Freshman running back Robert Giaimo had 108 yards and three touchdowns in Lindenwood’s upset win over No. 18 Truman State, Saturday afternoon in Kirksville, Mo. (Photo: Steven Delia)

Scoring by Quarter1234T
Lindenwood (3-2)0177731
#18 Truman State (4-1)1400721

by Cedric Williams
Senior Editor

The 2021 fall football season didn’t begin in any way how the team from Lindenwood University hoped it would. The Lions suffered a couple of stinging losses in its first two games and hardly anything was going well.

Since then though, Lindenwood has been rolling. The Lions blew out Kentucky Wesleyan two weeks ago, and then went on the road and pummeled a tough Findlay team last week.

But neither of those wins was as fun or satisfying as the victory Lindenwood got Saturday afternoon, when it traveled north to Kirksville, Mo., for its Great Lakes Valley Conference opener against Truman State.

The Lions fell behind by two touchdowns early, but rallied back in a big way to defeat the No. 18-ranked Bulldogs, 31-21.

Capitalizing on timely turnovers and a huge night by running back Robert Giaimo led Lindenwood to the win. The freshman from Bartlett, Tenn., was making his first career start and helped the Lions run right past the Bulldogs by carrying the ball 21 times and rushing for 105 yards and three touchdowns.

Lindenwood quarterback Cade Brister also played well. He completed 25-of-32 passes for 291 yards and a touchdown. And perhaps the biggest stat was Brister didn’t throw any interceptions and the Lions committed no turnovers, while Truman State turned the ball over three times.

Two of those turnovers came late in the second half and were key reasons why Lindenwood was able to battle back from a 14-0 deficit to begin the second quarter, and nab a 17-14 lead at halftime.

Lindenwood’s first scoring drive came early in the second quarter, when the Lions drove 80 yards on nine plays, capped by a 1-yd scoring run by Giaimo. Two key plays on the drive were a personal foul penalty on Truman State that gave Lindenwood a first down in Truman State territory, and a 33-yard pass from Brister to receiver Payton Rose that move the Lions to the 1-yard line.

Giaimo scored on the next play and Lindenwood was finally on the board.

On Truman State’s next drive, an attempt to run a trick play backfired on the Bulldogs and gave Lindenwood great field position. Truman State tried to run a double-reverse, but fumbled the ball on the second handoff and it was recovered by Lindenwood’s Tayvian Weary.

The Lions took over on Truman State’s 40 yard line, and three plays later, following a 30-yard pass to Glen Gibbons, Giaimo punched it in again from 1 yard out, and suddenly the game was tied.

Truman State’s next drive also ended in a turnover, when Lindenwood’s Kai Ross made a spectacular interception on a pass thrown by quarterback Nolan Hair. Lindenwood took over with just 1:37 left in the half, but managed to move the ball close enough for placekicker Logan Siebert to bang home a 36 yard field goal to give the Lions the lead on the final play of the half.

Lindenwood extended its lead to 24-14 midway through the third quarter when Brister found Gibbons for a 33 yard catch and run.

Then after the Bulldogs stumbled on their next two drives, including one that ended with a tipped ball interception by Lindenwood linebacker Drew Seers, the Lions added to their lead early in the fourth quarter on a 22 yard run by Giaimo for his third score of the day.

In the first quarter, Truman State looked every bit like one of the top 25 teams in the country. But from the second quarter on, it was Lindenwood that dominated the game.

Truman State scored a late touchdown to make the game closer, but the day belonged to Lindenwood, which is now 3-0 in the all-time series between the two teams.

The Lions will be back in action next Saturday, October 9, when they’ll host their Homecoming Game at Hunter Stadium against Quincy University. That game is scheduled to kick off at 1 p.m.

Lindenwood vs. Truman State — Scoring Plays
1st Quarter
10:19 – TSU – TOUCHDOWN – Jacob Morris 5 yd pass from Nolan Hair (Josh Scheiderer PAT) — TSU 0-7
:00 – TSU – TOUCHDOWN – Cody Schrader 7 yd run (Josh Scheiderer PAT) — TSU 0-14
2nd Quarter
6:32 – LU – TOUCHDOWN – Robert Giaimo 1 yd run (Logan Siebert PAT) — TSU 7-14.
2:21 – LU – TOUCHDOWN – Robert Giaimo 1 yd run (Logan Siebert PAT) — TSU 14-14.
:00 – LU – FIELD GOAL – Logan Siebert 36 yd field goal — LU 17-14
3rd Quarter
7:06 – LU – TOUCHDOWN – Glen Gibbons 33 yd pass from Cade Brister (Logan Siebert PAT) — LU 24-14
4th Quarter
11:02 – LU – TOUCHDOWN – Robert Giaimo 22 yd run (Logan Siebert PAT) — LU 31-14
7:06 – TSU – TOUCHDOWN – Matt Hall 17 yd pass from Nolan Hair (Josh Scheiderer PAT) — LU 31-21