The Lindenwood football team (1-0) earned its first win as a NCAA Division I program over Houston Baptist (1-1) on Saturday in Houston, Texas.  The Lions blocked a punt with 28 seconds left, and recovered the ball in the end zone for the game-winning touchdown in the 21-20 win.
 
GAME OVERVIEW
The Lindenwood defense set the tone on the first drive of the season, forcing a three-and-out.  The Lions worked methodically on offense by gaining yards on the ground and in the air.  The drive stalled out, but the Lions got on the board first with a 41-yard field goal by Logan Seibert.  The defense again forced a fourth down, but a big play by the Huskies made it a 7-3 score.  Lindenwood continued to find success on offense, which led to another field goal by Seibert, this one from 44 yards near the end of the first quarter.
 
Houston Baptist built its lead back up to four points after hitting a field goal, and extended the lead to 17-6 with another touchdown on fourth down.  The Huskies held the 11-point lead going into the half.  The second half started slow, but Lindenwood stayed the course on a drive late in the third frame.  After a big fumble recovery by Sterlin Williams, the Lions took hold of the momentum.  Lindenwood drove down the field, and Andrew Martin scored the first touchdown of the game for the Lions at the 5:11 mark to cut the deficit to 17-12.
 
The Huskies made it an eight-point game once again, but Seibert was locked in as his 44-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter kept the Lions in the hunt in a 20-15 ballgame.  At the 5:10 mark, Lindenwood punted the ball away to flip the field, as it put the weight of the game on the defense.  The Huskies killed more than four minutes of game clock, but the Lions forced the Huskies to punt the ball with 28 seconds left.  On the punt, Jalen Bethany found a lane to block the kick to send the ball into the end zone which was recovered by Martin for the game-winning touchdown.  The Lions earned their first win as a NCAA Division I program, and their first win over a Division I team since 2011.  Saturday's win is the first season-opening victory for the Lions under head coach Jed Stugart and his staff.
 
QUOTABLE
"Although we made mistakes in the first half, you could just tell in the second half that our guys kept believing," said Stugart.  "We always talk about special teams winning games, and we knew if we were in a position in the fourth quarter that we were going to win the game.  The special teams unit, the block party, made a big play to win the game.  We won a little bit ugly, but those guys just kept believing in each other and we won with heart."
 
GAME LEADERS
Logan Seibert (3-for-3 FG from 44, 44, 41)
Robert Giaimo (20 rushes, 108 yards)
Tyrone Griffin (9 tackles, 1.0 sacks, 1.0 TFL, 2 PBU)
Andrew Martin (9 rushes, 49 yards, 1 rush TD, 1 FR, 1 special teams TD)
 
UP NEXT
Lindenwood will host Keiser University for the first home game of the season on Saturday at 6 PM at Hunter Stadium in St. Charles, Mo.