The No. 21 Lindenwood football team will open the 2021 season against Angelo State on Thursday night at 7:00 p.m. inside Hunter Stadium in St. Charles, Mo. The Lions will play their first game in 642 days.
As a team, the Lions earned accolades across three platforms in the preseason national polls. Lindenwood ranked No. 21 in the College Football America Yearbook poll, and the AFCA poll, while earning the No. 23 spot in the D2Football.com rankings. The Lions were selected second in the GLVC Preseason Poll, which was released in late July.
Lindenwood returns to the gridiron after going 9-4 in 2019, including a GLVC Championship. The Lions earned the first victory in the playoffs for the program since joining the NCAA. Lindenwood returns 2019 GLVC Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year in
Cade Brister and
Drew Seers. Both Brister and Seers were named preseason All-Americans by D2Football.com on Wednesday. Seers also earned recognition by College Football America Yearbook as a member of the preseason Starting Lineup.
Brister was one of the best quarterbacks in the country in 2019, as he fired 39 touchdowns with 3,779 yards through the air. In the running game, Brister compiled 552 yards with seven scores. Seers set a school record for assisted tackles in 2019 with 99. His 175 tackles led the team, while a total of 17.0 tackles for loss set a new program record as well.
Nash Sutherlin was a threat in both phases of the offense, as the Columbia, Mo. native tallied 822 yards and five touchdowns in the running game. Sutherlin contributed 584 yards and four touchdowns in the passing game on 60 receptions out of the backfield.
Payton Rose had one of the best seasons for a receiver in 2019, as he registered 1,168 yards and a school record 15 touchdowns.
Tayvian Weary returns on the defensive front, as the St. Louis, Mo. native tied a school record with 7.5 sacks in 2019.
Grady Daniels will look to close out his Lindenwood career on a high note, as he was second on the squad with 120 total tackles.
Lindenwood and Angelo State will meet for the first time on Thursday. The Rams went 8-3 in 2019, marking their most wins since 2014.
