Lincoln defeats SW Baptist to break 29-game conference skid

Lincoln receiver Antonio Issac is tackled by Kentavon Hawkins of Southwest Baptist during Saturday's game at Dwight T. Reed Stadium.
Lincoln receiver Antonio Issac is tackled by Kentavon Hawkins of Southwest Baptist during Saturday's game at Dwight T. Reed Stadium.

The 29-game conference losing streak is over.

The Lincoln Blue Tigers opened the Great Lakes Valley Conference schedule Saturday night with a 28-13 win against the Southwest Baptist Bearcats at Dwight T. Reed Stadium.

Lincoln's 1-0 start marks its first GLVC win since Sept. 20, 2014, when the Blue Tigers defeated Quincy 42-13.

"It feels good to get a conference win," Lincoln coach Steven Smith said after Lincoln won its conference opener for the first time since 2000. "We've set the tone for the next six games. We've put ourselves in position to know that we can get it done, and that's the biggest key.

"I think Missouri State and Wisconsin-Oshkosh set us up to put ourselves in position to know what we were going to face and what we need to do to finish games."

Both teams traded punts on each of their first three possessions to keep the game scoreless through the first quarter. The big plays were absent in those opening 15 minutes.

Then Lincoln wide receiver Blake Tibbs delivered.

The senior hauled in a 43-yard reception down the right sideline and was tackled a yard shy of the end zone. Two plays later, Kimbo Ferguson scored up the middle from a yard out, and Fernando Ramirez added the extra point to give Lincoln a 7-0 lead with 11:33 left in the second quarter.

Tibbs came up big again on the Blue Tigers' next possession, catching a 35-yard pass in the same spot, and he was again tackled at the 1. Ferguson rushed into the end zone on the next play to extend the lead to 14-0 with 7:17 to go in the first half.

"We talked about getting the explosion plays," Smith said of Tibbs, who had four catches for 118 yards. "We ran the ball well, we got some explosion plays, and that's what we needed. We were able to move the ball the way we wanted to."

Southwest Baptist answered with a 10-play, 77-yard drive that finished with a 5-yard touchdown pass from Bryse Salik to Connor Ratcliffe in the back of the end zone. Alec Gathright's extra point cut the Lincoln lead to 14-7 with 3:54 remaining in the half.

The Blue Tigers began the second half with the one-possession lead and used the first seven minutes of the second half to widen the gap.

The Lincoln defense forced a pair of three-and-outs to open the half, while the offense found the end zone on its first two possessions.

"When the ball started rolling on their side, we stayed together and got the ball back to our side to have the momentum," Smith said.

Quarterback Henry Ogala scrambled for a 29-yard gain to the Bearcats' 6-yard line. Two plays later, Terry Hunter scored on a 2-yard run to make the score 21-7 with 10:14 left in the third.

After a 12-yard punt by Southwest Baptist, Lincoln took advantage of the short field and only needed three plays to hit paydirt. Ogala faked a handoff and ran right up the middle for a 15-yard score. Ramirez's extra point gave Lincoln its biggest lead of the season at 28-7 with 8:27 to play in the quarter.

The Bearcats responded with a pair of field goals by Gathright. The first, a 38-yarder, capped an 11-play drive that took four minutes to unfold. The second, a 26-yarder, came on the first play of the fourth quarter to cut Lincoln's lead to 28-13.

Southwest Baptist was forced to punt on its next two possessions and then had a 16-play drive stall in the red zone, resulting in a turnover on downs with 1:28 to play in the game, and Lincoln was able to run out the clock.

"We know our defense is solid," Smith said. "We have to make sure we continue to keep that 'bend but don't break.' We have to put that seven (points) up because we know our defense can keep us in it."

Lincoln held Southwest Baptist (0-3, 0-1 GLVC) to 251 yards of offense and just 43 yards rushing on 27 attempts.

Ogala completed 11-of-19 passes for 169 yards. Lincoln's running game produced another 178 yards and was led by Ferguson, who had 12 carries for 63 yards. Ogala and Hunter each added 40 yards rushing.

Amani Nelson, Hasan Muhammad-Rogers, Victor Williams and Edwin Durassaint each had seven total tackles to lead the Blue Tigers' defense.

Lincoln (2-2, 1-0 GLVC) will play next Saturday at Indianapolis, with kickoff scheduled for 5 p.m. CST. The Greyhounds (2-1, 1-0 GLVC), ranked No. 25 in NCAA Division II, opened conference play Saturday with a 41-14 home win against William Jewell.