The Lindenwood football team (5-6, 4-3 OVC-Big South) looks to close out the season on a high note as they travel to Cape Girardeau, Mo. for the Game Ball Brawl against Southeast Missouri State (4-7, 3-4 OVC-Big South). Kickoff is set for 1:00 p.m. 

The Lions are coming off a convincing 42-12 win against Eastern Illinois last Saturday where they scored 21 points in the fourth quarter to seal the victory. Nate Glantz led the offensive attack with three total touchdowns on the day (two passing, one rushing). It was his fifth game this season in which he has had three or more touchdowns in a game. The Lions are 4-1 in such  games. 

Lindenwood found success on the ground in the win, rushing for 200 yards and averaging 5.7 yards per carry. Jared Rhodes found the end zone twice, while Steve Hall scored for the fifth time in the last four games and he is tied with Glantz for the team lead in rushing touchdowns with seven. In four of the five Lindenwood victories this season, the Lions have rushed for at least 150 yards. 

Glant'z favorite target on the day was Jalen Smith who recorded his third 100 yard receiving game of the season after hauling in five catches for 122 yards and a touchdown. The Shiloh, Ill. native leads the team with 757 receiving yards on the season, which ranks second in the OVC-Big South Association. He averages 20.4 yards per catch, which also ranks second in the Association. 

The Black and Gold held Eastern to just 12 points, the lowest total against the defense this year. Lindenwood picked up three more sacks on Saturday and now have two or more in five out of the last six games. Jacob Waller led the defense with nine tackles, including tow stops for loss and a sack. He now has 83 tackles on the year, seventh most in the Association. Tajay Passmore picked up his team-leading six sack of the season. 

Lindenwood will be looking to win the Game Ball Brawl for the second consecutive year and the first victory in Cape Girardeau. The Black and Gold defeated SEMO last season, 24-12 in St. Charles, Mo. 

NUMBERS TO KNOW 
34.4: The Lions scored a season-high 42 points in the win against Eastern Illinois last Saturday. In five wins this season, the Lions are averaging 34.4 points per game. In six losses, they are averaging 15.8 points per contest

86: Lindenwood held the Panthers to just 86 rushing yards in the win, the second lowest total against the defensive unit this season. Tennessee State was limited to 36 yards a couple weeks ago in a 35-13 victory 

489: The 489 yards of total offense that Lindenwood put up against the Panthers was a season-high mark. The Lions finished with 200 rushing yards and 289 passing yards in the win, marking the second time this season in which the Lions have had a 200-200 game, both resulted in wins

6: A win would move the Lions record to 6-6 on the year, giving the Lions their first .500 or better season since their first Division I season in 2022 when they went 7-3 overall