Lincoln Closes Non-League Slate at No. 8 Tarleton State

Complete Game Notes

Game 10: Lincoln (3-6) at #8 Tarleton State (8-0)
Date/Time: Saturday, Nov. 3 - 2:00 p.m.
Location: Stephenville, Texas
Stadium (Capacity): Tarleton Memorial Stadium (7,000)
Tickets: Available at Site
Streaming - https://tarletonsports.com/watch/?Live=1112&type=Live
Audiocast - https://tarletonsports.com/watch/?Live=1111&type=Live
Live Stats - http://stats.statbroadcast.com/statmonitr/?id=220978
Series - First Meeting

THE KICKOFF  
The Lincoln football team ends its non-conference schedule by beginning a new rivalry when the Blue Tigers play Tarleton State on Saturday (Nov. 3). Kickoff in Stephenville, Texas is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. CT as LU also plays its final road game of 2018.

Lincoln is 1-2 in non-GLVC games this year and 3-6 on the season after falling to Missouri S&T, 45-7, on Saturday night (Oct. 27). LU's non-league win was an out-of-state victory over Lane in Memphis, Tenn. at the beginning of the season, and Lincoln will try to pick up another victory away from the Show Me State this weekend.

Tarleton State is 8-0 on the season after pulling out a 35-34 overtime win at Midwestern State this past weekend. The Texans are currently ranked No. 8 in the American Football Coaches Association's NCAA Division II rankings, and own a 4-0 mark in home games in 2018.

QUICK HITS  
- This will be the first-ever meeting between Lincoln and Tarleton State.

- Tarleton State is one of two first-time opponent on the Blue Tigers' 2018 schedule. Lincoln previously hosted Wisconsin-Oshkosh, falling 17-7 on Sept. 15.

- A victory over the Texans would give Lincoln multiple true road wins in a season since 2005, when the Blue Tigers beat both Central State and Edward Waters.

- This is Lincoln's first trip to the Longhorn State since 2010, when the Blue Tigers played Prairie View A&M in Prairie View, Texas. LU dropped that game, 45-12.

- Lincoln's last game against a team from Texas was in 2014, when the LU beat Texas College, 62-6, at home.

- With the Blue Tigers beating Lane at the start of the 2018 season, Lincoln is seeking multiple non-conference wins in a season for the first time since beating both Haskell and Southern Virginia during the 2007 season.

- Lincoln will try to end the non-conference portion of its schedule with a win for the first time since 2016, when LU beat Lane in its final non-league contest.

- Tarleton State, ranked No. 8 in the country, is the second ranked opponent LU faces on its 2018 schedule, joining Indianapolis, which was rated No. 22 back on Sept. 29.

- The Blue Tigers enter Saturday with an all-time record of 256-458-24.

- Steven Smith is in his second season as the head coach of the Blue Tigers and has a career record of 4-15.

- Lincoln is in its fifth season as a member of the GLVC. LU was in the MIAA for 23 years, including three-straight from 2011-13, for football before making the switch in 2014. The GLVC is the fifth different conference in which the Blue Tigers have been a member, joining the Midwest Athletic Association, the Great Lakes Football Conference, the Central States Football League and the MIAA.

- This is the 88th season of Lincoln football. The Blue Tigers first fielded a team in 1920 and played every year until 1943, when Lincoln took a year off due to World War II. LU then played each season from 1944-1989. The football program was disbanded at that point, but was brought back in 2000.

BLUE TIGERS TO WATCH

OFFENSE - Henry Ogala has been very efficient as Lincoln's starting quarterback, completing 124 passes for 1,504 yards and nine touchdowns. Blake Tibbs caught 42 of those passes and leads LU with 743 yards while Justin Korakakos and Ezekiel Langeach have two touchdown receptions. On the ground, Kimbo Ferguson leads LU with 457 yards while Hosea Franklin is next with 216. Terry Hunter, meanwhile, has rushed for 201 yards and four touchdowns. 

DEFENSE - The Lincoln defense was outstanding in LU's opening win, forcing three turnovers while holding Lane to just 123 yards of total offense. The Blue Tigers made three sacks and five tackles for loss, and broke up five passes with a pair of picks. 

Saint Durassaint leads LU with 72 tackles, and has compiled 5.0 tackles for loss, a fumble return for a touchdown and an interception. Isaiah Gray leads Lincoln with 9.0 tackles for loss, while Amani Nelson has made 63 tackles and Victor Williams, who has seven quarterback hurries, is next with 54. Nelson and Williams have combined for 8.5 TFL.

Joseph Madrigal has one of Lincoln's interceptions, as he picked off a late fourth quarter pass by Lane to help the Blue Tigers seal the season-opening win. Quan Mason has been a force as a pass-rusher, notching three sacks and seven hurries. JaJuan Chambers, meanwhile, has provided 29 tackles and five hurries while Chavon Gross has made 34 tackles, including 4.5 for loss.

SPECIAL TEAMS - Fernando Ramirez made his Blue Tiger debut a memorable one, scoring LU's first points of the game on a 44-yard field goal to give Lincoln a first quarter lead over Lane that it would never relinquish. Ramirez, who has six field goals on the year, has converted on 16 of his 17 point-after tries, and also kicked a 47-yard FG that is the seocnd-longest in the GLVC this season.

Wolky Belancourt is Lincoln's holder as well as its punter, and he is averaging 35.5 yards with a long of 50 this season.Brenton Wrigley is Lincoln's long-snapper, and Hasan Muhammad-Rogers is the GLVC leader in kick returns with an average of 23.4 yards per return.

TARLETON STATE AT A GLANCE
Tarleton State boasts one of the top scoring offenses in NCAA Division II, averaging 45.8 points per game with 50 total touchdowns. Quarterback Ben Holmes holds an excellent QB rating of 178.54 and has completed 61.6-percent of his passes for 1,774 yards and 20 touchdowns while throwing only four interceptions. The ground game has been particularly potent, however, as the Texans have gained 2,558 yards running the ball, averaging 5.6 yards per carry with 25 scores.

Twelve of those rushing touchdowns belong to Xavier Turner, who leads the Texans with 800 yards on 122 attempts. Four TSU players are averaging more than five yards per carry, with Daniel McCants gaining 732 yards on 103 attempts with five scores. In the passing game, the Texans are led by Zimari Manning, who has nine TD grabs and 643 yards on 32 catches.

EJ Speed lives up to his last name on defense, tallying 10.0 tackles for loss, four sacks, 57 total tackles, five hurries and two forced fumbles. Jai Edwards leads TSU with 61 tackles, and Ronnell Wilson has 57 while Prince Robinson has 44, including five for a loss. As a team, Tarleton State has generated 70 quarterback hurries, 20 sacks, 69 TFL, 12 interceptions and six fumble recoveries.

Joanly Martinez has yet to miss a field goal, going 8-8 with a long of 36 yards, and Ron Reid averages 40.8 yards punting with a long of 57. On kickoffs, Reid averages 58.9 yards with 15 touchbacks.

THE COACHES 
Steven Smith was named the 22nd head coach of the Blue Tigers last December after a successful four-year run as the offensive coordinator of Albany State. Smith, who has also coached at Tennessee State, Delta State and Virginia State, helped Albany State go undefeated in league play in three of his four seasons. Smith's teams have made for NCAA Division II playoff appearances and he has coached 21 all-conference honorees and eight All-Americans. Smith additionally has coached with six NFL teams, most recently serving as an assistant under Romeo Crennel with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2012.

Todd Whitten has had three separate tenures with TSU and is the winningest coach in Tarleton State history. In eight years with the Texans, Whitten has compiled 64 wins and is a four-time Lone Star Conference Coach of the Year.

HISTORIC WIN: Lincoln posted one of its most significant wins in recent memory on Oct. 20 at William Jewell. It was the first road league victory ever for LU as a member of the GLVC; it was the first road win for Lincoln against a team from the state of Missouri since 1983; and it was LU's first road conference win since 1975.

DON'T PICK AGAINST US:  Henry Ogala has started every game at quarterback and has done a terrific job of taking care of the football, with his efficiency rating of 132.2 rating as one of the best in the GLVC. Ogala's main strength has been in his pass selection, as Ogala has attempted 207 passes but has thrown only three interceptions. As a team, LU is tied for sixth in Division II for fewest picks thrown in 2018.

THE RUNDOWN:  Lincoln had four rushing TDs against Southwest Baptist, with Kimbo Ferguson running for two of those scores. Ferguson, son of former MMA fighter Kimbo Slice, has gained 457 yards this season with a 3.9 average per carry. Both of those numbers lead the team this year, with LU averaging 111.2 yards per contest.

SHUTDOWN DEFENSE:  The Blue Tigers have one of the top defenses in the GLVC, ranking third in the conference by allowing an average of 343.7 yards per game. That total also ranks 56th in NCAA Division II. Teams have struggled to pass against Lincoln, as LU is fourth in the league and 55th in the nation with just 193.7 yards allowed per contest.

FIRST DEFENSE:  LU has particularly excelled in the first quarter of games, as the Blue Tigers have shut out opponents four times in the opening stanza this season. In eight of Lincoln's nine games, the Blue Tigers have allowed seven points or fewer in the first quarter and have either led or been tied at the end of the first period six times.

NATIONALLY RANKED:  Lincoln's defense also has been sharp in the red zone, ranking fourth in the GLVC and 62nd in the country with a success rate of 75.0-percent. LU also ranks 74th nationally in scoring defense (24.8) as the Blue Tigers have held six opponents to 20 points or fewer. Finally, LU is 49th in DII with 155 first downs allowed.

INDIVIDUAL STARS:  Blake Tibbs is second in the GLVC in receiving yards (742) and yards per game (82.4), and ranks 37th and 41st, respectively, in Division II in those stats. Henry Ogala ranks 88th in the county in yards per completion (12.2), and Hasan Muhammad-Rogers is 45th in the country in combined kick return yardage (478). On defense, Saint Durassaint is seventh in the GLVC with 8.1 tackles per contest.

BALL CONTROL:  Lincoln's offense was good at controlling the clock last year, as LU led in time of possession in six of its 10 games, finishing 21st in DII with 32:08 minutes of possession per game. That trend has continued in 2018, as Lincoln leads the GLVC and is ranked 17th in NCAA Division II in time of possession at 33:05.

PASSING GRADE:  Henry Ogala has been particularly efficient as Lincoln starter, compiling a total efficiency rating of 132.3. In addition to owning the GLVC's fourth-best efficiency rating, Ogala, who also has completed 59.9-percent of his passes, rates 44th nationally in that stat and 62nd in DII in passing efficiency. Lincoln is high in both stats in the NCAA team rankings as well, at 40th nationally in completion percentage and 69th in team passing efficiency.

ANY TEAM, ANYWHERE: Lincoln has one of the most diverse schedules in the country, as the Blue Tigers have already played teams from NCAA Division I (Missouri State), Division II (Lane) and Division III (Wisconsin-Oshkosh). Lincoln also has had success in a variety of different locations, as LU is the only GLVC program with wins at home (vs. Southwest Baptist), at a neutral site (Lane) and in a true road game (at William Jewell).

ON THE AIR:  Blue Tiger football is back on KJLU, as six of Lincoln's 11 games will be broadcast this season. All four of Lincoln's home contests, as well as the road games at Truman State on Oct. 13 and Missouri S&T on Oct. 27, will air on 88.9 FM in Jefferson City.

GEAR UP FOR THE GAME:  LU fans can get everything they need for the game at www.BlueTigersStore.com, the official online store for LU athletics. Everything from jerseys to office supplies can be found on the site, with a portion of all sales going to benefit Lincoln athletics.

UP NEXT:  The Blue Tigers conclude the 2018 season at home next Saturday (Nov. 10) as LU hosts McKendree for Senior Day at 12:00 p.m. CT.

Dan Carr, Assistant AD for Media Relations
LINCOLN UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI ATHLETICS MEDIA RELATIONS