The Lindenwood football team (3-3, 3-0 GLVC) upset No. 24 Truman State (5-1, 2-1 GLVC) in a thrilling 28-24 comeback victory on Saturday afternoon at Hunter Stadium in St. Charles, Mo.  The homecoming win marked the first win over a ranked opponent for the program since the Lions defeated No. 18 Pittsburg State in 2012.
 
GAME OVERVIEW
The Lindenwood offense got off to a slow start, accumulating just 77 yards of total offense in the first half.  The Lions played a solid first half on defense, but faced a Truman offense that accumulated 18:13 of possession time in the first two quarters.  The Bulldogs scored twice in the second quarter to take a 14-0 lead heading into the half.
 
Truman State opened the second half with a 14-play drive that took up 7:04 of game clock, ending in a field goal to make it 17-0.  Lindenwood began to find its groove on offense as Cade Brister completed six-straight passes to lead the Lions to their first touchdown of the game on a one-yard pass to Erik Henneman.  The Bulldogs built their lead back to a 17-point advantage with 13 minutes to go in the game, testing the Lions determination.
 
Lindenwood fought back as Brister found Payton Rose for a 21-yard touchdown strike to make it a two-score game with 9:54 remaining.  With the score at 24-14 and 3:22 on the clock, Brister took the Lions on an impressive 11-play drive that was capped off with another touchdown pass to Henneman with 1:16 to go in the game.
 
On the ensuing kickoff, Brett Garner executed a perfect onside kick that caused a massive pileup at the Truman State 49-yard line.  As officials tried to find the possessing team, Jared Stangler came out of the mess with the football to give the Lions a chance with 1:11 to go in the game and down by three points.
 
Henneman was the primary target on the drive, making three catches before hauling in the game-winning touchdown.  The 17-point fourth quarter deficit was the largest comeback the program has completed since the Lions defeated Missouri Western in the final game of 2018.  Brister set a new school record for completions in a game with 37, previously held by Dillon Miller (34) in 2013.  Henneman set a new career high with 11 receptions, and hauled in three touchdown passes for his second-most in a game.
 
The Lions had four defensive players with double-digit tackles, including Andrew Rodriguez who had 11 total stops, one quarterback hurry, and 0.5 tackles for loss.  Nash Sutherlin led the Lions on the ground with his 5.8 yards per carry for a total of 69 yards.  Brister found nine different receivers in the game, including four different receivers with five or more receptions.  Rose has not eclipsed the 100-yard mark yet this season, but now has four games with 90 or more receiving yards.
 
GAME LEADERS
Erik Henneman (11 rec, 64 yards, 3 TD)
Cade Brister (37-for-50, 329 yards, 4 TD)
Andrew Rodriguez (11 tackles, 3 solo, 1 QBH, 0.5 TFL)
 
UP NEXT
The Lions remain at Hunter Stadium next week as they host Saginaw Valley State for a 1:00 p.m. kickoff on Saturday in St. Charles, Mo.