Lincoln Blue Tigers Beat Langston For 250th All-Time Victory

LANGSTON, Oklahoma -- Robert Daniels intercepted a Langston pass at the Lincoln 28, and the Blue Tiger football team pulled out a 35-32 victory on the road in its 2015 season opener.

Owen Jordan threw three first half touchdown passes, including two to Delvon Rouser. Darius Hicks hauled in a 27-yard touchdown pass while Keith Lakey opened the scoring on a two-yard run. Lakey's touchdown came after the Blue Tiger defense stopped Langston with a seven-yard sack by Julius Jackson as the Lions were trying to convert a 4^th-and-16.

The Lions immediately answered Lakey's touchdown with a 100-yard kickoff return score, but it didn't take the Blue Tigers long to retake the lead. Jordan completed passes of 14 yards to Miles Drummond and 25 yards to Rouser before finding Rouser again for a three-yard score.

Langston got back on the board early in the second quarter, mounting a 60-yard drive after recovering a Lincoln fumble and scoring on a nine-yard pass. The extra point was no good, however, and Lincoln once again came up with a response. On the ensuing drive, the Blue Tigers marched 75 yards down the field, highlighted by receptions of 24 yards by Hicks and 27 yards by Rouser. Jordan once again ended the drive with a three-yard scoring pass to Rouser, and Lincoln took a 21-13 lead.

A 41-yard kick return set up another quick score by Langston, as a 37-yard quarterback keeper pulled the Lions to within two. A delay of game penalty moved the ball back to the Langston eight, but the Lions decided to still go for the tie. Lincoln stood up Langston's rush attempt outside of the end zone, however, and the Blue Tigers kept their lead at 21-19.



The Blue Tigers got on the board one more time near the end of the first half, as Jordan found Bryson Winfrey for 23 yards before throwing the 27-yard touchdown to Hicks. Langston drove into Lincoln territory on the ensuing drive, but Treston Pulley's interception with 28 seconds remaining sent the Blue Tigers into halftime with a 28-19 lead.

Lincoln began the second half by forcing Langston into a three-and-out, then Jordan threw his fourth touchdown pass of the afternoon, this one for 23 yards to Winfrey. After forcing another stop, the Blue Tigers nearly got in position to score again, but a fourth-down run by Jordan to the Langston eight came up just inches shy of the first down marker.

Langston's defense stiffened after that, and the Lions got back on the scoreboard with a quarterback sneak near the end of the third quarter. Langston tried to make it a one-score game by going for two, but once again the Blue Tiger defense came up with a big stop to keep it a 10-point game.

In the fourth quarter, the Lions drove down to field goal range, but Kareem Joyner blocked the kick and Tyrone Moore returned it deep into Langston territory. On the next play, however, Jordan threw his first interception of the game, giving Langston the ball back at their one 22. The Blue Tigers only gave up four total yards on that ensuing possession, and got the ball back with just under 10 minutes to play.

Langston made a late run at a comeback, scoring on a six-yard pass with 3:40 remaining. That pulled the Lions to within three, and the Blue Tigers were only able to run the clock down to 1:09 before having to punt it back to Langston. The Lions managed to drive down to the Lincoln 36, but Daniels' interception preserved the win for the Blue Tigers.



Jordan finished the game 23-for-33 for 284 yards and the four touchdowns. Winfrey led the Lincoln receivers with seven catches for 105 yards while Rouser had six grabs for 73 yards. Hicks added five receptions for 66 yards. Miles Drummond led the running backs with 22 carries for 72 yards.

Darren Williams finished with eight tackles while James Harmon tallied seven and Joyner added six. Anthony McMillian and Jackson each had sacks with McMillian also posting 2.5 tackles for loss. Harmon and Paul Dodson each broke up two passes while Jeremy Rives finished with five tackles.

Jean Claude Brooks averaged 59.7 yards on kickoffs with one touchback and was a perfect five-for-five on extra points. Eddie Rodriguez averaged 37.5 yards per punt with a long of 57.

Saturday's win was the first on the road for Lincoln since beating Haskell in 2008. It was also the first win over Langston, a team the Blue Tigers have played 62 times since 1924, since 2002, and the first season-opening win for Lincoln since beating Avila in the first game of head coach Mike Jones' tenure in 2011. The win was also a milestone for the Blue Tigers, as it was the 250^th in program history.

Lincoln will go for win #251 all-time and number two on the season next week when the Blue Tigers open their 2015 home slate against St. Francis (Ill.) on Saturday (Sept. 12) at noon. That contest will be a Take a Kid to the Game Day, with all kids receiving free admission. Fans are also invited to arrive early for a free tailgate, hosted by the Blue Tiger Athletic Club, at 10:00 a.m. at the Little Theater on 1005 Chestnut St.

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Dan Carr, Assistant AD for Media Relations
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