Glantz leads inspired performance as Lindenwood tops Eastern Illinois on Senior Day

ST. CHARLES – Lindenwood quarterback Nate Glantz let it rip in his final six minutes playing on the Hunter Stadium turf.

The senior slinger needed just seven plays to orchestrate three touchdown drives and helped the Lions earn a convincing 42-12 victory over Eastern Illinois Saturday.

Lindenwood (5-6; 4-3 OVC-Big South), which has a chance to finish with a .500 record for the first time since 2022, will travel to Southeast Missouri State (4-7; 3-4) for a 1 p.m. kickoff Saturday in Cape Girardeau. The game will be televised on ESPN-Plus.

Lindenwood defeated SEMO 24-12 last season and took home the “Game Ball Brawl” trophy when the Redhawks were ranked No. 6 in the nation in FCS.

“They’re going to want to avenge that. They’re going to have a chip on their shoulder and we have to match that,” Lindenwood coach Jed Stugart said.

Lindenwood was the team with a chip on their shoulder Saturday after a mistake-filled, head-scratching loss at Western Illinois a week earlier that knocked the Lions out of postseason contention.

Leading 21-12 to begin the fourth quarter, Glantz and the Lions’ offense put on a show for the Senior Day crowd. On consecutive plays, Glantz hit Rico Bond for 32 yards, then found Jalen Smith on a deep post for a 29-yard touchdown.

“We can be an explosive team, and when we play smart, solid, offensive football, those shots will be there,” Stugart said.

A long Christopher Bennett punt return combined with an Eastern Illinois personal foul gave the Lindenwood offense the ball at the Panthers’ 35-yard line to start the next drive. Glantz immediately spotted Steve Hall out of the backfield for 30 yards, and Hall powered it into the end zone on the next play to balloon the lead 35-12.

It only took Lindenwood one play to score on its next possession – a 44-yard dart from Glantz to Drew Krobath that gave the Lions 21 points in the first six minutes of the fourth quarter.  Glantz, who threw four touchdowns to Jeff Caldwell in a 28-25 victory over Eastern Illinois last season, connected with four different receivers for big plays during the six-minute barrage, highlighting his growth as a distributor.

“I’m proud of the progress he made from last year to this year,” Stugart said. “I can’t say enough about him. He’s been a blessing to our program, on and off the field.”

Glantz personified toughness for the Lions this season. He was the running game midway through the season while Hall and Jared Rhodes recovered from ankle injuries. He led the team in rushing yards against Stony Brook and Tennessee-Martin and took some heavy hits along the way.

On Saturday, he carried the ball nine times for 44 yards and a touchdown.

“He’s a warrior. He wants to get the running game going through his legs,” Stugart said. “I was proud of him for actually sliding today. That doesn’t happen very often.”

Glantz tallied his seventh rushing touchdown of the season to open the scoring, but later threw a pair of interceptions that allowed Eastern Illinois to close within 14-6 early in the third quarter.

“He wants to make plays, and when you have a guy that can be a little bit of a gunslinger, you don’t want to coach that instinct out of him. It’s a good kind of greedy,” Stugart said.

And greed was good during an explosive fourth quarter that propelled the Lions to a convincing victory in front of an enthusiastic Senior Day crowd at Hunter Stadium.

“I really liked how we finished the game in honor of our seniors. That sent them out on a good note,” Stugart said.

Special Teams unit rebounds after tough week

After a forgetful performance against Western Illinois that included an ill-timed fake punt, a botched snap on a field goal attempt and a muffed punt return, the Lindenwood special teams unit shined on Saturday.

Late in the second quarter, and with Lindenwood clinging to a 7-3 lead, Elijah Thomas blocked a Panthers’ punt that fluttered out of bounds deep in Eastern Illinois territory. On the next play, Jared Rhodes raced around right end 18-yards for a touchdown.

“Kudos to Coach (Bryan) Baldwin, our special teams coordinator. He thought we could pressure their punt and get there,” Stugart said. “To execute there was huge, and we utilized that momentum going into the second half.”  

Thomas and freshman long snapper Zach Ely stepped into new positions and helped Lindenwood produce a strong special teams performance Saturday.

After Western Illinois scored a touchdown to close the deficit to 21-12 late in the third quarter, Lindenwood defensive lineman Miaka Finau rose and blocked the extra point to keep it a two-score margin. A 25-yard punt return by Christopher Bennett and subsequent personal foul penalty gave the Lions’ excellent field position early in the fourth quarter.

“The (special teams unit) knew they had some redemption to make, so there was a lot of attention to detail in that area this week,” Stugart said. “We made some adjustments, made some depth chart changes, gave kids opportunities and they rose up.”

Defense continues strong play

The 12 points yielded by the Lindenwood defense was the lowest output of the season and piggybacked off excellent performances against Tennessee State and Western Illinois. The Lions notched three sacks, including the team-leading, sixth sack of the season by Tajay Passmore, and held Eastern Illinois to just 2.9 yards per carry.

“Our defense has been playing great. They held us in it last week and got us out of some tough situations today,” Stugart said.

He added, “It was a three-phase, high-effort win.”

For a photo gallery of this game, click this link: https://benvessa.smugmug.com/Football/Football-2025/Lindenwood-2025/Eastern-Illinois-vs-Lindenwood-11-15-25

For photo galleries from Lindenwood home football games this season, click here: https://benvessa.smugmug.com/Football/Football-2025/Lindenwood-2025

Game Leaders:

On SEMO: