Storylines
- The Lindenwood football team starts a difficult stretch of contests with two straight games against nationally-ranked teams. The Lions will travel to Emporia, Kan. this Saturday for a 2 p.m. game against No. 12 Emporia State.
 
- Lindenwood fell to 1-5 on the year last weekend. In three of those five losses, the Lions had a chance to win or tie the game on their final possession, but couldn't get a last-minute touchdown. One of those losses came last Saturday with a 37-29 setback against Missouri Western.
 
- Emporia State has rolled off five straight victories after it lost its season opener this year. The Hornets jumped out to a 30-13 lead last week against Northeastern State, and eventually won by a 47-27 margin.
 
- The Lions are looking for their first win in the series history with Emporia State. The Hornets are 4-0 all-time against Lindenwood, including a 2-0 mark in Emporia, Kan. Lindenwood's offense has been held in check in those games, as it is scoring just 14.0 points a game versus the Hornets.
 
- Last season, Emporia State came into the game against Lindenwood with one of the top offenses in the country. The Lions were able to hold the Hornets in check, but Emporia State still escaped with a 20-13 victory.
 
- Lindenwood is playing its first nationally-ranked team this season. The Lions are 1-11 all-time against ranked teams at the NCAA Division II level, including an 0-4 mark last season. Lindenwood's lone victory was a 44-33 win in 2012 at No. 18 Pittsburg State.
 
- Lindenwood and Emporia State are two of the top teams in the conference in forcing turnovers. The Hornets are seventh nationally by forcing 18 turnovers this season, including 12 interceptions. The Lions are third in the MIAA by forcing 13 turnovers on the year, including eight interceptions. The difference between the two squads though has been in turnover margin, as Emporia State is +12 in 2016, compared to a -4 turnover margin for the Lions.
 
Lions Offense
- Lindenwood ranks eighth in the MIAA in scoring offense (27.2), and it is ninth in the MIAA in total offense (366.7).
 
- The Lions have shown an improvement this year of 11 points and 73.1 yards of total offense a game. Much of that improvement is due to a running game which is averaging 45.3 more rushing yards a contest than last year.
 
- Allen Thigpen has started the last three games for the Lions at quarterback. He threw and rushed for over 100 yards last week, with 108 rushing yards and 121 passing yards. For the season, he has three touchdown passes and three rushing scores.
 
- Aaron Daniels had just five career carries before last week's game, but he exploded against the Griffons for 120 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries. Five of his carries went for double-figure yards, and he averaged 6.7 yards a rush.
 
- Two Lindenwood receivers rank in the top-10 nationally in receiving categories. Kendell Sparks is tenth in NCAA Division II, and first in the MIAA, with 7.7 receptions a game. DeSean Warren is second nationally with 27.7 yards per catch. Warren is also second in the MIAA with 87.8 receiving yards a game.
 
Lions Defense
- Lindenwood's defense ranks eighth in the MIAA in scoring defense (36.5), and is 11th in total defense (489.7).
 
- Connor Harris extended his streak of double-figure tackle games to 22 against Missouri Western. In his career, Harris has averaged 19.3 tackles a game against Emporia State, and he has over 20 tackles the last two seasons.
- Lindenwood's defense has recorded 17 tackles for loss and four sacks in the last two games. Prior to that, it had just 20 tackles for loss and two sacks through four games.
 
- Three Lindenwood defenders rank in the top-10 in NCAA Division II statistics. Bakari Triggs is second with 2.6 passes defended a game, Connor Harris is third with 13.3 tackles a contest, and Ben Jackson is tied for 10th with two fumble recoveries.
 
- Antron Watts is second on the team with 53 tackles. He also leads the team with 6.5 tackles for loss.
 
Lions Special Teams
- Lindenwood has two of the top three kickoff returners in the MIAA this week. Kendell Sparks is first with a 29.2 average. Bakari Triggs, after his school record-breaking 153 yards last week, is now third with a 24.9 average.
 
- The Lions have blocked three kicks this season, which is tied for first in the MIAA and is 18th nationally. Lindenwood has blocked two punts and one PAT attempt.
 
- Allen Thigpen is currently averaging 41.3 yards per punt. Over the last two games, he has punted 16 times, and opponents only have 22 punt return yards on six attempted returns. He has four punts inside the 20 in that span.
 
Team Notes
- The Lions will return home on Oct. 22 for their Homecoming contest against No. 1 Northwest Missouri.
 
- Also on Oct. 22, Lindenwood will induct its 2016 Hall of Fame class. This year's class includes former quarterback Philip Staback, and the 1989 football team.