The Lindenwood football team (0-2, 0-0 OVC-Big South) opens up conference play on Saturday in a road matchup with Charleston Southern (0-2, 0-0 OVC-Big South). Kickoff from Charleston, S.C. is set for 3:00 p.m. CT
 
The Lions are coming off a hard fought 20-13 loss on the road at Appalachian State last week. Lindenwood allowed just six points in the second half and had a change to win it late after recovering an onside kick but came up short. Leading the charge defensively was Sanjay Strickland who posted a career-high 13 tackles, including a sack and a forced fumble. As a result, he was named the Association Defensive Player of the Week.
 
The last time Lindenwood forced three or more takeaways in a game was against the Buccaneers last season when the Black and Gold tallied four, coming on two interceptions by Jayden Patrick and Jaylan Wesley and two forced fumbles by Jacob Waller and Tajay Passmore in a 29-14 win.
 
Rico Bond had a breakout game against App State, hauling in seven catches for 102 yards and one touchdown. It was the first collegiate touchdown and 100-yard receiving game for the St. Louis Mo. native who averaged 14.3 yards per reception on last Saturday. For his efforts, he was tabbed the freshman of the week by the OVC-Big South Association. Nate Glantz was responsible for the other offensive touchdown, using his legs from one yard out to find the endzone.
 
Lindenwood and Charleston Southern will meet for the third time in program history on Saturday with each team trading home wins in 2023 and 2024. The Lions did not allow an offensive touchdown in the game last season. The Buccaneers had just 197 yards of total offense in the contest.
 
This game concludes a three-game road trip to begin the season. The Lions will return home next week in a game against Stony Brook which begins at 6:00 p.m. from Hunter Stadium in St. Charles, Mo.
 
NUMBERS TO KNOW:
100: Rico Bond eclipsed the 100-yard mark last week against App State for the first time in his career. As a result, he was named the OVC-Big South Association Freshman of the week. The Lions have had a receiver go over 100 yards in back-to-back games to begin the season as Drew Krobath did it against St. Thomas

3: The Lions' defense forced three takeaways against App State, which resulted in six points. The last time that Lindenwood had three or more takeaways in a game was against Charleston Southern in 2024 when the Black and Gold had four in a 29-14 win at Hunter Stadium

8: In the last meeting between the two teams, Lindenwood held the Buccaneers to just eight first downs and 197 yards of total offense. Charleston Southern did not score an offensive touchdown in the game

7: Lindenwood has committed just seven penalties through the first two games of the year, making the Lions the least penalized team in the OVC-Big South Association. The Black and Gold average just 35.5 penalty yards per game, the lowest mark in the Association