The Lindenwood football team (5-6, 4-3 BS/OVC) close out the 2024 campaign with a road matchup against No. 24 UT Martin (7-4, 5-2 BS/OVC) this Saturday. Kickoff from Martin, Tenn. is set for 2:00 p.m.
 
The Lions were idle last week. In their last game a few weeks ago, Lindenwood knocked off then No. 6 Southeast Missouri State, 24-12 on November 9. It was the Black and Golds first win over a nationally-ranked opponent at the FCS level.
 
Lindenwood's defense was stout in the win, holding the Redhawks to just eight first downs, a season-low allowed by the unit this season. SEMO struggled to run the ball against the Lindenwood front, compiling only 60 yards on the ground, the lowest amount the Lions have surrendered this season.
 
On the flip side, Lindenwood controlled the game with success on the ground. Lindenwood rushed the ball 56 times for 192 yards. Steve Hall was a big part of that as he tallied 91 yards on 18 carries on the way to his fourth Big South-OVC Freshman of the Week honor. During the 2024 season, Hall is second in the Big South-OVC with 794 rush yards, while he leads the Association averaging 7.5 yards per carry.
 
Nate Glantz compiled three touchdowns in the win, two through the air and one on the ground. The Elkhorn, Neb. native has four such games this season with a passing and rushing touchdown and the Lions are 3-1 in those games. Glantz has 2,240 total yards this season, 10th most in a single-season in program history.
 
10 of Glantz's 16 touchdown passes have been to Jeff Caldwell who hauled in another one against the Redhawks. Caldwell leads the Association in that category and has amassed 933 receiving yards, which also leads the Big South-OVC.
 
The Lions will be looking to upset its second-straight ranked opponent as the Skyhawks enter the matchup at No. 24 in the polls.

NUMBERS TO KNOW
0: Against SEMO, the Lindenwood defense held Paxton DeLaurent without a touchdown pass. It was his first game of the season without one
182.5: Lindenwood averages 182.5 yards on the ground this season, tops in the Big South-OVC
60: The Lions allowed just 60 yards on the ground against the Redhawks, the lowest rushing total against the defense this season
2019: 2019 was the last time Lindenwood defeated multiple ranked teams in the same season. The Lions were a member of the GLVC and beat Truman State, UIndy, and Ouachita Baptist

LINDENWOOD TID BITS FROM AROUND THE LEAGUE
The Lions (5-6, 4-3 BS/OVC) are looking for back-to-back victories over Top-25 teams as they take on No. 24 UT Martin (7-4, 5-2 BS/OVC) on Saturday in Martin, Tenn. Kickoff from Hardy M. Graham Stadium is set for 2:00 p.m.
 
Lindenwood was idle last week but picked up a big victory over then No. 6 Southeast Missouri State a few weeks ago to capture the Game Ball Brawl Trophy. It was the first-ever victory against a Top 25 team at the FCS level for the Lions. The Black & Gold held the Redhawks to their fewest points (12), fewest plays (53) and fewest yards (234) of the season. Lindenwood held possession of the ball for 40-minutes, 34-seconds, and totaled 56 rushing attempts.
 
AT FIRST GLANTZ
Nate Glantz became just the second quarterback in Big South-OVC Association history to throw for 100 yards and rush for 100 yards in the same game when he achieved the feat in the Lions' 29-14 victory over Charleston Southern. He passed for 152 yards and gained a team-high 103 yards on the ground to account for 255 of Lindenwood's 392 offensive yards vs. the Bucs.
 
STUDY HALL
In Lindenwood's 49-38 win over Western Illinois this past week, RB STEVE HALL rushed for 259 yards and four touchdowns on just 13 carries for a Big South-OVC single-game record 19.92 yards per carry. He tied the league's single-game rushing touchdown record, and reeled off the longest rush from scrimmage in the conference record book with a 93-yard scoring run that sealed the victory over the Leathernecks. Hall also had a 75-yard dash for a touchdown, becoming the first player in conference annals with two TD runs of 75-yards or longer in a game.
 
HOUSE CALLS
Jeff Caldwell tied the Big South-OVC Association records for consecutive games with a touchdown reception (4) as well as his own single-season touchdown receptions (8). His eight receiving scores this year came in a four-game span during Weeks 3-6, which included a Big South-OVC single-game record-tying four touchdown receptions in Week 5. For the season, Caldwell is reaching the end zone on 28.57 percent of his 28 receptions. Meanwhile, Caldwell is responsible for five of the Association's longest pass plays in history:
 Yards Rank Opponent (Date)
 93t 1st vs. St. Thomas (9-21-24)
 79t T-4th at Missouri State (9-14-24)
 74t T-7th at Eastern Illinois (9-28-24)
 74t T-7th at Eastern Illinois (9-28-24)
 73t T-8th at Illinois State (9-23-23)
 72t T-9th at Western Illinois (9-16-23)