The Lindenwood football team (9-3) will head to Maryville, Mo. on Saturday to take on No. 10 Northwest Missouri State (11-1) in the second round of the NCAA Division II Playoffs.  The Lions and Bearcats went head-to-head five different times when Lindenwood was a member of the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA).

Lindenwood is coming off a 41-38 shootout victory over No. 5 Ouachita Baptist on Saturday in Arkadelphia, Ark.  Brett Garner kicked the go-ahead field goal with 1:24 remaining in the game, while Jordan Perry sealed the victory with his second interception of the season.  Spencer Redd finally broke free for his first kickoff return for a touchdown early in the fourth quarter.

The Lions are riding an eight-game winning streak, which includes three wins over ranked opponents.  Many Lions received postseason recognition for their success this year, including Cade Brister and Drew Seers who were named GLVC Offensive Player of the Year and GLVC Defensive Player of the Year, respectively.  

The sophomore quarterback has surpassed 6,000 career passing yards and 1,000 career rushing yards in his second season at Lindenwood, as he is in consideration for the 2019 Harlon Hill Award.  Brister currently ranks third in NCAA Division II in passing touchdowns (38), passing yards (3,574), and points responsible for (270), while Seers in the NCAA Division II leader in tackles with 162.

The Bearcats are coming off a 7-6 win over No. 12 Harding this past weekend.  Northwest Missouri is led by MIAA Defensive Player of the Year, Spencer Phillips, who accumulated 15.0 TFL, and 8.0 sacks through the regular season.  Northwest Missouri leads the series over Lindenwood 5-0, including a 38-17 win over the Lions in the most recent meeting in 2018.