Truman State University snagged its first win of the season in the GLVC and overall win category in blowout fashion winning 41-14 last Saturday at Lincoln University.
Head coach Gregg Nesbitt said Lincoln played a tough game, and he said the Bulldog offense was meticulous on scoring drives. He said the defense played a big role in the win, with the Truman defense producing two recovered fumbles, two interceptions and two sacks leading to stellar field positioning.
The Purple and White started the game strong with a rushing touchdown by sophomore running back Jordan Salima at the end of a 4-play drive before the offense followed with a 3-play scoring drive. Fumbles kept the Lincoln offense high and dry. Redshirt sophomore quarterback Jaden Barr rushed for a touchdown from 1 yard out for the Bulldogs third first-quarter touchdown.
Lincoln put up a fight and started to climb back during the second and third quarters, bringing the score to 21-14. The Bulldogs answered, however, with a third touchdown by Salima, and yet another off an interception by sophomore defensive back Jordan Siegel that stopped any further attempts from Lincoln to come back.
“Some of their mistakes are our good fortune,” Nesbitt said. “We started fast with a couple nice 3 or 4-play drives to score, and it was nice to see we were up 21-0 at the end of the first quarter. There was still work to be done, but the game was in hand midway through the third [quarter].”
Nesbitt said it’s critical to maintain quick responses when the opponent scores. He said each side of the ball feeds off the pace and response of the other team, so it is imperative to fulfill the need for rapid action on the offense, defense and special teams.
The University of Indianapolis will be the Bulldogs next opponent. UIndy was expected to finish fourth in the GLVC this season, behind Southwest Baptist University, Truman and McKendree University.
Currently, the Greyhounds have a 4-0 record, including their season-opening eye upset win against No. 2 Grand Valley State University. The Greyhounds were recently announced as No. 10 in the national coaches’ poll — a program-high and GLVC record-high ranking for them.
The Bulldogs face the University of Indianapolis at 6 p.m. EDT Saturday, Sept. 30, at Key Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana.