complete game notes in .pdf format
Storyline
Lindenwood will be going for the 100th football victory in school history this weekend in what is being forecasted as one of the top regular season NAIA contests this season. The No. 3 Lions will host No. 7 MidAmerica Nazarene on Saturday at 6 p.m. at Harlen C. Hunter Stadium.
In recent history, Lindenwood and MidAmerica Nazarene have been the teams to beat in the HAAC. The two programs have combined to win five out of the last seven conference championships and both teams have advanced to the NAIA Football Championship Series the last two seasons.
The game will feature two of the top offenses in the nation as the two teams have combined to average 109 points and 1060 yards of total offense a game. Both teams also rank in among the upper half of the conference in scoring and total defense.
Lindenwood moved to 3-0 last week with a wild 45-37 victory over No. 13 Missouri Valley. Philip Staback threw an 18-yard touchdown pass to Matt Bramow with 19.2 seconds remaining to give the Lions the victory.
MidAmerica Nazarene is also 3-0 on the season with its closest decision being by a 52-26 margin last Saturday against Culver-Stockton.
A Lindenwood Win Would...
•?improve the program to 100-110 all-time.
•?improve the Lions to 48-16 under head coach Patrick Ross.
•?be the fifth straight time in the Lindenwood/MidAmerica Nazarene series that the home team won.
•?be the Lions' 14 straight victory at Hunter Stadium.
•?increase Lindenwood's conference winning streak to 13 games.
A Lindenwood Loss Would...
•?drop the program to 99-111 all-time.
•?drop the Lions to 47-17 under head coach Patrick Ross.
•?improve MidAmerica Nazarene's HAAC winning streak to 17 games.
•?drop the Lions to 6-8 all-time versus the Pioneers.
High Powered Offense
Lindenwood leads the NAIA in scoring offense, is second in total offense, third in rushing offense, and 10th in passing offense.
Scoring Leaders
Denodus O'Bryant is third in the NAIA by averaging 12.0 points a game. He has scored six touchdowns, five of which have been 58 yards or longer.
Halley Ferrell continues to lead kickers in the NAIA with 9.3 points a game.
Yards Per Carry
Lindenwood leads the NAIA by averaging 9.2 yards per rush. That number is boosted by having six runs of 48 yards or longer.
Denodus O'Bryant is the nation's leader with 18.0 yards per carry. Only one other running back has carried 20 or more times and is averaging 10 or more yards per carry. Fred Byers of Cumberlands is second at 10.4 yards per rush.
Rush Defense
Lindenwood has been stingy with its run defense, holding all three opponents this year under 100 yards. Last season, the Lions allowed 147.6 rushing yards a game, over 60 more than this season, and only had five games in which it held the other team under 100 yards.
TD:INT Ratio
Over the last two weeks, Philip Staback has a 3:1 touchdown to interception ratio, and has thrown three scores in each game.
Turnover Margin
Lindenwood has a +6 turnover margin in MidAmerica Nazarene games the last five years. The three games Lindenwood has won in that span, it has also won the turnover battle. This season, Lindenwood is second in the HAAC with a +2 turnover margin, while the Pioneers are last with a -5 margin.
Two Minute Drill
One area that helped Lindenwood defeat Missouri Valley was excelling in the two minute drill. In the first half, Missouri Valley earned possession of the ball with 2:07 remaining. The Lions forced a turnover and turned it into three points before half. In the second half, Philip Staback engineered a nine-play, 69 yard drive in the two minute drill to win the game for Lindenwood.
Lindenwood has scored two other times in the final minute of a half, once on a pass and once on an interception return.
Red Zone
Lindenwood is 12-of-12 in the red zone this year, including 10 touchdowns. The opposition is six-of-eight, with just three touchdowns.
Second Half Scoring
Lindenwood has outscored its opposition 94-32 in the second-half.
Up Next
Lindenwood will head on the road to face Avila on Oct. 3. The Eagles are currently 1-2 overall and 0-2 in the HAAC.
About The Pioneers
MidAmerica Nazarene is 3-0 after starting the season with wins over Avila, Baker, and Culver-Stockton.
The Pioneers are fifth in the NAIA with 51.0 points a game and seventh with 502.7 total yards a game. It also ranks in the top 20 in scoring and total defense.
Tyler Herl directs the offense and averages 234.3 passing and 29.0 rushing yards a game. He has thrown 10 touchdown passes and rushed for another.
There are three main receiving threats in Tim Richmond, Jared Elmore, and Juan Redmon. That trio has combined for 32 receptions for 573 yards and nine scores.
The rushing game is averaging 229.7 yards a game and has four rushers with over 100 yards on the season.
Defensively, Dantren Anderson has a team-high 28 tackles, 4.0 tackles for loss, and two fumble recoveries.
Last Week
MidAmerica Nazarene led just 24-19 at halftime versus Culver-Stockton last week, but pulled away in the final 30 minutes for a 52-26 victory.
The Pioneers turned the ball over six times (and forced none) but overcame that by having 588 total offense yards, compared to 261 for the Wildcats.
Tyler Herl threw for 339 yards and three touchdowns. All three scores were tossed to Jared Elmore who finished with 152 receiving yards. Demerick Chancellor had 104 rushing yards and two touchdowns.
Head Coach Jonathan Quinn
Jonathan Quinn is in his first season as head coach of MidAmerica Nazarene. He previously was an assistant coach for the last three years for the Pioneers.
Quinn was a NFL quarterback for seven years with the Chiefs, Bears, and Jaguars.
