Lincoln's defense held Quincy to a meager seven points last Saturday, something that would normally leave Lincoln football coach Steven Smith with a smile from ear to ear.
Instead, there was more frustration than pride following a 7-3 loss to the Hawks, a game in which the Blue Tigers outgained their opponent 282 yards to 189.
"Our defense played really lights out," Smith said. "We had an opportunity to go in and go up 10-7, and the way our defense was playing, I felt like we could win the game. We put ourselves in a situation where we fumbled going in (to the end zone).
"We have to be more disciplined than that. We have to be better than what we're doing."
Lincoln committed a pair of third-quarter turnovers. The first, an interception, led to Quincy's only score of the game. The second, a fumble, occurred at the Quincy 1-yard line, and the Hawks recovered the loose ball in the end zone for a touchback.
Lincoln will look for its first Great Lakes Valley Conference win today when the Blue Tigers host Truman State for Homecoming. Kickoff is at 2 p.m. at Dwight T. Reed Stadium.
Truman State, last season's co-champion of the GLVC, is still looking for its first win. The Bulldogs lost 27-11 last Saturday at home to Missouri S&T, a game that was delayed nearly three hours due to lightning and didn't finish until 12:52 a.m. in Kirksville.
"They're a team that has a great quarterback that can move," Smith said "They're a team that has a running back that can run the ball well."
The Bulldogs return the GLVC Freshman of the Year, sophomore quarterback Jaden Barr, who was all-state at California High School.
Barr went 8-2 in his 10 starts last season and was responsible for 27 total touchdowns - 17 passing, 10 rushing - during his redshirt freshman season in 2016.
This season, Barr is 34-of-66 passing for 407 yards with four touchdowns and three interceptions. He suffered a cut on his hand in Week 2 that required stitches and did not practice leading up to the Missouri S&T game. Barr did not start, but he entered the game in the second half, finishing with 89 yards passing and 16 yards rushing in the loss.
"(Barr) does a great job of getting outside the pocket," Smith said. "He made some big plays versus Michigan Tech and Morningside."
In addition to Barr posing as a dual-threat quarterback, the Bulldogs have another sophomore, running back Jordan Salima, the Blue Tigers will keep an eye on.
A second-team All-GLVC selection as a true freshman last year, Salima has gained 201 yards on the ground through three games this season with one rushing touchdown. In last week's loss, he rushed for 54 yards and added 55 yards receiving and a touchdown grab.
"The running back plays well, and they go into a little Wildcat where he's the quarterback as well," Smith said of Salima.
Truman State (0-3, 0-1 GLVC) is averaging 18.7 points per game, while opponents have nearly doubled that, scoring 33.3 points on average against the Bulldogs.
The Bulldogs' defense is led by junior linebacker Justin Mikeworth, who has a team-high 30 total tackles and finished with 16 stops against Missouri S&T. Sophomore lineman Sam Reeves had a team-best three sacks, including two last week.
"They're physical up front," Smith said. "Their linebackers play fast, the corners cover well. They do a great job of causing turnovers."
Smith said the Bulldogs have lined up with both three-man and four-man fronts, while the secondary has played cover-3 and some man-to-man defense.
"It's something we've seen before, but again, our basis is making sure we execute," Smith said.
Lincoln (1-2, 0-1 GLVC) came close last week to snapping a conference road game losing streak that dated back to the 1975 season. Now the Blue Tigers are looking to snap another lengthy streak today.
Truman State has won the past 21 meetings against the Blue Tigers and holds the overall series record at 22-4-1. Lincoln's last win against the Bulldogs was a 21-0 victory in 1973.
Lincoln leads the GLVC in numerous defensive categories, including points per game allowed (18.7), total yards allowed (221.7) and rushing yards allowed (79.7). Smith wants to see the offense climb higher in the GLVC statistical rankings with today's performance.
"Defensively, we're older. Offensively, we're much younger," Smith said. "We have a lot of freshmen on offense. We just have to get them to continue to understand about playing sound football."
III
Sophomore Eugene Sainterling will get the start at quarterback today, continuing what has been a weekly revolving door at the position for the Blue Tigers. Freshman Henry Ogala started behind center last week, as Sainterling was nagged by a shoulder he first injured during the preseason. However, Ogala is currently dealing with a thumb injury, so Sainterling will make his second start of the season today. Truman State coach Gregg Nesbitt, who led the Hickman Kewpies to a Class 6 state championship in 2004, is in his eighth season with the Bulldogs. Nesbitt boasts a 38-41 overall record and is fifth on Truman State's all-time coaching wins list. Truman State won last season's meeting 37-0 in Kirksville.