The Lindenwood football team (0-1) lost its first game of the season to Division I FCS Eastern Washington (1-1) by a final of 59-31 on Saturday in Cheney, Wash. The Lions fought hard against the No. 4 ranked Eagles in the FCS Coaches Poll.

Game Overview
Eastern Washington opened the game with a 78-yard touchdown pass in the first play from scrimmage. The Eagles rolled to a 31-0 lead with 10:37 to go in the first half. Lindenwood stood strong on defense, and the offense made things interesting.

Sophomore quarterback Cade Brister led the Lions on a seven-play 75-yard drive that was capped off with a 15-yard touchdown snag by Erik Henneman to put the Lions on the board. Senior transfer Brett Garner added three more points on the next drive to make it a 31-10 ballgame. The defense forced a field goal on the next drive for the Eagles, but a missed kick allowed the Lions tack on more points before the half.

Lindenwood went on another long drive with less than two minutes to go in the first 30 minutes. Brister kept the drive alive on a third down and short, by scampering for 16 yards inside the Eastern Washington 25 yard line. Payton Rose capped of the drive with a great diving catch at the goal line for the 24-yard touchdown. Lindenwood scores 17 unanswered to make it a 14-point deficit.

The Lions received to start the second half, but an early turnover allows the Eagles to build on their lead. Lindenwood recovered a fumble on their next drive, allowing Rose to catch his second touchdown of the day. Eastern Washington scored on their next drive, but again the Lions responded, this time with a 24-yard touchdown reception by Alex Scharf.

The Lions were down 14 points with 4:47 to go in the third quarter, but the Eagles made it tough. Lindenwood struggles to get stops on defense, and the offense couldn't find their groove again resulting in a 59-31 loss in the first game of the season.

Lindenwood special teams had a big part in the successes for the Lions on Saturday. Freshman Spencer Redd has six kickoff returns for 133 yards, making Eastern Washington avoid kicking it deep for the remainder of the game. Junior transfer Jared Stangler averaged 44 yards per punt, including a 61 yard boot. In his nine punts, Stangler pinned the Eagles inside their own red zone four times.

Game Leaders
Cade Brister (27-for-50, 4 TD, 283 yards)
Payton Rose (6 rec, 97 yards, 2 TD)
Najee Jackson (7 rec, 83 yards)

Up Next
The Lions will take on Midwestern State in the home opener on Saturday at 6 p.m. at Hunter Stadium in St. Charles, Mo.