Photo by David Snyder
The Lindenwood football team could not have asked for a better education if they were sitting in a classroom or listening to a Ted Talk. Each game this season has provided a new lesson for the Lions, and they will hope to apply those lessons as the Ohio Valley-Big South Conference slate gets in full swing.
Lindenwood (2-3; 1-0) will face Tennessee-Martin (1-4, 1-0) in an OVC-Big South matchup at 1 p.m. Saturday at Hunter Stadium in St. Charles. The Skyhawks defeated Lindenwood 33-26 in overtime in the regular season finale last season.
Week 1 Lesson: Overconfidence
Lindenwood lost to St. Thomas in the season opener, a team it defeated 64-0 last season. The shocking 35-13 setback stunned the Lions and they returned to the practice field with an increased level of focus.
“We beat that team 64-to-nothing and we just thought it was going to happen again,” Lindenwood head coach Jed Stugart said. “We got a dose of humility that we needed.”
Week 2 Lesson: Value of Great Effort
Appalachian State shocked the Lions with a 72-yard touchdown on the first play of the game and quickly led 14-0. Lindenwood increased its intensity, forced four turnovers, recovered an onside kick and almost pulled off the kind of upset that Appalachian State made famous, before ultimately running out of time in a 20-13 defeat.
“Our kids competed. Effort kept us in that game,” Stugart said.
Week 3 Lesson: Mounting a Comeback
Charleston Southern led 21-0 after three possessions before Lindenwood mounted a ferocious comeback. The defense recorded eight consecutive stops and allowed the offense to find its rhythm. Nate Glantz ran for three touchdowns and threw for another and Lindenwood prevailed 35-28.
“I was really proud of our team’s resilience. These kids don’t give up, they’re going to continue to fight,” Stugart said.
Week 4 Lesson: Holding a Lead
With an emphasis on starting fast, Lindenwood jumped on Stony Brook from the outset and led by 24 points at halftime, but a conservative approach and flawed execution allowed the Seawolves to mount a comeback. Lindenwood recovered, sustained two long drives and survived with a 30-27 victory.
“We have to learn how to completely finish games,” Stugart said.
Week 5 Lesson: Consistency
In a 38-0 loss at Miami, OH, the Lions showed flashes of excellence. A goal line stand by the defense provided an early momentum boost, but the Redhawks took advantage of an inconsistent Lindenwood performance in all three phases and cruised to victory.
“Our focus this week is the consistency in preparation, just our consistency across the board,” Stugart said. “Every week is a new challenge, but that’s what coaching is all about.”
The challenge this Saturday will be an explosive Tennessee-Martin team coming off a 34-10 victory over Southeast Missouri and claiming the offensive and defensive OVC-Big South Players of the Week. Senior quarterback Jace Bauer accounted for 332 yards of total offense and four touchdowns and junior linebacker Keyshawn Johnson had seven tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, two sacks and three quarterback hurries.
“UT Martin is a very big, physical football team that plays hard and has speed. It’s really hard to find anything to expose,” Stugart said. “We can’t have an average performance this week. (UT Martin) is too good. You can’t fall behind a team like this.”
After a roller coaster start to the season, with huge leads to maintain and huge deficits to overcome, Lindenwood is hoping to see fewer dramatic peaks and valleys during the playoff intensity of conference play. But if the Lions jump way ahead, fall way behind or face anything in between, they can be assured they probably faced a similar situation earlier this season.
“We’ve had five weeks of learning lessons. Now, it’s time to take the lessons we’ve learned and try to apply those going forward,” Stugart said.