Things haven't been going the right way lately for the Lincoln football team. That could be compounded by the Blue Tigers' upcoming matchup.
Lincoln, which has dropped its past four games, welcomes the Indianapolis Greyhounds - ranked No. 6 in this week's AFCA Division II Top 25 poll - to Dwight T. Reed Stadium for a Great Lakes Valley Conference matchup. Kickoff is at 5 p.m. today.
"It's a disciplined, disciplined football team," Lincoln coach Steven Smith said of Indianapolis. "We just have to play disciplined as well. They're waiting on you to make a mistake so they can capitalize on it. We can't make the mistakes."
Indianapolis (7-0, 4-0 GLVC) is coming off a 55-0 win last Saturday against Quincy. The Greyhounds are currently atop the GLVC standings, despite being picked to finish fourth in the conference's preseason poll.
Indianapolis leads the GLVC in scoring offense and defense, averaging 37.4 points per game while holding opponents to 18.9.
The Greyhounds' offense is led by junior quarterback Jake Purichia, who has completed 69 percent of his passing attempts (95-of-137) for 1,525 yards and 15 touchdowns. He's also rushed for 253 yards and four scores.
In last week's win, Purichia had 208 total yards of offense (157 passing, 51 rushing) and three total touchdowns (two passing, one rushing). He's been named the GLVC Offensive Player of the Week twice this season.
"He factors in big time because he gets the ball out of his hands and his receivers are very savvy," Smith said. "They make plays and they catch the ball."
Smith said Indianapolis is a spread offense that is capable of running the ball.
"They take a lot of shots, they got a lot of big plays from what I saw on film," he said. "We've got to stop the big plays, cut the run and contain the quarterback."
Purichia's top target has been side wide receiver Garrett Willis, who has 28 catches for 506 yard and three touchdowns.
While senior Andrew Walker has been getting the start at running back, true freshman Al McKeller has come off the bench to lead the Greyhounds this season with 105 carries for 675 yards and six scores.
McKeller had 143 yards rushing and three touchdowns against Quincy.
Indianapolis leads the GLVC with 215 yards rushing per contest.
In conference play, the Greyhounds' defense has held opponents to 11.5 points.
"Defensively, they depend on their front four," Smith said. "They don't blitz, they drop back in coverage, they depend on their (defensive backs). They're going to be where they're supposed to be."
Linebacker Joe Lambright leads Indianapolis with 71 tackles and 5.5 tackles for loss, while lineman Jacob Schmatz has a team-high 5.5 sacks. Senior lineman Dillon Dallas had three sacks last Saturday against Quincy to earn GLVC Defensive Player of the Week honors.
In the secondary, defensive back Mike Hamilton leads the team with three interceptions. Defensive back Blake Luker came off the bench and had a 40-yard interception return for a touchdown in the fourth quarter against Quincy.
Lincoln (1-5, 0-3 GLVC) is coming off a 37-3 loss last Saturday to Missouri S&T. For the second straight home game, the Blue Tigers fell behind by double digits in the first quarter, trailing 14-0 after the first 15 minutes.
Smith said Lincoln can't afford to make mistakes today against Indianapolis.
"In this conference, the young men are very, very disciplined," Smith said. "I see the difference between the SIAC and the GLVC. This conference is more about discipline. It's not about who has the most talent, it's about who's not going to make a mistake. That's what we have to do. We have to play disciplined football."
Smith added true freshman Drake Davidson will remain the starting quarterback for the Blue Tigers. In his first career start last Saturday, Davidson was 21-of-34 passing for 190 yards and two interceptions.
"He's a freshman quarterback. Hopefully he can make the right decisions, which he did at times," Smith said.
As for the starting backfield, the revolving door at starting running back continues. Smith said either Harold Lacy or Travis Martin will get the start today.
"It hasn't been about trying to find ways to click," Smith said. "It's about people doing what they're supposed to do. Do your job to the best of your ability and be disciplined in what you do. If we can do that, I think we'll be fine."
III
Indianapolis leads the all-time series against Lincoln, winning all four previous matchups. Last season, the Greyhounds won 38-7 at home. Lincoln has found the end zone just four times in four games since its only win of the season. Walker, a redshirt-senior, is two rushing touchdowns shy of Indianapolis' career record of 38, set by Klay Fiechter in 2013. He also needs 75 yards on the ground to become the fifth Greyhound to surpass 3,000 yards rushing for his career.