The Lindenwood football team had a surprise game plan on Saturday in Tahlequah, Okla., and it helped the Lions end the 2014 season with a 35-16 win over Northeastern State.
 
Lindenwood's Connor Harris has been one of the top linebackers in NCAA Division II football this season, but on the team's first offensive series of the second quarter, Harris entered the game on the other side of the ball. Not only did he spark the Lindenwood offense, but he had one of the best running games in Lindenwood history.
 
The first half was a defensive battle with neither team scoring for the first 19 minutes of the game, and the first points came on a defensive score. Northeastern State intercepted a Lindenwood pass and returned it 15 yards for a touchdown.
 
On Lindenwood's next possession, Harris entered the game for the second time on offense. After rushing for six yards on two carries, Lindenwood had a third-and-four from its 31-yard line. Harris then rushed for a third straight time and went 69 yards for a game-tying touchdown. That was the final scoring of the half as the teams went to the locker rooms tied at seven.
 
Northeastern State retook the lead midway through the third quarter by scoring nine points in a 22-second span. Lindenwood first misplayed a punt snap which led to a safety. On Northeastern State's first offensive play after that, it completed a 58-yard pass play to go up 16-7.
 
It didn't take long though for Harris and the Lions to respond. On Lindenwood's first offensive play, Harris rattled off a 62-yard rushing touchdown to get Lindenwood within 16-14. That run gave all of the momentum to the Lions. Northeastern State would not score again and it gained just 48 yards on its next four drives. Lindenwood, meanwhile, scored three more straight touchdowns. Harris had two of the touchdowns, and Jared Rayford caught a 33-yard reception to finish the scoring.
 
Lindenwood finished with season-highs of 454 total yards and 269 rushing yards. The defense held the RiverHawks to just 274 yards, including 24 on the ground.  Lindenwood's offense had just the one turnover, and it was nine-of-17 on third and fourth-down conversions.
 
Harris finished with 188 rushing yards on 11 carries for an average of 17.1 yards per carry. His four rushing touchdowns were the third-most in a single game in school history, and his 188 rushing yards ranked 14th in Lindenwood's record book.  Out of his 11 carries, four were for double-digit yards, and five were first-downs or touchdowns. On the other side of the ball, he recorded a team-high 14 tackles, including three tackles for loss and two sacks.
 
Graham Lindman completed over 70 percent of his passes for 185 yards and the one touchdown. Greg Coble caught three passes for 71 yards. Lavorrie Johnson rushed for 59 yards, and Rayford had 49 receiving yards and 26 rushing yards.
 
Defensively, Samson Si'a had two sacks, Skyler Suggs had one, and Xavier Warren and DeShawn Lawson combined on a sack. Jeremy Morris had three pass breakups and an interception, while Roderick Ryles and Clint Koons each had two pass breakups.
 
Game Notes: Lindenwood ends its season with a 2-9 overall and MIAA record … Northeastern State ends its year winless in 11 games … the game was the first between the Lions and the RiverHawks … Connor Harris recorded his eighth double-figure tackle game of the season, and the 17th of his career … Harris ends the season with 152 tackles, an average of 13.8 a game … Jaron Alexander finished the season with 55 receptions, the sixth-most in school history, and his 5.0 average is fifth-best in the record books … Edward Burns finished his punting career averaging 40.2 yards per punt, the highest punting average in Lindenwood history … Graham Lindman averaged 228.8 passing yards a game as a true freshman, and he threw for 1830 yards and nine touchdowns … 17 players saw their Lindenwood careers end at the conclusion of this game, including eight on offense, seven on defense, and two on special teams.