ROLLA, Mo. -- Missouri S&T will look to pick up a win on its Homecoming for the second consecutive year Saturday as it welcomes Lincoln University to Allgood-Bailey Stadium for a Great Lakes Valley Conference contest. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m.
Both teams are looking to get back into the win columns after suffering losses last Saturday, as the Miners fell on the road to Division I FCS Kennesaw State 49-16 and Lincoln dropped a 27-17 home decision to Saint Joseph's in GLVC play. The Miners come into play Saturday at 3-3 overall and 2-1 in the GLVC, while the Blue Tigers are seeking their first GLVC win as they are 0-3 in the conference and 1-5 overall.
Despite last week's loss, S&T enters the contest still ranked third in the GLVC in scoring and second in total defense, allowing just 329.8 points per game. The Miners are scoring 34.3 points per game coming into Saturday's game.
ABOUT THE MINERS: Missouri S&T hung in the game with Kennesaw State last week, trailing just 28-16 at the end of three quarters in the eventual loss to the Owls from the Big South Conference.
Although it finished the game with just 248 total yards, the Miners still rank fifth in the GLVC with an average of 360.5 yards per game. Quarterback
Tyler Swart (Dickinson, TX/Dickinson) has completed 55.4 percent of his passes for 1,286 yards and 12 touchdowns this season.
Top target
Braxton Graham (Seneca, MO/Seneca), who had a 73-yard touchdown catch and 167 all-purpose yards last week, is third in the GLVC with 36 catches for 643 yards and four touchdowns; he is also second in the league with 984 all-purpose yards as he approaches his second straight 1,000-yard season.
Ray Mullen (Palm Springs, CA/Palm Springs) has 19 receptions for 265 yards and three scores, while
Logan Armontrout (Centralia, MO/Centralia) has 11 catches for 129 yards.
Charles Bournes (Chicago, IL/Morgan Park), who rushed for a career-high 116 yards the last time the Miners played at home, heads the running game with 311 yards.
In its last home appearance, S&T's defense posted its first shutout in over four years in a 26-0 win over William Jewell. The Miners have the GLVC's second-best defense, allowing an average of just 329.8 yards per game and only 128.3 a contest on the ground.
Landon Compton (Lamar, MO/Lamar) leads the Miners with 53 tackles on the year after posted 10 last week, while
Austin Truvillion (Kansas City, MO/Park Hill) and
Bret Curtis (Lombard, IL/Glenbard South) -- who earned the GLVC's Player of the Week award following the William Jewell contest -- have 34 tackles apiece.
Bo Brooks (Canutillo, TX/Canutillo) and
Nate Brown (Webb City, MO/Webb City) have been in on 27 stops apiece for a unit that has also recorded returns for touchdowns in two straight games, including
Isaiah Hardy (San Jose, CA/Sobrato)'s 65-yard fumble return last week and has three as a team this year. The three scoring plays are one short of the program's single-season record for defensive touchdowns.
ABOUT LINCOLN: The Blue Tigers, who underwent a coaching change two weeks ago, fell 27-17 at home to Saint Joseph's last Saturday a week after posting their first win of the year in a 12-9 win over Lane.
In the win over Lane, placekicker Alex Templeton accounted for all of LU's point with four field goals, including a 54-yarder with two seconds to play to win the game. Templeton is second in the GLVC with six field goals this year.
Quarterback Dennis Vinson had a hand in both of Lincoln's touchdowns last week, scoring once on the ground and the other on his fifth touchdown pass of the season. Vinson, who set Lincoln single-game records last week by completing 34 passes for 432 yards, has thrown for 1,084 yards while completing 51 percent of his throws; Bryson Winfrey leads LU with 26 receptions for 231 yards.
Will Randolph heads the Blue Tiger ground game with 312 yards and has a team-high 536 all-purpose yards.
Lincoln's defensive unit is headed by linebacker Addison Tucker with 41 tackles, while Aaron Brown has been in on 34 stops and Marvin Holley on 33. Noah Johnson has 2.5 of Lincoln's nine quarterback sacks on the year, while Amani Nelson and Jeff Jones have the two Blue Tiger interceptions this season. Opposing teams have scored on only 13 of 20 red zone possessions against the Blue Tigers.
