Lindenwood RB Jared Rhodes looks for running room during Saturday’s OVC-Big South football game against Tennessee State. (Photo courtesy: Lindenwood Athletics)
| NCAA Football | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lindenwood (4-5, 3-2) | 7 | 21 | 7 | 0 | 35 |
| Tennessee State (2-7, 0-5) | 10 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 13 |
NASHVILLE, TN — Running backs Jared Rhodes and Steve Hall both rushed for over 100 yards and scored two touchdowns apiece to lead the Lindenwood Lions to a 35-13 win over Tennessee State, Saturday afternoon at Nissan Stadium.
Rhodes and Hall combined for 213 yards and helped Lindenwood control the line of scrimmage and the clock for nearly the entire game. The Lions outgained the Blue Tigers 371 yards to 168, posted 22 first downs to just 10, and held the ball for 38 of the game’s 60 minutes in what proved to be a dominate win for Lindenwood.
Despite its dominance, the win turned out to be a come-from-behind victory for Lindenwood, as Tennessee State scored on the second play of the game. Quaterback Byron McNair hit receiver De’Vaughn Slaughter for a 70-yard touchdown that gave the Blue Tigers the lead.
Lindenwood answered on its first drive, when the Lions drove 75 yards on 11 plays and tied the score at 7 on a 1-yard touchdown run by Hall.
TSU went ahead again, later in the first on a field goal that made the score 10-7.
Lindenwood answered again, with a 14-play, 74-yard drive that ended with a 3-yard touchdown run by Nate Glantz that put the Lions ahead 14-10.
Rhodes scored his first touchdown of the day on Lindenwood’s next drive, when he burst through the right side of the line and rumbled 32 yards for a score that gave the Lions a 21-10 lead.
Hall scored again just before halftime, on a 9-yard run, that send LU into the break with a 28-10 edge.
Lindenwood began the second half, just as it did the first, by scoring on its first possession to increase its lead. Rhodes scored his second TD from a yard out to make the score 35-10.
The defenses took over from there and didn’t allow either offense much success. By that point though, Lindenwood had more than enough to end the day with a win.
Rhodes finished with a game- and season-high 113 yards rushing, while Hall was right behind with 100 yards. It was Hall’s second straight 100-yard game.
“Last week we had to get back on the horse,” Lindenwood head coach Jed Stugart said. “Getting back to basics and playing consistent on all 3 phases of the game. Not focused on the other team, but rather focusing on us and the things we needed to do.
“So, I was so proud of their response last week at practice and felt like that carried over to this game. Just an outstanding team win all around.”
The Lions are now 4-5 on the season and 3-2 in conference play.
Lindenwood will be on the road again next Saturday, with a game in Macomb, Ill., against Western Illinois. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.
Lindenwood’s next home game will be November 15, when the Lions host Eastern Illinois. Kickoff at Hunter Stadium that day is slated for 2 p.m.
SCORING SUMMARY
| Qtr | Time | Scoring Play | LU | TSU |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 14:07 | TSU – Slaughter, DeVaughn 70 yd pass from McNair, Byron (Perez, Freddy kick), 2 plays, 75 yards, TOP 00:53 | 0 | 7 |
| 1st | 09:57 | LU – Hall, Steve 1 yd run (Graham, Will kick), 11 plays, 75 yards, TOP 04:10 | 7 | 7 |
| 1st | 04:53 | TSU – Perez, Freddy 30 yd field goal, 9 plays, 63 yards, TOP 05:04 | 7 | 10 |
| 2nd | 11:48 | LU – Glantz, Nate 3 yd run (Graham, Will kick), 14 plays, 74 yards, TOP 08:05 | 14 | 10 |
| 2nd | 05:44 | LU – Rhodes, Jared 32 yd run (Graham, Will kick), 3 plays, 65 yards, TOP 01:32 | 21 | 10 |
| 2nd | 01:44 | LU – Hall, Steve 9 yd run (Graham, Will kick), 5 plays, 47 yards, TOP 02:18 | 28 | 10 |
| 3rd | 10:08 | LU – Rhodes, Jared 1 yd run (Graham, Will kick), 3 plays, 14 yards, TOP 00:55 | 35 | 10 |
| 4th | 13:30 | TSU – Perez, Freddy 45 yd field goal, 4 plays, 7 yards, TOP 01:51 | 35 | 13 |
2025 LINDENWOOD LIONS FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
| Date | Time | At | Opponent | Location | TV | Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 28, 2025 (Thursday) | 6 pm | Away | St. Thomas | St. Paul, Minn. |  | L, 35-13 (0-1) |
| September 6, 2025 (Saturday) | 2:30 pm | Away | Appalachian State | Boone, N.C. |  | L, 20-13 (0-2) |
| September 13, 2025 (Saturday) | 3 pm | Away | Charleston Southern | Charleston, S.C. | | W, 35-28 (1-2) |
| September 20, 2025 (Saturday) | 6 pm | Home | Stony Brook | Hunter Stadium | | W, 30-27 (2-2) |
| September 27, 2025 (Saturday) | 2:30 pm | Away | Miami (OH) | Oxford, Ohio | | L, 38-0 (2-3) |
| October 4, 2025 (Saturday) | 1 pm | Home | Tennessee-Martin | Hunter Stadium | | W, 30-14 (3-3) |
| October 18, 2025 (Saturday) | 1 pm | Home | #8 Tennessee Tech | Hunter Stadium | | L, 52-28 (3-4) |
| October 25, 2025 (Saturday) | 2 pm | Home | Gardner-Webb | Hunter Stadium | | L, 48-20 (3-5) |
| November 1, 2025 (Saturday) | 3:30 pm | Away | Tennessee State | Nashville, Tenn. | | W, 35-13 (4-5) |
| November 8, 2025 (Saturday) | 1 pm | Away | Western Illinois | Macomb, Ill. | | |
| November 15, 2025 (Saturday) | 2 pm | Home | Eastern Illinois | Hunter Stadium | | |
| November 22, 2025 (Saturday) | 1 pm | Away | Southeast Missouri State | Cape Girardeau, Mo. | |