Joplin, Mo. --  The Missouri Southern football team will be out on the road this Saturday when the Lions travel to Jefferson City to take on Lincoln University. Kickoff from Dwight T. Reed Stadium is set for 2 pm. 

Game Information
Team Records: MSSU 1-4, 1-4 MIAA | LU 0-4, 0-4 MIAA
Date: Saturday, Oct. 9
Kick-Off: 2:00 pm, CT
Location:  Jefferson City, Mo.
Site: Dwight T. Reed Stadium  (5,500)
Series Record: MSSU leads 9-2
Coaches: Atiba Bradley (2-4, overall/at MSSU) | Malik Hoskins  (4-21 overall/1-14 at LU)

Media Coverage
MSSU Radio: Fox Sports Joplin 101.3, 101.7 and AM 1560; - Mike McClure, Play-by-Play, Scott Boudreaux, Color
Live Coverage: www.mssulions.com/coverage 
Lions on Facebook:  Facebook.com/mososports
Lions on Twitter: @mososports; @mosofootball
Lions on Instagram: @mososports

The Series:  Lincoln won the first two games in the series back in 1969 and 1970, but the Lions have won the last nine in a row. Southern is 9-2 overall in the series and are 5-1 at home, while carrying a 3-1 record in Jefferson City. Lincoln won the first two games in the series back in 1969 and 1970, but the Lions have won the last eight in a row. Southern won 56-14 in 2011 when the two teams played in the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis and the Lions won 21-14 in a rain-soaked game in 2012 that came down to the last play. The Lions have won nine games in a row against the Blue Tigers.

The Dish On The Blue Tigers: The Blue Tigers are 0-4 to start the season after a 69-28 loss last week at Central Oklahoma. LU nearly picked up its first win of the season two weeks ago as it took Northeastern State to overtime only to lose 49-48. The Blue Tigers average 108 yards on the ground and 244 in the air for 353 yards of total offense per game. LU is giving up, however, 568 yards on average each game. The Blue Tigers have lost four fumbles on the year and are 4-of-15 in fourth down conversions and 15-of-58 in third down tries. Quarterback Zamar Brake leads the offense as he is 62-of-110 on the year for 979 yards and eight touchdowns without an interception. Hosea Franklin returns in the backfield and has 75 carries for 279 yards and four scores. Brake has 38 carries for 90 yards, while Tori Hicks has 13 carries and a score. Through the air, Winston Ausmer has 19 receptions for 318 yards and four touchdowns, while Charles Johnson has six catches for 177 yards and two scores. Defensively, Elliott Albert leads the charge with 36 tackles and three for a loss with an interception and a fumble recovery. TeAndre Skinner has 29 tackles with a pair of stops behind the line of scrimmage and one blocked kick. After this, the Blue Tigers will go on the road next weekend to take on Pittsburg State. Kickoff from Carnie-Smith Stadium is set for 1 pm.

A Victory vs. The Blue Tigers Would: be ten in a row against the Blue Tigers. The Lions dropped the first two games in the series with Lincoln, but have won the last nine.

NFL Representation: The Lions will have Brandon Williams as the lone MSSU alum in the NFL this season. Williams has blossomed into one of the best interior defensive linemen in the NFL and in 2017 became one of the highest-paid, as well, signing a five-year, $54 million contract.

NFL Executive: Former Lion and former NFL wide receiver James Thrash is in his third season serving as the NFL and NFLPA's Appeals Officer. He hears all appeals for the NFL regarding on-field player discipline. Thrash played 12 seasons in the NFL for the Washington Football Team and Philadelphia Eagles.

Lions On Radio: The Lions will partner with Fox Sports Joplin this year as Southern can now be heard on three separate FM stations, as well as an AM station. Fox Sports Joplin will air the Lions' games on 101.3 and 101.7 FM, as well as AM 1560.

Lions On TV: Missouri Southern's KGCS will air every Lions home game live this year during the season. They will also re-broadcast the games on Sunday evenings at 6 pm.   

Lions On The Web: All of MSSU's football games are carried live online as part of the MIAA Network. Fans can go to www.themiaanetwork.com/mssulions to view live and on-demand games.

Streaming Options: Fans now have even more options to view the Lions online in their homes and on the road. Not only can you view on your computer, fans can now view The MIAA Network on its over the top apps for either Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Roku and Android TV.   

New Head Coach: Former Lion Atiba Bradley will be the new head coach for the Lions this year. Bradley played for the Lions and graduated in 2005. He was a student assistant in 2006 and returned as an assistant coach before making other coaching stops at Missouri, Quincy, South Dakota and McKendree.

Defensive Lineage: Three former Lions' defensive coaches, all whom current head coach Atiba Bradley and assistant coach Joe Bettasso learned under, are in high-profile positions. Scottie Hazelton (04-05) is the Defensive Coordinator at Michigan State, Brian Ward (2005) is the Defensive Coordinator at Nevada and Todd Wash (2004) is the Defensive Line Coach for the Detroit Lions in the NFL.

Green And Gold Alums: The Lions have four members of their staff that were either players or earned a degree from Missouri Southern. Head Coach Atiba Bradley, as well as Defensive Coordinator Joe Bettasso and Associate Head Coach/Offensive Coordinator Matt Rahl all played for the Lions, while Director of Operations, Rylee Hartwell is a MOSO grad.

Late-Game Heroics: The Lions got a game-winning touchdown pass from Dawson Herl to Brian Boyd Jr. with 41 seconds to go to go ahead 14-10 at Central Oklahoma.

Thank You Very Much: Southern defensive back Dylan Bolden had a pair of interceptions at Central Oklahoma and both were key in the win. Bolden's first was a 27-yard pick six for the Lions' first score and his second was after Southern had gone ahead late and secured the win. The pick-six was the first time since Jaylon Alexander had one in 2019 against Northwest Missouri and it was the first time since 2015 for a player to have multiple interceptions.

4th Quarter Comeback: The Lions came-from-behind in the fourth quarter for a win at UCO this past weekend. It was the first time since 2012 (MWSU) that the Lions had done that.

Pass Catchers: Twelve different Lions have caught passes this season, with Brian Boyd, Jr. leading the way with 19 receptions.   

Young Guns: Nathan Glades ranks eighth nationally among freshmen in Division II in rushing yardage. Glades is fourth overall in the MIAA in that category (regardless of class). Dawson Herl ranks 11th nationally among freshmen in DII in passing yardage.

National Rankings: Dylan Bolden is fourth in Division II in interceptions with four, while Richard Jordan ranks 20th in total tackles and 23rd in solo tackles. Bolden ranks 13th nationally in passes defended.

National Rankings II: The Lions lead Division II in blocked punts allowed (fewest), and passes had intercepted (fewest), while ranking sixth in kickoff return defense, third in turnovers lost (fewest), 17th in turnover margin, 25th in passes intercepted and 39th in passing yards allowed (fewest).   

Turnover U: The Lions have forced eight turnovers this season and have given up only two, ranking the Lions as one of the best teams in Division II in turnover margin.

MIAA Rankings: The Lions lead the MIAA in six different categories, while ranking in the top five in 11 total categories.         

Long Time No See: The opening game this year at Nebraska-Kearney was the first time in 672 days the Lions had played an MIAA football game with the 2020 season being cancelled due to Covid-19.    

Mr. 200: Richard Jordan, Jr. went over the 200 tackle plateau against Fort Hays State. Jordan has 227 in his career at Southern.

Kick It Nick: Nick Williams had three field goals against PSU and had another one pulled off the board after a running into the kicker penalty that led to a Southern TD. Williams leads the MIAA in field goals.

This Week's Officials: The officials as assigned by the MIAA this week are as follows: referee: Tyler Burroughs, umpire: Jason Simpson, linesman: Jason Harris, line judge: Matthew Barth, side judge: Shawn Norman, field judge: Vic Doan back judge: William Gregory, center judge: Devin Jarrett.     

Tough League/Region: The MIAA has two teams in the coaches top 25 this week. Northwest Missouri is 2nd, while Nebraska-Kearney is 12th. The Super Region Three, which the Lions are a part of, has three teams in the top ten and has eight teams in the top 25. There are 12 teams total that are either ranked or receiving votes in the poll from the region.

Weather Report: The weather report for the Jefferson City area on Saturday calls for a high of 88 degrees with mostly cloudy skies with a south wind of 10 mph. Chance of rain is five percent.