The Lions will be going for their third straight win Saturday against Tennessee State. (Photo: Cedric Williams)
Lindenwood Football – Gameday Info
Game No. 6 – Tennessee State Blue Tigers (3-2) at Lindenwood Lions (2-3)
Date/Time – October 5, 2024 – 1 pm
Location – Hunter Stadium — St. Charles, MO
Watch – ESPN+
Listen — 89.1 The Wood
Live Stats – LU Sidearm Stats
ST. CHARLES, MO — The Lindenwood University football team returns home on Saturday for what figures to be one of its most exciting games of the season, when the Lions will host Tennessee State in a Big South-OVC Football Association league game at Hunter Stadium.
Lindenwood is coming off an exhilarating win last week. The Lions trailed 17-0, but rallied with four straight touchdowns — helped by a missed field goal in the final seconds — to defeat Eastern Illinois, 28-25.
The Lions, who began the year 0-3, have now won two games in a row and will be looking for its first three-game winning streak since the team won four in a row in 2022. Incidentally, that streak also included a thrilling win over EIU that went to double-overtime.
Tennessee State is also coming off an exciting win last week. The Blue Tigers knocked off Charleston Southern, 13-9, by scoring a late touchdown with 46 seconds left in the game.
TSU, which is coached by former NFL star Eddie George, is 3-2 on the year and 1-1 in the conference. Lindenwood is 2-3 and 1-0 in league play.
Lindenwood WR Jeff Caldwell scored four touchdowns in the Lions’ win over Eastern Illinois last week. (Photo courtesy: Lindenwood Athletics)
Players to Watch: Lindenwood’s top playmaker this season has been wide receiver Jeff Caldwell.
Last week, the 6-foot-4 junior from Louisville, Ky., caught four passes — all for touchdowns — to help lead the Lions’ comeback. For the season, Caldwell, who’s coming off three straight games with over 100 yards receiving (and the game before that he had 99 yards), is third in the Big South-OVC with 23 receptions, but leads the league with 508 receiving yards, seven receiving touchdowns, and a whopping 22.1 yards per catch average.
After last week’s performance, Caldwell was named Big South-OVC Offensive Player of the Week. It was the third time in his Lindenwood career that Caldwell has received that honor.
Senior running back Cortezz Jones also had a fine day for the Lions. The transfer from Murray State, carried the ball 20 times for 104 yards. It was his second straight 100-yard game for Lindenwood.
On defense, senior linebacker Vincent King leads the Lions with 45 tackles this season — second-most in the Big South-OVC — while teammate Donnie Wingate leads the team with three quarterback sacks.
The Lindenwood Lions have a 2-3 record overall and are 1-0 in Big South-OVC league play. (Photo: Cedric Williams)
Tennessee State is led by quarterback Draylen Ellis, who ranks third in the conference with 1,063 passing yards and is second with eight touchdown passes.
Receivers Karate Brenson and Jalal Dean both have 19 catches this season. Brenson leads the Blue Tigers with 260 yards, while Dean leads the team with three touchdown catches.
The TSU defense is powered by its pass rush, which has 13 sacks this season and has forced six fumbles in five games already this year.
Keandre Booker leads the team with 3.5 sacks, while teammates Jalen Bell and Chris Walker both have 2.5 sacks.
Up Next: The Lions will be at home again next Saturday, with a matchup against Charleston Southern
The Buccaneers are 1-3 and are hosting their Homecoming game this Saturday against Western Illinois.
Kickoff next week at Hunter Stadium is scheduled for 1 p.m.
2024 LINDENWOOD LIONS FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
| Date | Time | At | Opponent | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 5, 2024 (Saturday) | 1:00 p.m. | Home | Tennessee State | St. Charles, Mo. / Hunter Stadium |
| October 12, 2024 (Saturday) | 1:00 p.m. | Home | Charleston Southern | St. Charles, Mo. / Hunter Stadium |
| October 19, 2024 (Saturday) | 3:00 pm | Away | Gardner-Webb | Boiling Springs, N.C. |
| October 26, 2024 (Saturday) | 2:00 p.m. | Home | Western Illinois | St. Charles, Mo. / Hunter Stadium |
| November 2, 2024 (Saturday) | 1:30 pm | Away | Tennessee Tech | Cookeville, Tenn. |
| November 9, 2024 (Saturday) | 1:00 p.m. | Home | Southeast Missouri State | St. Charles, Mo. / Hunter Stadium |
| November 23, 2024 (Saturday) | 2:00 pm | Away | Tennessee-Martin | Martin, Tenn. |