Opponent: Lincoln Oaklanders
Date: October 9, 2021
Time: 6 PM
Where: Ratliff Stadium, Odessa, Texas
Weather: 93 degrees and sunny at kickoff, wind S 15 mph
Watch: Lone Star Conference Digital Network
Listen: Rock 95.1 FM
Follow Along: Live Stats
Tickets
 
Scouting the opponent
Coming into Ratliff is a new program, Lincoln (CA), who prior to this season didn't have an athletics department.  The upstart program started the season 1-3 including a win over Division III Willamette in Salem, Oregon.  For the first three weeks, Lincoln has used a heavy ground attack on offense.  They averaged 145.0 yards on the ground and held opponents to 92.7 yards per game. 
 
They are led under center by former Tarleton quarterback Cameron Burston.  He has thrown for five touchdowns and 723 yards over their first four games.  Lincoln has been adept at forcing turnovers early in the season.  They have turned it over seven times but taken it away 10 times with seven interceptions.
 
Keeping the Train Rolling
Falcon Football is red-hot winning of 10 of their last 12 games, including nine in a row against Division II opposition.  In the spring of 2021, the Falcons went 5-0 and re-wrote the record books along the way.  The Falcons won five games in a season for the first time in program history and set a record for the longest winning streak to start a season.   In those wins the Falcons:
· Tied for the largest comeback in program history (14)
· Scored the most points in program history (70)
· Set the largest margin of victory (56)
· First overtime game and win
· Beat West Texas A&M and Midwestern State for the first time
 
Magic Man
Clayton Roberts sports arguably the best facial hair in all of college football but may also be the top QB in Division II.  Roberts broke a school record with six TD passes in a game, and came within one of tying the single game Lone Star Conference record against West Texas A&M.  
 
Ground and Pound
The Falcons have completely remade their rushing attack from the spring.  That team averaged 74.8 yards per game and finished with 374 total on the ground.  So far in 2021 the Falcons have averaged 139.0 per game and 556 total yards in one less game. 
A major reason is the combo of Nathan Tilford and Jayvon Davis.  Tilford, a transfer from Arizona, and Davis, a true freshman, are the perfect duo in the Falcon backfield.  Tilford leads the way with 253 yards on 56 carries while Davis has seen his workload increase every week and has 233 yards on 42 carries.  Davis has found the end zone in back-to-back games giving the team four rushing touchdowns on the season. 
 
Winning on the Perimeter
MJ Link is making his case as one of the best receivers in Division II football.  Against West Texas A&M, the junior went off for 140 yards and a pair of touchdowns, his third career multi-TD game in just his eighth game as a Falcon.  For his career Link now has nine touchdown receptions in nine games to go along with 621 yards on 37 catches.  Link is looking to become the third player in program history with 10 career touchdown receptions.
Kobe Robinson hasn't found the end zone yet this season, but the junior leads the team with 23 catches and 294 yards. The junior is closing in on history.  Robinson has 933 yards and 78 receptions for his career along with eight touchdowns.  Robinson is looking to become just the third player in program history to reach each of those numbers individually, and would join Mitchell Leonard as the only player to record 1,000 yards, 100 receptions, and 10 touchdowns as a Falcon.
Jordan Smart has had a fantastic start to his Falcon career.  He's burst onto the scene as a freshman with three touchdowns on 14 catches for 156 yards.
 
Getting Defensive
The Falcon defense bent but didn't break against Western New Mexico.  The Mustangs outgained the Falcons on Saturday, but two crucial turnovers and some timely third down conversions kept the Falcons on top in the end.  Jaques Tyler had a pair of interceptions on the night, the fourth two interception game in program history.  All of those games have come since the start of the spring 2021 season.
 
Home Cooking
The Falcons have turned the Permian Basin into a tough place for opposing teams in recent years.  Since 2018 the Falcons are 10-5 at Ratliff and Grande Stadium.  The last two seasons the Falcons are 8-2 and are winners of six straight home games. 
 
Closing Time
Give the Falcons a lead and they won't look back.  All-time the Falcons are 15-2 with a halftime lead and 17-3 with a lead after three quarters.  
 
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