The Lindenwood football team put together a dominating performance on Saturday in Joplin, Mo., and it defeated Missouri Southern by a 37-17 score.
 
Play of the Game
Lindenwood led by just seven late in the second quarter and had a fourth-and-eight play at the Missouri Southern 27-yard line. Najee Jackson completed a pass to Kai Collier for a first down, and the Lindenwood would score a touchdown a few plays later by Shakeem Wharton. That touchdown put the Lions up by two possessions and they were never threatened in the second half.
 
First Quarter (Lindenwood led 10-3)

• Lindenwood defense forced a three-and-out to start the game, and the offense put together a touchdown drive to go up 7-0. Najee Jackson finished the drive with a four-yard run.
• Both teams kicked a field goal the next time they touched the ball, with Lindenwood's being a 38-yard field goal by Travis Spraul.

 
Second Quarter (Lindenwood led 24-10)

• Missouri Southern opened the second quarter with a turnover on downs. Lindenwood scored again after that with a 12-play, 62-yard drive. John Johnson, in his second collegiate game, caught two third-down passes on the drive, including a five-yard touchdown reception.
• Missouri Southern found the endzone midway through the quarter, with the big play being a 42-yard pass play to get down to Lindenwood's 13-yard line.
• After a Lindenwood turnover deep in Missouri Southern territory, the defense forced a quick three-and-out, which led to another Lindenwood touchdown. Jonathan Harris had two tackles for no gain in that defensive stand.
• Missouri Southern was unable to score in the final 33 seconds of the half.

 
Third Quarter (Lindenwood led 37-10)

• Lindenwood put the game away with two third-quarter touchdowns. After trading punts to start the half, Lindenwood had a one-play drive when Jackson hit Kendell Sparks for a 45-yard score.
• After another defensive stop, Lindenwood scored again when Campbell rushed it in from 14-yards out. Campbell had 51 rushing yards on just that drive.

 
Fourth Quarter (Lindenwood won 37-17 )

• Missouri southern had a 15-play drive in the end of the third quarter and the start of the fourth. The drive ended on a 14-yard trick pass play.
• Lindenwood concentrated on running the clock the rest of the way, having 8:27 of time of possession for the quarter. The two teams traded punts for the rest of the game.

 
Key Team Statistics

• Lindenwood had 299 rushing yards and 479 total yards. Missouri Southern was held under 300 yards of total offense.
• Lindenwood averaged 6.2 yards per play, compared to 4.1 for Missouri Southern.
• Lindenwood was five-of-five in the redzone, including four touchdowns.

 
Key Individual Statistics

• Campbell had his second straight 100-yard rushing game with a season-high 129 yards. Shakeem Wharton finished with 91. Both players averaged 6.5 yards per carry or higher.
• Jackson threw for 180 yards and two touchdowns. Kendell Sparks was the top receiver with 87 yards.
• Antonio Davis led the defense with eight tackles and 2.0 tackles for loss.
• Ace Rogers had a team-high two pass breakups.

 
Game Notes:

• Lindenwood improves to 4-6 on the season, while Missouri Southern falls to 0-10.
• Lindenwood now leads the all-time series with Missouri Southern by a 4-1 margin, including a 2-0 record in Joplin, Mo.
• Lindenwood's four wins on the season is the most for the program since the 2012 campaign.