 2014 Lincoln Football Schedule


2014 Lincoln Football Schedule
DateOpponentLocationTime
Sept. 6Langston (Missouri Classic)Kansas City, Mo.3:00 p.m.
Sept. 13Southwest Baptist (GLVC)Jefferson City, Mo.2:00 p.m.
Sept. 20Quincy (GLVC)Jefferson City, Mo.2:00 p.m.
Sept. 27Truman State (GLVC)Kirksville, Mo.7:00 p.m.
Oct. 4William Jewell (GLVC)Liberty, Mo.6:00 p.m.
Oct. 11St. Joseph's College (GLVC)Jefferson City, Mo.2:00 p.m.
Oct. 18Texas College (Homecoming)Jefferson City, Mo.2:00 p.m.
Oct. 25Indianapolis (GLVC)Indianapolis, Ind.6:00 p.m.
Nov. 1OPEN
Nov. 8McKendree (GLVC, Senior Day)Jefferson City, Mo.2:00 p.m.
Nov. 15Missouri S&T (GLVC)Rolla, Mo.1:00 p.m.

Notes on the 2014 Schedule
- Lincoln will join the Great Lakes Valley Conference after spending the past three seasons playing football in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association. This will be the fifth different conference in which Lincoln will be a football member, as the Blue Tigers were also previously members of the Mid-West Athletic Association, the Central States Football League and the Great Lakes Football Conference.

Sept. 6 - Langston
- After winning the inaugural Missouri Classic in 2013, the Blue Tigers will open their 2014 campaign with the second installment of the series, played at Arrowhead Stadium.

- This will be the 61st meeting between Lincoln and Langston, making Langston the opponent that the Blue Tigers have historically played the most times. The series dates back to 1924, but the two times have not met since 2010, when Langston pulled out a 31-21 win. Langston leads the all-time series, 38-20-2.

- After opening the 2012 and 2013 campaigns against league opponents, Lincoln will open a season against a non-conference opponent for the first time since beating Avila, 35-3, in the first game of 2011.

- Langston joins Texas College as one of two Historically Black Colleges and Universities on Lincoln's 2014 schedule. The last time LU was able to play multiple HBCUs in a season was in 2010.

- The Blue Tigers will be playing in an NFL stadium for the third time in four seasons when LU returns to Arrowhead Stadium, the home of the Kansas City Chiefs. In addition to playing there for the 2013 Missouri Classic, Lincoln previously played Missouri Southern in the Edward Jones Dome, the home of the St. Louis Rams, back in 2011.

- This game, titled "The Missouri Classic," also marks the third classic Lincoln has played in over the past three seasons. The Blue Tigers' 2011 game in St. Louis against Missouri Southern was called "The Gateway Classic."

Sept. 13 - Southwest Baptist
- After closing its 2013 campaign with a 51-28 home win over Southwest Baptist, the Blue Tigers will now open their 2014 home slate with a rematch against SBU.

- The Blue Tigers are 1-5 all-time against Southwest Baptist, which joins Lincoln as MIAA programs joining the GLVC as football-only members in 2014.

- This will be the first-ever Great Lakes Valley Conference game for Lincoln.

Sept. 20 - Quincy
- This will be the first-ever meeting between Quincy and Lincoln, making Quincy one of three first-time opponents on Lincoln's 2014 schedule.

- Lincoln opens its conference slate with consecutive home games for the first time since 2008, when LU hosted Great Lakes Football Conference opponents St. Joseph's and Central State to begin its league slate that year. Unlike this season, however, those games were not played in back-to-back weeks.

Sept. 27 - Truman State
- The Blue Tigers renew their rivalry with Truman State, which was a member of the MIAA until 2013.

- Lincoln last played Truman State in 2012. Like this year, that game was both a night contest and the first true road game on Lincoln's schedule.

- While Lincoln's football records are incomplete, this is believed to be the latest in a season that LU will play its first true road game of a season.

- This will be the 25th meeting between Truman State and Lincoln in a series that dates back to 1968. Truman owns a 19-4-1 lead in the all-time series.

Oct. 4 - William Jewell
- William Jewell is the second first-time opponent on Lincoln's schedule.

Oct. 11 - St. Joseph's
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Like Southwest Baptist and Truman State, St. Joseph's is both a new and former conference rival for the Blue Tigers. St. Joseph's was also a member of the Great Lakes Football Conference, of which Lincoln was a member from 2007-2009. St. Joseph's is one of two former GLFC teams that later became current members of the GLVC, with the other being Missouri S&T.

- Lincoln first played St. Joseph's in 2002, and is 1-8 all-time in that series.

Oct. 18 - Texas College
- Texas College represents the second HBCU on Lincoln's schedule, joining Langston.

- Lincoln has played Texas College just once before, with Texas College winning, 23-12, back in 2004. This will be the first meeting between the two schools in Jefferson City.

- With the MIAA playing an almost-exclusively conference schedule the last two years, this will be the first time Lincoln will play two non-conference opponents in a season since playing Avila and Urbana in 2011.

- This game will be Lincoln's annual Homecoming contest. The Blue Tigers' last victory on Homecoming came in 2012, when LU defeated Nebraska-Kearney, 34-27.

Oct. 25 - Indianapolis
- This marks just the second all-time meeting between Indianapolis and Lincoln. The Greyhounds won the first meeting, 40-19, back in 1983.

Nov. 8 - McKendree
- This will be the first-ever meeting between Lincoln and McKendree, making the Bearcats the third first-time opponent on the Blue Tigers' 2014 schedule.

Nov. 15 - Missouri S&T
- Like St. Joseph's, Missouri S&T was a member of the Great Lakes Football Conference while the Blue Tigers were in the league. That makes the Miners the fourth "new" league opponent for LU that was previously a conference rival of the Blue Tigers.

- Lincoln and Missouri S&T will meet for the 30th time in a series that dates back to 1958. Missouri S&T has an 18-11 lead in the series.



By Dan Carr, Assistant AD for Media Relations
COURTESY LINCOLN UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS MEDIA RELATIONS

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