Tag: Jed Stugart

GLVC newcomers Lindenwood Capture Conference Crown

Lindenwood rallied in their final home game to beat Missouri S&T in overtime, 37-31. In just their first season as members of the Great Lakes Valley Conference, Lindenwood made seemingly easy work of their GLVC schedule. Undefeated in the league, and coming off a big win against NCAA Division II top ten opponent UIndy, the Lions completed their dream campaign with Saturday’s overtime victory.

The game got off to a good start for Lindenwood, forcing S&T quarterback Brennan Simms to fumble on his own 12-yard line on their first drive, and quickly converting for six to give the home team the early advantage. The Lindenwood defense that stifled Uindy in the first half on November 2 looked much more malleable against a perky S&T offense that scored 62 points a week ago, with holes opening up for S&T all over the field. All three of S&T’s first half touchdowns came on the ground in close or in goal-to-go situations. 

LU QB Cade Brister’s second touchdown pass was a 17-yard effort made possible by his running back, Nash Sutherlin. Sutherlin made the catch on a short out route, and scampered up the sideline the rest of the way for the touchdown. To help paint how effective each offense was, Lindenwood was forced to punt four times in the first half and committed one turnover, an interception on a ball thrown by Cade Brister. S&T didn’t punt in the first half, but did turn the ball over twice, the early game fumble and an interception in the second quarter. 

The Lindenwood defense that gave UIndy fits started to look the part in the second half, as the Miners from Missouri S&T saw holes that were open in the first half close up in the second. Down ten at half, the defense clamping down was critical in Lindenwood coming back in this ballgame, needing to give the ball to Cade Brister and the LU offense to get back ahead. Brister scrambled for not one but two touchdowns in the second half, and rushed for 158 yards on the day, often through the option. The dual threat QB added 187 yards through the air after setting a Lindenwood football record with 531 last week. 

Missouri S&T’s best chance to win the football game came with two seconds left in it. The Miners drove downfield but stalled short of the red zone, and kicker Ben Styron just needed to convert a 40-yard field goal to give S&T the win. His attempt was blocked, to the joy of the home sideline. Overtime would have to settle this one.

S&T won the toss for overtime and elected to give Lindenwood the ball. Lindenwood converted a first down and halved the 25-yard overtime field, and then finished with a Cade Brister pass to Glen Gibbons for the touchdown. The extra point was blocked, but it wouldn’t matter, as S&T was stuffed on 4th down on their turn in overtime. Yet again, Lindenwood’s flair for the dramatic and Cade Brister’s confidence under pressure were on display, and yet again, the Lions left the gridiron victorious. 

It’s been a great season covering Lindenwood football. While this game will be the last I attend this season, if postseason play is an option for Lindenwood I will be keeping up with those games in some capacity, on Twitter and with reports. I’ve had a blast roaming the sidelines and bleachers of Hunter Stadium this season, and am already looking forward to the 2020 season to see if these Lions can repeat as GLVC champions.  

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Lindenwood 34, UIndy 27: Lions Lap Greyhounds

Lion’s Den: Lindenwood 34, UIndy 27, Lions Lap Greyhounds

By Nathan Tucker

nrtucker@lc.edu

Lindenwood got hot at the right time of the football season. After a rough start, Lindenwood went 4-0 in the month of October, and more importantly, in the Great Lakes Valley Conference. On Saturday November 2, the Lions hosted the Greyhounds from the University of Indianapolis. UIndy came into play ranked #8 in all of NCAA Division II football, bringing an undefeated 7-0 record to Hunter Stadium on the Lindenwood campus. 

Jumping to the second quarter, an early field goal and pick-six for UIndy gave the ranked visitors a 10-0 lead as both offenses had their struggles in the first. Lindenwood QB Cade Brister looked sharp, but until the second found no reward for his work. Brister would find a wide open Payton Rose for his first TD of what would prove to be a monumental day for the Lions quarterback. 

As the first half wound down, Brister led the Lions downfield through a series of orderly, methodical passes, finding receivers open in UIndy’s rather soft coverage. Brister capped the drive by scrambling and diving to his second TD, his first on the ground, and gave the Lions a 14-10 halftime lead. 

Credit to the Lindenwood defense should be given for locking down the usually powerful Greyhound offense in the opening half. UIndy’s offense came into today’s ballgame averaging over 20 points in the first half of their contests, and was held to just a lone field goal in the opening half hour of play.

“Up to this point, (UIndy)’d been averaging 14 points in the first quarter, they’d been averaging 10 points in the second quarter. They’d been getting a lot of their points in the first half. To hold the offense to zero points in the first quarter, they were kind of out of their element. They just weren’t used to it, they’ve never played from behind, they’ve never really played through four quarters. We knew if we could get ‘em through the fourth quarter we had a really good chance. They just haven’t played a full game. They haven’t had to, they’ve had leads and never had to come from behind. We have, we’ve been in these games and we’re used to them. All those games earlier in the season that frustrated us prepared us for games like this.”

Lindenwood head coach Jed Stugart, speaking to Lindenwood’s radio broadcast following the game

Brister and the Lindenwood offense picked up right where they left off at halftime. A big pass and catch from Cade Brister to Nash Sutherlin really swung momentum in favor of the home team, making the score 21-10, and reinvigorating the slightly chilly home fans packed into the west side of Hunter Stadium. Not stopping there, Lindenwood tacked on another score, yet again through the air, as wideout Glen Gibbons hauled in Brister’s effort in the endzone. The Lions had scored four unanswered touchdowns, and #8 UIndy’s sideline was stunned silent.

UIndy hasn’t faced any adversity this season that matches being down 18 on the road. The Greyhounds have done most of their damage early in games and gave their defense more breathing room, as Lindenwood ball coach Jed Stugart alluded to in previous quotes. The offense wasn’t clicking at all, all day for UIndy. Dual-threat QB TJ Edwards was attempting to score all the points back himself, and while he put up an impressive display on the ground and threw for 180 yards, his team was in a hole late.

I have to emphasize Cade Brister’s outstanding performance on the day for Lindenwood. Brister threw for 531 yards, a Lindenwood University record at any level of college sports. Brister was responsible for 4 scores, 3 through the air and his short scramble on the ground. Completing over 64% of his passes, Brister was locked in all day, and UIndy had no answers for the Lions air raid.

At 28-10, UIndy started clawing back. Their first score since the early pick-six was a Paul Buisman field goal, coming with just 12:34 left in the fourth quarter. The Greyhounds sandwiched a TJ Edwards touchdown run between two LU field goals, and pushed the score to 34-20 with about two minutes still on the clock.

UIndy still held out hopes for a late victory, marching down the field and scoring in a minute and a half to pull within a touchdown, the score 34-27. An onside kick attempt followed, and failed, and Lindenwood kneeled out the remaining time. Not quite as dramatic as some of Lindenwood’s previous home games, but likely the biggest Lindenwood win of the year, knocking off a top-ten team in NCAA Division II. 

“We believed we could win, there’s no doubt about it.” Head coach Jed Stugart said speaking with Lindenwood’s radio broadcast after the game. Win they did, and now the Lions are serious contenders for a GLVC crown, the lone undefeated team in the conference after handing UIndy their first GLVC loss of the year. 

The Lions close out their home schedule with Senior Day next Saturday, hosting Missouri S&T, who will be confident coming off a 62-0 rout of Southwest Baptist. S&T boasts a similar 6-3 record, but has had mixed results in conference play, notably getting blown out by the UIndy team Lindenwood handled. 

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Lindenwood 28, Truman 24: LU Scores Statement Victory Over Top 25 Truman State

Coach Jed Stugart and everyone in the Lindenwood Lions football program knew what kind of game they were in for hosting the 24th ranked team in NCAA Division II, the Truman State Bulldogs. The Bulldogs came into Saturday’s contest 5-0 on the campaign, and some D2 football analysts think they should be even higher than their current ranking. 

Truman ranks even higher in ESPN college football analyst Bill Connelly’s SP+ rankings, which, for the uninitiated, is a method of measuring a football team’s efficiency, which takes team quality and game tempo and a number of other things into consideration. Truman ranks 9th in Connelly’s SP+ for D2 football, and he even claims on this tweet of the D2 rankings that Truman State is underrated. For reference, in the same rankings, Lindenwood sits 76th. 

Despite a beautiful day and pristine conditions, Lindenwood started the game with not one, but two fumbles, one on the opening kickoff, and one on the second play from scrimmage. That was about the amount of excitement they created as a whole in the first half, quarterback Cade Brister couldn’t ever develop a rhythm on the offensive side of the football. The Lions defense looked up to the task early, forcing silly mistakes out of the Bulldogs from Truman State, holding them scoreless and largely hopeless in the first quarter. 

Truman’s quality began to show in the second stanza, as they started to lock down even tighter on defense and started to make inroads on offense. Truman QB Jaden Barr started finding his targets, throwing for 135 yards in the first half, and the Bulldogs found the endzone twice through the quick feet of their tailback, Jordan Salima, the first of which you can see here on my Twitter. On the back of those two scores, and their stifling defense, Truman State took a 14-0 lead into halftime. 

The offensive strategy for Lindenwood had to change to break the tough Bulldog defense, and that directive was to start running a no-huddle, pass heavy offense. Outside of occasional scrambles from Cade Brister, Truman contained the Lindenwood rushing attack, and forced the Lions to change course from their first half plans. After Truman took a 17-0 lead with a field goal, Cade Brister threw for all 65 yards on the following drive including the 1-yard touchdown pass to Erik Henneman to give LU their first points of the day. 

Lindenwood looked to be gaining momentum in their hurry-up offense, finding receivers in open space and moving the ball well and looking to bring the game within a field goal, when Cade Brister was hit as he started his throwing motion, fumbling the ball which was recovered by Truman State. Truman State capitalized, and scored a quick touchdown, which would make the 4th quarter an uphill march for the Lions to make a comeback. 

And march they did, after relying heavily on the pass in the 3rd quarter, Lindenwood mixed up the offense more, and got some crucial rushing yards which then set up another Cade Brister touchdown pass, this time to his other favorite target, Payton Rose, to bring LU back within two scores.

A key defensive stop gave the Lions the ball and 8 minutes to make a comeback, where the rushing attack would play an important factor yet again. Nash Sutherlin provided the threat to try to open up opportunities for Cade Brister through the air, but unfortunately for the Lions, Brister was intercepted when attempting to hit Payton Rose in the endzone, giving the ball back to Truman with just 5 minutes of game remaining. 

Lindenwood would get another chance, down 10 with 3 minutes left on the clock. Running the ball proved most effective on this drive, but unfortunately running eats time, and 3 minutes became 80 seconds quickly.. Brister found Erik Henneman for his second touchdown catch on the day to bring the score to 24-21 with 1:16 left, giving them a fighting chance. The Lions lined up for an onside kick, and after a pile of bodies was separated, the officials found LU had recovered, giving them their one last chance, a minute remaining, and fifty yards between them and the endzone. 

The final drive for Lindenwood didn’t start as they would have liked, going backwards a few yards and not stopping the clock in the process. Truman forced 4th down, but Brister kept a cool head and found Erik Henneman for a first down to keep the drive alive. Every decision is amplified in these final stages of football games, and Brister looked more than cool under pressure.

A Brister pass over the middle to Payton Rose connected and gave LU 1st and goal to go at the Truman State 1 yard line, with 14 seconds left of game time. Hurriedly, I got my phone out and Periscoped this highly climactic ending. The first shot to the endzone was caught, but the intended receiver, Erik Henneman, was out of bounds. The second pass found paydirt. Completing his hat trick, Henneman caught his third touchdown pass of the day. 

The extra point gave Lindenwood a four point lead, their first of the game, with just six seconds left on the clock. Truman State tried the hook and ladder desperation play as time expired, but nothing came of the chaotic play, and Lindenwood pulled off the huge upset, beating Truman State by the final score of 28-24. 

As illustrated in my first few paragraphs, this wasn’t a game I was necessarily expecting Jed Stugart’s team to come away with, nor do I think many in attendance familiar with Lindenwood and Truman’s football teams did. Betting lines (hopefully) don’t exist for NCAA Division II football the way they do for Division I or the NFL, but one would have imagined Truman State was a two or three touchdown favorite today. Instead, Lindenwood handed them their first loss of the season. 

Lindenwood has now won two straight, and is building momentum for the last half of their campaign. After this week’s big win against Truman and last week’s victory at McKendree, the Lions are 3-3 going into next week’s contest, where they will host Saginaw Valley State. For more information on Lindenwood Football and all Lindenwood sports, visit LindenwoodLions.com.

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Lindenwood 28, Jewell 16, Lions Claim First Win Of 2019

Lindenwood seemed to have a bit of a chip on their shoulder following a tough loss at Hunter Stadium last week to Midwestern State University. The Lions missed an extra point late in the game, and fumbled the ball away on their last possession when they had a chance to win as the clock expired. Whether it be hard feelings from the week prior, or truly finding their game, they looked to be on a mission against the William Jewell College Cardinals in week three. 

The Cardinals come to St. Charles trying to correct their own mistakes, having lost 49-21 in last week’s contest with West Texas A&M on William Jewell’s home turf in Liberty, Missouri. Unfortunately for the Cardinals efforts to right their ship, Lindenwood came out and smacked them in the face early. Lindenwood’s defense forced a quick three and out on the first drive of the game, and on their own offensive drive quarterback Cade Brister connected with Erik Henneman for a 70-yard touchdown pass. Lindenwood was ahead in less than 150 seconds of game time. 

The Lions never looked back in the first half. Three more touchdowns for Cade Brister, two through the air (including one you can watch here) and another via a short run on 3rd and goal, put the game virtually out of reach for the visitors. Lindenwood was marching toward a fifth touchdown when a Cardinal defender forced a fumble from the Lindenwood ballcarrier. Jewell found the scoreboard as the final seconds ticked off the clock, making a roughly 40-yard field goal to close out the first half. 

Lindenwood began to struggle to find the endzone starting in the second half. Jewell started to find answers for the balanced Lions attack, and Cade Brister’s offense stagnated. LU attempted to keep the ball on the ground more, feeding tailback Dalton Grohler more in an attempt to work minutes off the clock and defend their lead. Jewell began to chip away as they finally found the endzone in the third, and once more at the start of the fourth quarter. After a missed extra point, Lindenwood’s lead had dwindled from 28-0 to 28-16. 

The remainder of the game became a punting/clock management contest, with Lindenwood clinging to their 12-point lead. William Jewell’s attempts to climb within one score were futile, with their last drive ending with the final whistle. 

The win gives Lindenwood their first victory on the young season, but also was Head Coach Jed Stugart’s 100th career coaching win. The Lions improve to 1-2 on the season, as William Jewell falls to 1-2. A few weeks on the road including a big matchup with McKendree on October 5 are next up for LU. For more information on Lindenwood football and other sports, visit LindenwoodLions.com.

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