No. 1 Lincoln put on a show on both sides of the ball in last night's home win over Muldrow, as the Bulldogs cruised in a 49-3 win.

Lincoln (7-0, 4-0) gained 458 yards on just 28 offensive snaps, while the defense held Muldrow to just 130 total yards and 2.4 yards per play.

In a perfectly balanced attack, Lincoln leaned on its big three offensively, as the Bulldogs produced 229 passing yards and ran for 229 yards as a team.

The 1-2 punch at running back dominated the game, as junior Braeden Baker and sophomore CJ Wright combined for 171 rushing yards and 153 receiving yards in the win.

"We always strive to maintain a certain balance in our offense," said Lincoln head coach Jerry Ricke. "We are really good when we run the ball effectively, as it opens up our RPOs and boot/play-action game. You add in the screen game where we try to make them defend the field horizontally, and we can become tough to deal with."

Baker led the way on the ground for Lincoln, running eight times for 105 yards and three touchdowns. Wright added 66 yards rushing on just three carries.

Wright had five catches for 77 yards and two scores, while Baker finished with two catches for 76 yards and a touchdown.

"It was a big emphasis to get both Braeden and CJ going last night," Ricke said. "We got them the ball early, and they both made big plays on the run and pass game. I thought our offensive line, tight ends, and fullbacks did a really good job of getting both our 1st-level and 2nd-level blocks."

Lincoln jumped out to an early lead, forcing a 3-and-out to start the game before Baker scored his first TD of the night.

The Bulldogs needed just three plays to go 68 yards, as Wright busted loose for 30 on the first play of the drive.

Two plays later, Baker housed it for a 35-yard score, as Lincoln 7-0 less than three minutes into the game.

Muldrow was forced to punt again after just three plays, as the Bulldogs got it back and scored even quicker this time.

On the second play of the drive, senior quarterback Carter Ricke rolled right, bought time and found sophomore receiver Caleb Peterson, who was sitting open in a hole in the zone.

Peterson hauled in the pass, barreled over two defenders and put his speed on display, racing the rest of the way for a 58-yard touchdown.

"Big plays have been and will continue to be a big part of our offense," said Ricke. "During every rep in practice, one of our offensive coaches is yelling 'score' after every offensive snap."

"We want our guys to always be thinking aggressively with the ball in their hands," said Ricke. "I was really thrilled to see Caleb Peterson get one of those on offense and get into the end zone."

The score stretched the lead to 14-0 with 6:49 to go in the opening quarter.

More of the same followed, as Lincoln continued to get off the field on 3rd down, forcing another 3-and-out to get the ball back to the offense.

"Our 3rd down defense is the most important aspect of our defense," said Ricke. "We are constantly preaching to our defense about getting off the field to get our offense back on the field."

"They had some drives last night where we could have been better on 3rd down, but overall, our defense has really been good in these situations."

The Bulldogs wasted no time pushing the lead out, as Ricke hit Baker for 45 yards on a 3rd down screen play that was wide open, moving it inside of the Muldrow 25.

On the next play, Ricke found Wright streaking on an in-route, as the perfect pass hit the speedster in stride for his first score of the night.

The 22-yard score put Lincoln up 21-0 with 3:56 to go in the 1st quarter.

Ricke was 10-of-14 for 229 yards and four scores on the night.

After the teams traded possessions, Muldrow had its best drive of the night, as the Bulldogs moved it inside the Lincoln 5-yard line.

But Lincoln stood up and pushed Muldrow backwards, forcing the Bulldogs to end the 8-play drive with a 29-yard field goal by Wyatt Prewitt.

The kick made it 21-3 with 7:23 to go in the first half.

Lincoln respond almost instantly again, as Wright broke free on the first play of the following drive for a 36-yard gain, setting up Baker's 2nd score of the night from two yards out on the next snap.

It was quickly 28-3 just 12 seconds later.

The Lincoln defense forced a turnover just minutes later, as Peterson stepped in front of a pass for his 4th interception of the year.

However, Muldrow got the ball back shortly after as Ricke was picked off in the end zone by Teaguen Collins with three minutes left in the half.

But Lincoln pushed Muldrow backwards on the drive after the turnover, which ended in a blocked punt that set Lincoln up inside the 15 with 2:24 left in the half.

Two plays later, Baker scored for the third time on the evening, walking in from eight yards out to make it 35-3.

The Bulldogs came out of the halftime break and added to their lead, scoring again on just a 4-play drive.

Baker ran for 18 yards before setting up his 4th and final score of the night.

Ricke found the junior open on the home sideline on another screen play, as Baker cruised into the end zone, making it 42-3 with 9:23 to play in the 3rd.

Lincoln's final score of the night came after the Bulldogs got their third takeaway of the game.

Junior linebacker Parker Rogers jumped in front of a Collins' pass and returned it 41 yards to set Lincoln up inside the 10-yard line.

Sophomore Isaac Beisel also had a fumble recovery late in the 2nd quarter, as Lincoln had a season-high in turnovers forced.

"I think it is the result of being where you are supposed to be within our scheme," Ricke said. "Coach Comfort does a really good job of mixing coverages with pressures, and it makes it difficult for the opposing quarterback. We definitely emphasize turnovers in practice and I was glad to see us get a couple last night."

Wright scored his second touchdown of the night on the following play, as he came in motion and Ricke flipped to him.

The sophomore spun, juked and cut back across the field and dove into the end zone, dragging two defenders with him for the 8-yard TD with 1:25 to go in the 3rd.

Lincoln held Muldrow to just 4-of-14 on 3rd down in the win.

Lincoln had the ball for just 11:12 and faced just two 3rd downs on the night, converting both.

The win extended Lincoln's win streak to 35 games. The Bulldogs have also won 55 straight at home and 47 in-a-row in district play.

Lincoln will be at home for the final time in the regular season next week to host Checotah.


Photos by Lee Talley