Storylines- The Lindenwood football team hosts Missouri Southern this Saturday. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. at Hunter Stadium.
- Lindenwood is currently 1-6 on the season, with every game being a MIAA contest. The Lions suffered a 31-13 loss last weekend at Nebraska-Kearney. Lindenwood did not score until late in the third quarter and it was in a 24-0 hole by that point.
Lavorrie Johnson and
Marvin Byrd had rushing touchdowns, and
Connor Harris and
Roderick Ryles tied for the team-high in tackles.
- Missouri Southern enters the game with a 3-4 overall and MIAA record. The Missouri Southern Lions picked up a 34-7 victory last weekend at home against Northeastern State. Missouri Southern trailed 7-0 after the first quarter, but rebounded by scoring the final 34 points of the game. It rushed for 346 yards and averaged 7.2 yards per rush.
- Lindenwood and Missouri Southern have met just once before. In 2012, Lindenwood defeated Missouri Southern in St. Charles by a 45-30 margin. Lindenwood jumped out to a 17-point lead by the second quarter and then held off a late Missouri Southern rally.
- For the second straight week, Lindenwood's defense will have the task of slowing down a dangerous running offense. Missouri Southern leads the MIAA and ranks eighth in NCAA Division II with 299.3 rushing yards a game. Missouri Southern has run the ball on 86.8 percent of its plays.
- Lindenwood, meanwhile, is led by a passing offense that ranks fourth in the conference with 243.7 passing yards a game, including 278.3 yards since
Graham Lindman took over the starting quarterback spot. Lindenwood has passed the ball on 65.1 percent of its plays.
- A key to Lindenwood returning to the win column will be to get off to a quick start. It is being outscored by 65 points in the first quarters this season, scoring just 13 points and allowing 78. Missouri Southern has allowed five first-quarter touchdowns in 2014, and scored five.
- Third-down plays are another key statistics this weekend. Missouri Southern is first in the MIAA by converting 48 percent of its third-down plays, while Lindenwood's defense is in the top half of the conference by allowing opponents to convert 37 percent of the time. Lindenwood's offense will look to capitalize on a Missouri Southern defense that allows opponents to convert 43.4 percent in 2014.
Lions Offense- Lindenwood enters this week ranked tenth in the MIAA in scoring offense (17.4) and ninth in total offense (307.1).
- Lindenwood's offense tied a season-low with just one turnover last week at Nebraska-Kearney. It did not throw an interception for the first time this season.
- Wide receiver
Alex Robinson is sixth at Lindenwood with 123 career receptions, one shy of tying Rudy Fleming for fifth. He is fifth with 1,666 career receiving yards.
Jaron Alexander is four receptions away from being the eighth Lindenwood player to catch at least 100 passes. He is tenth with 1,245 career receiving yards.
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Graham Lindman has not appeared in enough games yet to be eligible for MIAA statistics, but his 245.0 passing yards average would rank second.
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Lavorrie Johnson set a team season-high last week with 68 rushing yards. He has scored a rushing touchdown in two straight games.
Lions Defense- Lindenwood enters play this week ranked tenth in the MIAA in scoring defense (34.4) and ninth in total defense (395.3).
- Nebraska-Kearney came into last week's game averaging 5.2 yards per rush, but Lindenwood held them to half a yard less than that average. The Lions held the Lopers to just two yards or less on nearly half of their carries.
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Connor Harris leads the MIAA this week in tackles (89) and solo tackles (52). He is seventh in NCAA Division II in tackles and second in solo tackles. He is one of two players in the nation with two games this year of 20 or more tackles.
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Roderick Ryles has put up big tackle numbers the last four weeks. He has three double-figure tackle games and is averaging 10.8 tackles a game in that span.
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Jeremy Morris is the team leader with seven pass defended, a mark that ranks sixth in the MIAA. He has at least one pass defended in every game but one.
- Defensive linemen
Skyler Suggs and
DeShawn Lawson both set career-highs with six tackles last week. The duo combined for 3.5 tackles for loss, and Lawson forced a fumble.
Lions Special Teams-
Greg Coble saw his first action as a kickoff returner last weekend and had 135 kickoff return yards, the most by a Lion this year. His top return was a 79-yard run to the Lopers' 21-yard line.
Misc. Notes- Lindenwood will play on the MIAA Television Network on Nov. 1 in a 2 p.m. game at Central Missouri.
About Missouri Southern- Missouri Southern has five different rushers averaging over 40 yards a game. Giresse Forchu leads the way with a 68.4 average and 11 rushing touchdowns.
- Scott Lathrop has thrown three touchdown passes and averages 63.0 passing yards a game.
- Three Missouri Southern defenders have over 50 tackles this year. Johnquavious McBride leads the defense with 58 tackles, six pass breakups, and three turnovers. Eric Dago leads the team with 6.0 tackles for loss, and Laynce Sanders has a team-high 2.5 sacks.
