THIS WEEK IN GRIFFON FOOTBALL
Saturday, 12 p.m.
Missouri Western (7-3) at Lincoln (1-9)
 
ST. JOSEPH – Griffon Football makes its first-ever appearance at Lincoln, Saturday, in the 2019 regular season finale.
 
Already with its most regular season wins since 2014, an eighth win Saturday would be the most for the program since 2013.
 
SETTING THE STAGE

• Missouri Western plays at Lincoln for the first time ever, searching for its first eight-win season since 2013.
• The Griffons will also look to tie a program record with a 10^th straight win away from Spratt Stadium.
• NCAA DII Playoff hopes were dashed with a loss to Nebraska Kearney last week, but the Griffons are set for their second consecutive bowl appearance, the first time the program has played postseason games since 2011 and '12
• Picked 7^th in the MIAA Coaches and Media Preseason polls, the Griffons are tied for 3^rd with Fort Hays State headed into the final regular season game. MWSU can finish no higher than third, currently two games back of 2^nd place Northwest Missouri. It would take a loss at 10^th place Lincoln to finish fourth.
• Lincoln re-joined the MIAA for football this season after a four-year hiatus in the GLVC. The Blue Tigers have one win on the season, 27-9 over Northeastern State on Oct. 19, but have been outscored 195-21 in three straight losses to Northwest Missouri, Fort Hays State and Central Missouri.

 
SCOUTING THE GRIFFONS

• Missouri Western had a six-game win streak snapped last week with a 49-21 loss to Nebraska Kearney on Senior Day at Spratt Stadium.
• The Griffons' seven regular season wins are the most since going 7-4 in 2014. MWSU did win seven games last year, but went 6-5 in the regular season before a win in the Live United Bowl over Southern Arkansas.
• At 38.9 points per game, the Griffons feature the MIAA's 3^rd-highest scoring offense and have five 40-plus point games this season.
• Last week's loss was the only loss this season when the Griffons did not lead or tie the game in the fourth quarter.
• MWSU leads the MIAA and ranks 11^th in DII with six blocked kicks, including two last week. Arnold Crayton ranks 4^th in the nation with three of those blocks.
• The Griffons rank 7^th in the nation and 1^st in the MIAA, averaging 26.42 yards per kick return and are 2^nd in the nation in punt return defense allowing fewer than one yard per return.
• True freshman Trey Vaval is in position to break the MIAA single season kickoff return average record. He's 4^th in the nation, averaging 35.2 yards per return which is almost four yards better than Karl Evans' (MSSU) record set in 1992. The Blue Springs native leads the nation with 990 combined kick return yards. Vaval could also break the MIAA and MWSU's kick return touchdowns in a season record with one more this year. He had his second last week against UNK. Vaval's 16.5-yard punt return averages also leads the MIAA and ranks 5^th in the nation.
• Wyatt Steigerwald's 26 touchdown passes are the 8^th most in DII and 3^rd most in the MIAA.
• Markel Smith leads the MIAA with 12 rushing touchdowns.
• Arnold Crayton is tied for 2^nd in the MIAA with 10 tackles for loss.  

 
SCOUTING LINCOLN

• After defeating Northeastern State, the Blue Tigers have dropped their last three and have not scored more than nine points in any of the losses and have surrendered no less than 56 in that span.
• Hosea Franklin leads the MIAA and ranks 6^th in the nation with 1,356 rushing yards.
• Allowing just over 530 yards per game, the Lincoln defense ranks 165^th out of 166 DII football programs in total defense.
• The Lincoln offense ranks 155^th in DII, averaging just under 253 yards per game.
• The Blue Tigers have 436 rushing attempts to 187 passing attempts on the season and their passing offense averages 61 yards per game, 163^rd in the nation.

 
SERIES HISTORY

• The two programs have played just three times with Missouri Western winning them all in St. Joseph.
• Missouri Western scored 81 points in both of the previous two meetings (2010 & '11).

 
MISSOURI WESTERN HEAD COACH MATT WILLIAMSON

• The 1996 MWSU graduate and two-time All-MIAA defensive lineman is 18-15 in his third season as a head coach.
• After beginning his coaching career at MWSU as a graduate assistant, Williamson spent 11 years as an assistant at Arkansas-Monticello, Central Arkansas and Stephen F. Austin.

 
LINCOLN INTERIM HEAD COACH MALIK HOSKINS

• Hoskins was the offensive coordinator the previous two seasons at Lincoln before being named interim head coach in May.