Lincoln to play at Indianapolis

Lincoln wide receiver Anthony Townsend is tackled by a Saint Joseph's defender in a game earlier this month against the Pumas at Dwight T. Reed Stadium.
Lincoln wide receiver Anthony Townsend is tackled by a Saint Joseph's defender in a game earlier this month against the Pumas at Dwight T. Reed Stadium.

The Lincoln Blue Tigers are going to have to create their own momentum this week.

There was plenty of momentum following a 12-9 win Oct. 1 against Lane, and there was still some momentum - particularly for the offense - following a 27-17 loss Oct. 8 against Saint Joseph's. However, there's no momentum now, as the Blue Tigers are coming off a 65-16 loss last Saturday against Missouri S&T.

Lincoln (1-6) will be back on the road today as it faces Indianapolis (2-5) in a Great Lakes Valley Conference matchup. Kickoff is at 5 p.m.

"Our ideal thing is to be 1-0 for each week, so we try to start over from scratch every week," Lincoln interim head coach Lee Johnson said. "Putting games behind us or dragging games with us, I don't think that should be an issue. It's on to the next one."

Lincoln's defense allowed 530 yards against Missouri S&T, while the offense sputtered after fumbling the ball inside the Miners' 5-yard line on the opening possession.

"That play really did hurt us," Johnson said. "The next time we got possession, we were backed up in our end and there was a heavy wind in our face. So when we punted it, we really didn't get it out past the 30-yard line.

"We seemed to be jammed in there from that point on."

Indianapolis has also seen its share of struggles this season. The Greyhounds were picked to win the GLVC in the preseason poll, but instead, they have dropped three of their first four conference games.

Most recently, Indianapolis is coming off a 33-20 loss last Saturday at Quincy.

The 0Greyhounds had a change at quarterback that game, with Bryce Stancombe filling in for an injured Jake Puricha. In his first career start, Stancombe was 22-of-42 for 396 yards and two touchdowns.

"The young kid is really playing well," Johnson said. "He turned the ball over a couple of times (on fumbles), but other than that, they've really been doing some positive things.

"We have to find a way to confuse him. We have some things that we'll try to cook up for him."

Indianapolis nearly has a 50-50 run-to-pass ratio, with 227 rushing attempts to 241 passing attempts this season. Running back Andrew Walker leads the team with 374 yards on the ground and five touchdowns. On the receiving end, wide receiver Malik Higgins has gained 771 yards through the air to go with four touchdowns.

Johnson said the Greyhounds typically use one running back and one tight end in their offensive formations, but sometimes they'll slip a second running back into the backfield.

"They have certain tendencies that we see and we're going to try to capitalize on them," Johnson said.

The Greyhounds have had some difficulty rushing the ball - including four lost fumbles last week against Quincy - so Johnson said he anticipates them to go to the air more often today.

"We're going to try to make their young quarterback beat us," Johnson said.

On defense, linebacker Derrick Bryant leads Indianapolis with 86 tackles, while linebacker Rob Drury is right behind with 85 tackles. Defensive lineman Jacob Schmatz has a team-high 8.5 tackles for loss, including 5.5 sacks, and defensive back Korey Rogan leads the Greyhounds with five interceptions and six pass break-ups.

Johnson said Indianapolis uses a base 4-2 defense and plays really aggressive on the defensive front.

"If we want to run the ball, we're going to have to be on point and not make any mistakes," Johnson said.

Lincoln is averaging 13.5 points per game, while the defense is allowing 33.4 points per game. Indianapolis, which has lost three games by seven points or less, is averaging 26.4 points while giving up an average of 28.1 points per game.

Notes: Indianapolis leads the all-time series 3-0 against Lincoln. The Greyhounds won last year's contest 41-18 in Jefferson City en route to a GLVC title. Lincoln senior wide receiver Bryson Winfrey caught four passes last Saturday against Missouri S&T, trying Maurice Woodard for the school's career receptions record of 143. Winfrey's next catch will break the record. Lincoln quarterback Dennis Vinson suffered an injury in the third quarter of last week's game an did not return. Jordan Davis took the snaps for the Blue Tigers the remainder of the game. Johnson said Lincoln's starting quarterback could be a game-time decision.

Audio:

Lincoln Blue Tigers Football Podcast [Indianapolis preview, Oct. 22, 2016]