The Lindenwood football team got a good defensive effort on Saturday in Maryville, Mo., but the Lions could not upset the top-ranked Bearcats as they fell by a 19-0 score.
 
Lindenwood punted on its first possession, and the Bearcats got the ball near midfield. On a second-and-17 play, Northwest Missouri connected on a 38-yard pass play to get the ball to the one-yard line. One play later, the Bearcats were up 7-0 after a one-yard run.
 
That was the only score in the first quarter, as the two teams traded punts back-and-forth. Early in the second quarter, Northwest Missouri took over on its 10-yard line. The Bearcats went on a 13-play drive and scored a touchdown on a two-yard run. Sixty-two of the 90 yards in that drive came on the ground.
 
Lindenwood moved into Bearcat territory on its next possession with the help of two third-down conversions. The drive stalled in the area of the field in which it was too long for a field goal and too short to punt, and a fourth-and-long pass went incomplete.
 
Northwest Missouri punted on its next drive, and a friendly bounce was downed at the Lindenwood one-yard line. One play later, a Lindenwood runner couldn't escape the endzone, and the Bearcats scored a safety. Less than minute remained in the half, and Northwest Missouri had just enough time for a field goal at the halftime horn, which made the score 19-0.
 
In the second half, Lindenwood's defense did not allow another point. In five possessions, the Bearcats punted three times, missed a field goal, and had a turnover on downs. Northwest Missouri reached the redzone just once in the final 30 minutes.
 
The Lions' offense couldn't crack the No. 1 defense in the country though. Its best chance came on a fourth-quarter drive that got within 14 yards of the endzone. A penalty pushed Lindenwood back though on a fourth-and-short play, and on the next play the Lions had a turnover on downs on an incomplete pass.
 
Northwest Missouri finished with just over 400 yards, while Lindenwood had 176. In plays of 10 yards or more, the Bearcats made just three more in the game than the Lions. The big difference was in negative plays though. Northwest Missouri had 15 tackles for loss, and the Lions had 39 plays of zero or negative yards. Lindenwood had just two tackles for loss, and the Bearcats had just 18 plays of zero or negative yards.
 
Defensively, CJ Bivens had team-highs of 17 tackles, 2.0 tackles for loss, and 1.0 sack. Ace Rogers was also in double-figures with 10 tackles. Darrius Williams and Antonio Davis both had a pass breakup, and Jonathan Harris had two quarterback hurries.
 
Offensively, Najee Jackson threw for 171 yards in the game, with seven of those passes going to Deantrell Prince for 80 yards.