From starting faster to tackling better, the Lindenwood football team addressed and fixed issues that plagued them during the early season. On Saturday, the Lions will test how much they have grown against NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) powerhouse Tennessee Tech.
Lindenwood (3-3; 2-0) hosts No. 8 ranked Tennessee Tech (6-0; 3-0) at 1 p.m. Saturday at Hunter Stadium in St. Charles, MO. The Golden Eagles, which have an FCS-best, 11-game winning streak, are averaging 51.6 points and 510 yards of total offense per game.
“We’ve got our hands full. Tennessee Tech is one of the best teams in the country. It’s a tough test,” Lindenwood coach Jed Stugart said.
The game Saturday gives Lindenwood a chance to demonstrate its progression after six weeks of learning valuable lessons and fixing correctable issues.
Issue 1: Slow Starts
During the first three weeks of the season, Lindenwood faced first half deficits of 7-0 against St. Thomas, 14-0 against Appalachian State and 21-0 against Charleston Southern. The Lions held a lead for a total of 4 minutes and 32 seconds over their first three contests.
During their past three games, the Lions scored first against both Stony Brook and Tennessee-Martin and produced an early, goal line stand against Miami, OH.
“When you look at everything we’ve challenged these guys to do the last few weeks, they are responding well. They understand that we can be a good football team, we just have to stay humble and prepare. I like how coachable they are,” Stugart said.
Issue 2: Tackling
In its first conference game against Charleston Southern, Lindenwood surrendered three touchdowns in the first three possessions on plays of 38, 39 and 52 yards – many occurring after broken tackles in the open field.
In the second conference game, Lindenwood tacklers held UT-Martin to just 6.5 yards per reception. The Skyhawks’ longest play from scrimmage was 17 yards and resulted in a turnover when linebacker Sanjay Strickland chased down an unsuspecting receiver and punched the ball out from behind.
“You achieve what you emphasize and one of those things was tackling. We were giving up a lot of explosive plays early in the season and we harped on it,” Stugart said. “We have a defense that runs and pursues, like that hustle play that Sanjay made. They’re buying into all of that. They know they have to be precise and they have to play together.”
Issue 3: Inexperienced wide receivers
One of the biggest question marks coming into the season involved the Lindenwood wide receiver room. After the departure of Jeff Caldwell to the University of Cincinnati, the Lions had to account for the loss of 53 catches, 1053 yards and 11 touchdowns.
“Last year when Jeff Caldwell was here, (quarterback) Nate (Glantz) and Jeff had a connection, and I think our other receivers got comfortable because they weren’t the initial target,” Stugart said.
After some Week 1 struggles, redshirt freshman Rico Bond is a precise route runner, redshirt sophomore Jalen Smith is a deep threat who wins jump balls along the sideline, and redshirt sophomore Drew Krobath is as sure handed as they come. The three have combined for 67 catches for 1,064 yards and seven touchdowns through six games.
“We have a receiving corps that is going to cause (opponents) to pick their poison, and that’s fun,” Stugart said.
Smith is coming off a career-best 146 receiving yards against UT-Martin, which included a 62-yard touchdown reception.
“We take extreme pride in knowing we have a deep (receiver) room. Everybody can make plays when the opportunity presents itself,” Smith said.
Issue 4: Holding a Lead
In the home opener against Stony Brook, Lindenwood jumped out to a 27-3 halftime lead. The Lions started milking the game clock and lost momentum. Soon, they found themselves leading by only three points with 4:23 remaining before holding on for a nail-biting, 30-27 victory.
Against UT-Martin, the Lions led 21-7 in the third quarter and kept their foot on the gas. Quarterback Nate Glantz hit Smith for 42 yards to set up a field goal and then ran around right end for 59 yards to set up a touchdown, as the offense amassed 147 yards in its final two drives.
“We talk about momentum shifts. We let Stony Brook creep back in, but this game we were able to take the lead, control the lead and finish,” Stugart said after the Lions’ convincing 30-14 victory over UT-Martin.
Upcoming Test
The progression week-to-week for Lindenwood has been impressive, and after an open date last Saturday, the Lions have had two weeks to scheme for an explosive Tennessee Tech offense that ranks first nationally in scoring, has put up at least 65 points three times, and averages less than two punts per game.
“They are very balanced. I don’t think you ever shut down an offense like this. They are going to move the ball on you, but you have to try to limit the explosive plays and make them really work to move it,” Stugart said.
Last season, Lindenwood defeated then No. 6 ranked Southeast Missouri. After learning hard lessons throughout their first six games, the Lions will try to pull off another surprise on Saturday.
“We’ve been playing more consistently for four quarters the last couple weeks. Not as many highs and lows, and we hope that maturity continues to grow,” Stugart said. “We’re going to line up, play each play to the best of our ability, and let the chips fall where they may.”
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