Storylines
- The Lindenwood football ends its regular season this Saturday with a road game at Truman. With a win, the Lions can keep their chances alive to receive one of the conference's two bowl bids.
- Lindenwood earned its biggest win of the season last week with a 44-33 win at No. 18 Pittsburg State. The victory was the first for the Lions against a NCAA Division II nationally-ranked team, and improved their record to 7-3 overall and 6-3 in the MIAA.
- Running back
Denodus O'Bryant had a big game last week against the Gorillas, rushing for 147 yards and having 167 receiving yards. He scored three touchdowns of 80 yards or more, and was named the MIAA Offensive Player of the Week.
- Wide receiver
Andrew Helmick is within sight of two more Lindenwood records. He needs two catches to reach the school's career receptions mark of 136, and 107 receiving yards to reach the single-season record of 1,056 yards.
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Dillon Miller has thrown for seven touchdowns and just one interception over the last two weeks.
- Linebacker
Connor Harris surpassed 100 tackles for the season when he recorded a season-high 15 against Pittsburg State. He is the first Lion with over 100 tackles during the
Patrick Ross era. His 102 total tackles is the most in the MIAA.
- Cornerback
Pierre Desir continues to lead the conference with eight interceptions. Only one player among all NCAA levels has more than eight interceptions in 2012.
- Truman, one of the founding members of the MIAA, will be playing its final game as a member of the league. The Bulldogs have won 336 MIAA games and 26 MIAA conference titles since 1914.
- The 2012 Truman squad is 4-6 overall and 3-6 in the MIAA. The Bulldogs have lost four straight entering this weekend's game.
- Lindenwood has won four straight regular season finales, with the last two of those victories on the road. Last year, the Lions ended the year with a 48-14 road victory at Central Oklahoma.
Lions Offense
- Lindenwood ranks fifth in the MIAA in scoring offense (31.4 ppg) and fifth in total offense (414.7). The Lions are third in pass offense, and 11th in rushing offense.
- Over the last two games, the Lindenwood offense has six plays over 60 yards. All of those plays, three by
Denodus O'Bryant and three by
Andrew Helmick, resulted in touchdowns.
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Denodus O'Bryant and
Andrew Helmick have scored 25 of Lindenwood's 40 touchdowns this season, including 10 of 12 the last three games.
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Denodus O'Bryant is averaging over 100 rushing yards a game. If he can keep that average, he will be the fourth player in school history with at least one season averaging 100 rushing yards.
Lions Defense
- Lindenwood's defense is fourth in the MIAA in scoring defense (24.1 ppg) and ninth in total defense (384.3). The Lions are eighth in rushing defense and seventh in pass defense.
- Lindenwood is second in the MIAA with 28 sacks.
Joe Day leads the team with 6.0 sacks on the season, which is tied for sixth in the league.
- Opposing teams have 17 fumbles this season, and the Lions have recovered 11.
Malach Radigan and
Brock Reed have each forced two fumbles. AJ Chappelle,
Justin Broome, and
Joe Day each have two fumble recoveries.
- Lindenwood's defense has caused 16 turnovers on downs. Four of those have come in the last two weeks.
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Connor Harris is averaging 11.6 tackles a game over the last five games.
Lions Special Teams
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James Neal became the third kicker in school history with double-figure field goals in a season. He has 11 after kicking three against Pittsburg State.
- The Lions have blocked a kick in each of the last three games.
Lions Schedule
- Lindenwood finds out on Sunday whether it will receive a bowl bid. The top two MIAA teams that do not make the NCAA Tournament are invited to play in the Mineral Water Bowl or the Kanza Bowl.
About Truman
- Conrad Schottel is Truman's quarterback and he has thrown 12 touchdowns this season. Garrett White and Will Mosquera combine to average nearly 100 rushing yards a game and have 13 touchdowns. Dallas Grier is averaging nearly 100 receiving yards and has four scores.
- Richie Schumacher is among the MIAA's defensive leaders with 101 tackles. Other team leaders are Patrick Blackwell with 16.0 tackles for loss and 7.0 sacks, and Michael Elliott with five interceptions and 10 passes defended.
MIAA Notes
-This week's conference players of the week were:
Denodus O'Bryant, Truman (offense), Collin DeBuysere, Northwest Missouri (defense), and John Colliver, Southwest Baptist (special teams).
- Three MIAA schools are nationally ranked by the AFCA: Northwest Missouri (No. 4), Missouri Western (No. 11) and Emporia State (No. 25). Washburn, Pittsburg State, and Lindenwood are receiving votes in the poll.
