The Lindenwood football team (1-2) picked up its first win of the season on Saturday with a 56-34 victory over Kentucky Wesleyan (1-2) at Hunter Stadium in St. Charles, Mo. The Lions tied a school record with eight rushing touchdowns in the game.
GAME OVERVIEW
Lindenwood took possession to start the game, and drove 75 yards on eight plays to take a 7-0 lead on a rushing touchdown by
Cade Brister. The Panthers responded with a 15-play, 98-yard touchdown drive to tie the game. The Lions were locked in on offense, as
Nash Sutherlin scored his first on a one-yard run to regain the lead.
After Kentucky Wesleyan tied the game at 14-14, the Lions put together a strong second quarter, that saw touchdown runs on back-to-back drives. Brister registered both touchdowns in the second quarter, as he ended the first half with three rushing scores. The Lions took a 28-14 lead into half.
The Panthers received the second-half kickoff, but
Sammy Muniz picked off a pass on the second play of the drive the put the Lions in the red zone. On the first play of the drive, Brister went 10 yards on the ground to make it a 35-14 lead. The Panthers were able to pull within 15 points with 10:37 remaining in the third quarter, but the Lions offense was on fire.
Brister scored for the fifth time in the game to put the Lions in front 42-20. Kentucky Wesleyan made it a 42-27 game after three quarters, before
Robert Giaimo scored on the second play of the fourth quarter. After an interception by
Drew Seers, Sutherlin capped off the scoring for the Lions in the fourth quarter with his second score of the game. Lindenwood rolled to a 56-27 win over the Panthers on Family Day at Hunter Stadium.
The highlight of the night was the success on the ground for the Lions. Brister scored the most rushing touchdowns since DeDe Dorsey ran for six scores in 2005. As a team, the Lions tied the school record of eight rushing touchdowns in one game, set in 2010. Lindenwood ran for 270 yards, while Brister was 16-for-20 in the passing game with 226 yards.
Clint Sigg accumulated 81 yards on five receptions, while
Glen Gibbons (53) and
Payton Rose (51) each went over the 50-yard plateau in receiving.
Defensively, the Lions registered three interceptions, 3.0 tackles for loss, and four quarterback hurries. Seers led the defensive unit with 14 tackles, 0.5 tackles for loss, and an interception. Muniz played great football in the second half, as he compiled a team-leading three pass breakups and one interception.
Darion Bolden totaled six tackles with an interception late in the game.
Alex Bolden posted just one tackle, but got to the quarterback for two hurries in the game.
GAME LEADERS
Cade Brister (16 rushes, 91 rush yards, 5 rush TD, 16-for-20, 226 pass yards)
Nash Sutherlin (17 rushes, 91 rush yards, 2 rush TD, 9 rec yards)
Drew Seers (14 tackles, 0.5 TFL, 1 INT)
UP NEXT
Lindenwood will hit the road for the final non-conference matchup of the season, as the Lions head to Findlay, Ohio to take on Findlay on Saturday at 12:00 p.m. (11:00 a.m. CST).
