The Lindenwood football team (2-4, 2-1 OVC) is set to host first-year program Chicago State (1-6) for Homecoming on Saturday. Kickoff from Steward Field at Hunter Stadium is set for 2:00 p.m.
 
The Lions are coming off a 20-13 road win over Eastern Illinois last time out where the offense was very balanced with 230 passing and 137 rushing yards. Both Lindenwood touchdowns came on the ground via Steve Hall and Pops Battle. Battle now has five rushing touchdowns on the season which leads the team. Those five rushing scores ranks fourth in the conference.
 
Defensively, the Black and Gold held the Ohio Valley Conferences leading rusher Charles Kellom to just 19 yards on 10 carries. Overall, the Panthers were limited to 53 rushing yards and 2.7 yards per carry. That is the lowest since last season when they held Tennessee State to 36 yards on the ground in a 35-13 win.
 
A big reason for the strong defensive play was Caleb Jacobmeier who recorded two tackles, a forced fumble and an interception. He became the first Lindenwood player responsible for an interception and forced fumble in a game since Kai Ross had three picks and a forced fumble against Quincy University in 2021. Jacobmeier leads the team with 34 tackles so far this season.
 
Lindenwood dominated time of possession in the game, holding the ball for 38:14, compared to 21:46 for the Panthers. The Lions ran 79 plays while the Panthers had 44. Lindenwood was able to get off the field on third down as EIU went just 1-for-8 and 0-for-1 on fourth down.
 
The Lions will be looking to continue recent Homecoming success as they have gone 4-2 over their last six, which included three-straight victories from 2019-22 and a 49-38 win over Western Illinois in 2024 where Hall ran for 259 yards and four touchdowns.
 
Lindenwood will remain at home next week, hosting Tennessee State for Halloween. Kickoff is set for 1:00 p.m.

NUMBERS TO KNOW:
80: The number of yards that Eastern Illinois had in the first half on Saturday. This came on 21 plays as the Lions held the Panthers to 3.8 yards per play. 49 of those yards came on one play in the opening half. 

13: Eastern Illinois had 13 first downs in the game which is the lowest total given up by the Lindenwood defense so far this season. Five came in the first half, while eight came during the second 30 minutes.

256: The 256 yards allowed by the Lindenwood defense is the lowest total given up by the Lions so far this season. The 53 rushing yards are also a season low for the Lions defensive unit.

4: Lindenwood is third in the conference in rushing defense, allowing just four yards per carry. They are also allowing the third fewest rushing yards per game in the conference at 144.5.