ST. JOSEPH, Mo. — Griffon Football has their sights set on securing a bounce-back victory against Lincoln University this Saturday at 5 p.m. in Jefferson City, Missouri, at Dwight T. Reed Stadium.
TICKETS + WHERE TO WATCH/LISTEN
Griffon Football is once again gracing the airwaves of KFEQ Radio, as fans can tune in with "The Voice of the Griffons" Tommy Rezac and Director of Athletic Communications Derek Zimmerman-Guyer on the call. The game will air on KFEQ - AM 680 and the KFEQ Live Stream.
The game is also available to watch for a subscription fee on the MIAA Network. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m., with pregame starting at 5. Game admission is available in the "Tickets" tab.
ABOUT WEEK ONE
MWSU
It was a classic Missouri Western-Central Missouri slobber knocker last Thursday night at Spratt Stadium. The Mules came away with the 45-38 victory despite the Griffons overcoming a 14-point deficit in the fourth quarter. A four-yard touchdown connection between senior quarterback Armani Edden and senior wide receiver Caleb Martin made it a 38-31 UCM lead. Five minutes later, Grant Finley snuffed out and blocked a Mule field goal, igniting a 76-yard touchdown return by senior defensive back Brayden Wright to tie the game and send Spratt into a shocked frenzy with 5:35 minutes left to play. However, just under two minutes later, UCM junior QB Zach Zebrowski hit senior receiver Arkell Smith on a 58-yard post route, scurrying untouched into the end zone to put the Mules up for good.
Lincoln
For a brief moment, Lincoln showed it could hang with then-No. 19 Emporia State, matching the Hornets' initial score just seconds later with an 85-yard touchdown scamper by sophomore quarterback Xzavier Vaughn. Unfortunately for the Blue Tigers, ESU scored 21 unanswered points, eventually taking home a 56-10 win in Emporia, Kansas. Now losers of 27 games in a row, Lincoln is set to host its own home opener in a stadium they haven't won in since Oct. 19, 2019, when the Blue Tigers beat Northeastern State 27-9.
PROLIFIC POSITION PREVIEWS
Coaches
Head Coach Tyler Fenwick will coach his first-ever road game as the team leader this Saturday. During his offensive coordinator days from 2007-12 at Western, Fenwick's teams went 53-18. As a head coach, Fenwick is 53-49 overall after last week's loss.
This fall marks Jermaine Gales' second season leading Lincoln. In 2022, Gales brought in the biggest recruiting class in recent memory, growing the football squad to over 100 players. However, Lincoln went 0-11 last year.
Quarterbacks
Both Edden and junior Reagan Jones received plenty of playing time behind center last Thursday vs. UCM. Edden played the most snaps out of the two, completing 15-of-23 passes for 190 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions with a long completion of 32 in his first game played since 2019 at College of the Canyons. Jones hit six of his nine attempts, throwing for 67 yards, one score and one pick with a long of 31. Neither QB hit the deck, as the MWSU offensive line kept both signal callers upright all night long with zero sacks.
Making just his second career start, Vaughn showcased his speed with seven attempts for 125 rushing yards and one touchdown. Despite a good night on the ground, it was a tough go in the air for the sophomore as he threw for only 133 yards and two interceptions on 16-of-34 passing. The Emporia defense got to Vaughn twice for two sacks, engulfing freshman QB Jaylen Thomas for a third.
QB STATS VS. OPPONENT
- MWSU - Reagan Jones: 2-0 record | 8-of-15, 53.3%, 71 yards, 1 TD, 2 INTs, 3 sacks, long pass of 28. Rushing: 23 attempts, 252 yards, 2 TDs, long rush of 67.
- MWSU - Armani Edden: N/A
- LU: Xzavier Vaughn: N/A
- LU: Jaylen Thomas: N/A
Running Backs
The Griffon offense kicked into high gear early last Thursday thanks to a 25-yard TD run by senior Jared Scott, earning the first Griffon points of the night and the season. Scott finished with a game-high 68 yards on nine attempts, averaging 7.6 yards per game. Junior Brandon Hall added 21 yards on six carries. The Griffon backfield blew the doors off last year's game, as Titus McCoy made easy work of the defense for a school-record 289 yards, also tying the single-game rushing touchdown record with five trips to the end zone.
Highlighted by Vaughn's 125 yards, LaMarco Yates added 64 yards on 12 rushes, bursting away from the Hornets for a long of 17. Dawan Lomax chipped in 50 yards on 14 carries with a long of 18. Lincoln finished week one with 237 ground yards, the second most in the MIAA.
RIVALRY RECORD RABBIT HOLE
By the Numbers
Missouri Western is 6-0 all-time vs. Lincoln, first beating the Blue Tigers 45-14 on Oct. 21, 1989. The Griffons defeated Lincoln in 2010 and 2011 before picking things back up from 2019-22, scoring at least 41 points each game. The Griffons have outscored Lincoln 360-68 throughout all six games, never allowing more than 20 points. Fenwick is 2-0 vs. Lincoln as a Griff and went 5-0 vs. the Blue Tigers when he coached against them with Missouri S&T in the GLVC from 2014-18.
Last Time Out
As aforementioned, it was all MWSU and its rushing attack on Nov. 12, 2022, during Senior Day at Spratt Stadium. Missouri Western beat Lincoln 41-0 on the back of 462 rushing yards, a single-game team record. Thanks to five Titus McCoy rushing touchdowns and one courtesy of Reagan Jones, MWSU tied the fourth-best mark for rushing TDs scored in a single game.
ON THIS DAY IN GRIFFON FOOTBALL HISTORY
Sept. 9 | Box Score
On this day in 2011, Missouri Western went mental on Lincoln in an 81-20 victory for the Griffon Black & Gold. The Griffons' 81 points matched the team's school record against Lincoln the year prior. Dominic Thomas and Michael Hill blistered the Lincoln offense for a combined four touchdowns, scoring two apiece. Thomas totaled 124 rushing yards, and Hill added 94 of his own. Jerrin Walton only ran twice, but he took off for an 83-yard touchdown and finished with 94 on the day.
-30-
