Storylines
The Lindenwood football team travels to Pittsburg State this Saturday. The Lions and Gorillas will kick off their contest at 7 p.m. in Pittsburg, Kan.

Lindenwood enters the contest with a 1-2 overall record. Last week, the Lions scored the first 16 points against Washburn, but the Ichabods scored the final 26 points of the game for a 26-16 win.

Pittsburg State is 2-1 on the season. The Gorillas have won two straight games, including a 68-21 road victory over Northeastern State last Saturday.

Pittsburg State owns a 4-1 record all-time against Lindenwood, and it has won each of the last four contests. Lindenwood is 1-1 all-time in Carnie Smith Stadium.

Last season, Pittsburg State defeated Lindenwood by a 50-19 margin at Hunter Stadium in St. Charles. The Lions trailed by just one possession midway through the third quarter, but the Gorillas scored 23 points in a quick span late in the third quarter and early in the fourth quarter to pull away.

Lindenwood's DeSean Warren has had good numbers against the Gorillas in the past. In two games, he has caught nine passes for 248 yards and two touchdowns. Running back Calen Campbell was the top rusher against Pittsburg State in each of the last two years, rushing 23 times for 118 yards and two scores in that span.

Lindenwood and Pittsburg State are two of the top rushing teams in the MIAA. The Lions enter the game first in the conference with 220.3 rushing yards a game, while Pittsburg State is fourth with 196.0 yards a contest. The Lions are averaging 5.9 yards per rush, compared to 4.3 for the Gorillas.

Pittsburg State is currently first in the MIAA by averaging 40.7 points a game. The Lions are fifth in the conference by allowing just 23.7 points a contest. On the other side of the matchup, Lindenwood is ranked seventh in the MIAA with 26.3 points a game, and Pittsburg State is eighth in scoring defense by allowing 25.7 points a contest.

Lions Offense
Lindenwood is currently third in the MIAA in total offense (422.7), and seventh in scoring offense (26.3).

Calen Campbell is approaching Lindenwood's top-10 career rushing list. He enters play this week with 859 rushing yards, and needs 17 to break into the top-ten list. He is 141 yards away from becoming the tenth Lion in the 1,000-yard rushing club.

Najee Jackson has not thrown an interception in 79 passes this season. It is the longest streak by a Lindenwood quarterback since Graham Lindman threw 92 straight without a pick in 2014.

Lindenwood's offensive line has given up just two sacks this season. It ranks tenth in NCAA Division II in that category. The Lions have given up just five yards on those sacks, 17 fewer than the number two team in the MIAA.

The Lions have turned the ball over just two times this season, which ranks ninth in NCAA Division II. Both turnovers have been on fumbles.

Lions Defense
Lindenwood is currently ranked fifth in the MIAA in total defense (352.7), and fifth in scoring defense (23.7).

True freshman Drew Seers had a breakout game against Washburn, making 18 tackles. He also collected one pass breakup and 1.5 tackles for loss. Seers is currently third in the MIAA with 10.3 tackles a game.

Lindenwood's defense is allowing just 162.0 passing yards a game. The most passing yards it has given up this season is 191.

Darrius Williams also ranks in the top-10 in the MIAA in tackles. He is averaging 9.3 tackles a game, which is sixth in the league.

Jonathan Harris recorded his first sack of the season against Washburn. He now has 11.5 sacks for his career, and also has 21.0 tackles for loss.

Bakari Triggs had a pass breakup versus the Ichabods. In his career, he now has 19 pass breakups and 26 passes defended.

Lions Special Teams
Travis Spraul had the top kicking game of his career last week, making all three field goals he attempted. He is now six-for-seven in his career on field goal attempts. This season, Spraul has made all 10 PATs he has attempted.

Michael Crowder has had one punt each game inside the 15-yard line. Two of those punts were pinned inside the 10-yard line.

Kendell Sparks ranks third in the MIAA and 14th in the nation in punt return average. He has returned five punts for 72 yards, which is an average of 14.4 yards per return.

Team Notes
Lindenwood has outscored its opponents 55-21 in the first half of games this year, including a 41-14 mark in the second quarters. The Lions are averaging 256.3 yards in the first half of games, and allowing just 145.7.

Saturday's game will be the final time that Lindenwood travels outside Missouri this year, and also the team's final night game.

Lindenwood returns home on Sept. 30 for a 1 p.m. game against Fort Hays State. The contest will be the Hall of Fame game for the Lions.

Scouting The Gorillas
Pittsburg State has been involved in two close games this season, and it split those contests. The Gorillas lost their season opener to Central Missouri by a 28-23 score, and they defeated Central Oklahoma by a 31-28 margin. Pittsburg State's other game was a 68-21 win over Northeastern State.

The Gorillas rank fifth in the MIAA in total offense with 397.7 yards a game, and they are 10th in total defense by allowing 404.7 yards a contest.

Thomas LePage has taken most of the snaps at quarterback this year. He has completed 54 percent of his passes for 488 yards and five touchdowns, and has thrown two picks. 

Michael Rose leads the team with 95.0 rushing yards a game this year. D'Vontae Brown has a team-high three rushing touchdowns.

The top receiver is Brenner Clemons, who has caught 10 passes for 165 yards and two touchdowns.

Josh Hornback has a team-high 21 tackles. Simanu'a Thomas leads the team with 2.5 sacks and 4.0 tackles for loss. Marcus Brantley leads the team in forced turnovers with two fumble recoveries.

The Gorillas are 190-33-1 at home since 1980, including a 28-14 mark since 2010.