Storylines
- The Lindenwood football team celebrates Homecoming this Saturday. The Lions will face Northwest Missouri at 1:30 p.m. at Hunter Stadium.
 
- Lindenwood nearly upset a nationally-ranked team last week, but a touchdown with 15 seconds left led to a 35-28 loss at Emporia State. After just one touchdown in the first half, there were four ties in the second half as the two teams traded touchdowns. The Hornets had the final full possession though which proved to be the difference. With the loss, the Lions fell to 1-6 on the year.
 
- Northwest Missouri is currently the No. 1 team in NCAA Division II after winning last year's national championship and opening this season with seven straight wins. The Bearcats have won 22 straight games overall, and have not lost a regular season road game since 2012. Last week, Northwest Missouri put up 67 points in the first three quarters against Northeastern State, and eventually won by a 74-29 margin.
 
- Lindenwood has lost both meetings with Northwest Missouri in their all-time series. The Bearcats were ranked among the top three teams in NCAA Division II for each of those contests.
 
- In 2015, Northwest Missouri handed the Lions a 69-0 setback in Maryville, Mo. The Bearcats scored 31 points in the final 18:33 of the first half for a 34-0 lead, and then added five more touchdowns in the final 30 minutes of the game.
 
- Lindenwood is playing its second straight nationally-ranked team. The Lions are 1-12 all-time against ranked teams at the NCAA Division II level, including an 0-6 mark against top-10 teams. Lindenwood has faced the No. 1 ranked team once before, in the 2014 Northwest Missouri game.
 
- Saturday's match will feature the two players who earned co-MIAA Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2015. Lindenwood linebacker Connor Harris led the nation last year in total tackles with 184, which set a new NCAA Division II record. Northwest Missouri defensive tackle Collin Bevins set program records with 15.5 sacks and 26.5 tackles for loss.
 
Lions Offense
- Lindenwood ranks eighth in the MIAA in scoring offense (27.3), and it is ninth in the MIAA in total offense (368.6).
 
- Running back Aaron Daniels moved into the regular rotation in the Missouri Western contest and has taken off. He is averaging 107.5 rushing yards over the last two weeks, and has scored four touchdown.
 
- Quarterback Allen Thigpen is completing 63.9 percent of his passes this season. In his four games as the main quarterback, he is averaging 156.5 passing yards and 57.3 rushing yards a game. In those contests, he has five touchdown passes and four rushing scores.
 
- The Lions have scored six rushing touchdowns the last two games, the most they have scored in back-to-back games since having seven late in the 2011 season.
 
- Lindenwood's trio of Kendell Sparks, Deantrell Prince, and DeSean Warren have combined for 108 catches for 1,299 yards and 11 touchdowns. They have accounted for 81.8 percent of the team's receptions, and 85.5 percent of the team's receiving yards.
 
Lions Defense
- Lindenwood's defense ranks eighth in the MIAA in scoring defense (36.3), and is 11th in total defense (494.3).
 
- Connor Harris extended his streak of double-figure tackle games to 23 against Emporia State. In his career, Harris has averaged 15.5 tackles a game against Northwest Missouri, including 23 in last year's contest. Two other Lions had double-figure tackles against Emporia State, with Wesley Thomas having the fifth one of his career, and Clint Koons having his sixth.
- Through the first four games of the season, Lindenwood's defense had 20 tackles for loss and two sacks. Over the last three games, it has 26 tackles for loss and 11 sacks.
 
- Bakari Triggs has four pass breakups over the last two weeks, and now has 12 for the season. He needs two more to move into the MIAA's top-10 single-season list. Triggs is second in the nation for passes defended.
 
- The defensive line duo of Jonathan Harris and Nick Granberry has combined for 13.5 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks. Harris is sixth in the MIAA in tackles for loss and third in sacks, and Granberry is sixth in the conference in sacks.
 
Lions Special Teams
- Kendell Sparks had his second game this season with over 100 kickoff return yards against Emporia State. He has 369 yards for the season, which ranks ninth in program history and is 108 yards behind the single-season record.
 
- Allen Thigpen is 15th in NCAA Division II with a 41.9 punting average. He has punted 32 times on the season. He has nine punts inside the 20 yard line, and just one touchback.
 
- Roderick Ryles and Nate Blanchard lead the team with eight special teams tackles.
 
Team Notes
- The Lions have their longest road trip of the season on Oct. 29 when they travel to Nebraska-Kearney for a 2 p.m. contest.
 
- This Saturday, Lindenwood will induct its 2016 Hall of Fame class. This year's class includes former quarterback Philip Staback, and the 1989 football team will receive one of the inaugural Pioneer Awards.