complete game notes in .pdf format
Storyline
Lindenwood ends its regular season this weekend at William Jewell. The Lions are looking to nail down a spot in the NAIA Football Championship Series and a likely first-round home contest. The team would also like a big momentum boost heading into the postseason like last season, when the Lions went into the playoffs following a 73-6 win over William Jewell.
This year's William Jewell squad has a much different look than last year's. The Cardinals have already improved by three victories and have a defense that has not allowed over 14 points in three straight games. William Jewell is only allowing 277.8 yards a contest.
The stingy defense of the Cardinals should be a good test for Lindenwood's offense which is currently on pace to set NAIA records for scoring and total offense. Since its lone loss of the season, the Lions are averaging nearly 62 points a game.
Another key area of the game will be the Lindenwood defense trying to rebound after allowing a season-high 33 points last weekend. The Cardinals will look to try to control the clock with its running game which is averaging nearly 150 yards a game. Lindenwood did a good job in the run defense last week, allowing Graceland just 66 yards on 36 carries.
A Lindenwood Win Would...
- improve the program to 118-112-2 all-time.
- improve the Lions to 66-18 under head coach Patrick Ross.
- the third straight victory over William Jewell.
- give the team sole possession of second place in the conference standing, marking the fourth straight year that the Lions finished second or better in the conference.
- be the team's third win in its last four trips to Liberty.
A Lindenwood Loss Would...
- drop the program to 117-113-2 all-time.
- drop the Lions to 65-19 under Patrick Ross.
- be William Jewell's first win over the Lions since 2006.
- be William Jewell's fifth win, four more than last year.
Big Play Offense
Lindenwood is currently averaging 9.2 yards per play which would set a new NAIA record. In fact, the record for all levels of college football for yards per play is 9.2 which was set by NCAA Division II Hanover in 1948.
Lindenwood has 82 plays from scrimmage this year that have been 20 yards or longer, an average of over nine a game. Twelve of those plays have been 50 yards or longer.
Jamere Holland and Denodus O'Bryant are the biggest long play threat. Holland has 24 on the season, four more than O'Bryant.
Record Watch
Philip Staback needs just three touchdown passes to break the school's career record in that category. Other Lions approaching career records are Denodus O'Bryant being five rushing touchdowns away from tying that mark, and Matt Bramow needing 197 receiving yards to hold all three major receiving records.
Ground Game
Lindenwood has had more success in its running game over the last three weeks. The Lions have rushed for 883 yards and 13 touchdowns in the last three games. It is averaging just under nine yards per rush in that span.
Scoring Leaders
Running backs Denodus O'Bryant and Nate Orlando are 1-2 in the HAAC in scoring. O'Bryant has 16 touchdowns and Orlando has scored 13 times.
Turnover Battle
The Lindenwood offense has fallen back into a bad habit of making mistakes with the football. The Lions have turned it over eight times in the last three games.
The defense has helped keep that from being a big problem, as Lindenwood is forcing three turnovers a game over the last five games.
Red Zone Defense
Lindenwood's defense has stopped the opposing team from scoring in the red zone one out of every three times this season. Opponents are just 16 of 24 in scoring in the red zone and 12 out of 24 in scoring touchdowns. Four times, the Lions have forced a turnover with two interceptions and two fumbles.
Where's Morris?
Lindenwood has not used punter Morris Keseloff much in 2010, with the team punting just 10 times. The Lions have not punted for the last 12 quarters. Keseloff is being used on kickoffs, averaging 58.9 yards per kick with six touchbacks.
Jones For Six
Senior Dan Jones scored his first collegiate touchdown last Saturday. The offensive lineman lined out wide and took a backwards pass 15 yards for six points.
Up Next
The field for the 2010 NAIA Football Championship Series and the first-round matchups will be announced on Sunday afternoon.
About The Cardinals
William Jewell has won four games this season, three more than last year. Its improvement could be even better as two of its losses have been by just a single field goal.
Nelson Windebank leads the defense with 72 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, and 6.5 sacks. David Diener has 64 tackles and three fumble recoveries, and Chris Ramirez has 63 tackles and two interceptions.
Offensively, the team is led by a trio of running backs. Fealt Cooper, Jake Lynch, and Chris Stuart have combined for 1,396 yards and 12 touchdowns.
Sean Shelton is the number one quarterback. He has thrown for over 1,000 yards and four touchdowns. Taylor Gallagher is the leading receiver with 25 catches for 276 yards and two scores.
Last Week
William Jewell kicked five field goals to get past Culver-Stockton by a 21-13 score.
The Cardinals allowed just 195 yards in the game. Nelson Windebank had a team-high 10 tackles and 2.0 tackles for loss. David Diener had eight tackles, a fumble recovery, and a sack.
Offensively, the Cardinals had 358 total yards. Drew Witman threw for 182 yards and rushed for 34 yards. Ethan Cunningham had three catches for 67 yards. Chris Stuart rushed for 125 yards and the team's lone touchdown.
Head Coach Jerod Kruse
Jerod Kruse is in his first year as a collegiate head coach. Previously, he was a defensive assistant at William Jewell, Baker, and Emporia State.
