Lindenwood will host its 2024 Homecoming Game, Saturday afternoon at Hunter Stadium. (Photo: Thomas Grove)

Lindenwood Football – Gameday Info
Game No. 9 – Western Illinois Leathernecks (3-4, 2-1) at Lindenwood Lions (3-5, 2-2)
Date/Time – October 26, 2024 – 2 pm
Location – Hunter Stadium — St. Charles, MO
Watch – ESPN+
Listen — 89.1 The Wood
Live Stats – LU Sidearm Stats

DeMarcus Dixon
Staff Writer

ST. CHARLES, MO — It should be a fun and exciting day at Hunter Stadium on Saturday, when the Lindenwood University football team hosts its annual Homecoming Game.

The 3-5 Lions will take on 3-4 Western Illinois in a Big South-OVC Football Association matchup of teams trying to get back to the .500 mark.

Lindenwood is coming off a close loss on the road last week against Gardner-Webb, while Western Illinois may have played its best game of the season last week, when it defeated Tennessee Tech, 37-21.

Both teams are in the top half of the Big South-OVC standings and with a win, could keep themselves in the running for a possible league title. The top teams in the conference, SEMO and Tennessee State, are both ranked nationally. But that doesn’t mean neither Lindenwood nor Western Illinois couldn’t catch them if one of them got hot.

That getting hot would need to start with a win over the other on Saturday.

RB Steve Hall won his second Big South-OVC Freshman of the Week award. (Photo courtesy: Lindenwood Athletics)

Players to Watch: Lindenwood’s top playmaker is junior wide receiver Jeff Caldwell. The 6-foot-4 stud from Louisville, Ky., leads the Big South-OVC with 779 receiving yards, nine receiving touchdowns, and a 22.1 yards per catch average.

Last week, Caldwell caught six passes for 174 yards and a touchdown. It was the second time he had at least that many yards in a game. The other came last season, when Caldwell caught five passes for 185 yards and four touchdowns against Western Illinois.

The Lions also feature a pair of dynamite running backs in Cortezz Jones and Steve Hall. Jones, a senior who transferred to Lindenwood this season from Murray State, is the leader with 445 yards and five touchdowns, while Hall, a freshman, who won his second Big South-OVC Freshman of the Week award this week, is right behind with 416 yards and a touchdown this season.

On defense, senior linebacker Vincent King leads the Lions and the entire conference with 77 total tackles and 46 solo stops. He had 15 tackles, including three tackles for loss, which helped earn him his second Big South-OVC Defensive Player of the Week award.

Fellow linebacker Donnie Wingate leads Lindenwood with 4.5 quarterback sacks, while corner Jayden Patrick has five pass-breakups and two interceptions this year.

Lindenwood linebackers Donnie Wingate (6) and Vincent King (9) are both have all-conference caliber seasons this year. (Photo courtesy: Lindenwood Athletics)

Western Illinois quarterback Nathan Lamb has thrown for 1,390 yards and seven touchdowns this season. His top target is Matthew Henry, who has 26 catches for 463 yards and two touchdowns.

On defense, linebacker Ryan Crandall leads the Leathernecks with 53 tackles and defensive back KJ Coleman has 41 tackles and an interception.

Up Next: Lindenwood will be back on the road next week. The Lions will travel to Cookeville, Tenn., to take on Tennessee Tech.

Lindenwood’s next home game will be November 8, when the Lions will host the Game Ball Brawl at Hunter Stadium against SEMO. Kickoff that day is set for 1 p.m.

2024 LINDENWOOD LIONS FOOTBALL SCHEDULE

DateTimeAtOpponentLocation
October 26, 2024 (Saturday)2:00 p.m.HomeWestern Illinois
(Homecoming)		St. Charles, Mo. / Hunter Stadium
November 2, 2024 (Saturday)1:30 pmAwayTennessee TechCookeville, Tenn.
November 9, 2024 (Saturday)1:00 p.m.Home#8 Southeast Missouri StateSt. Charles, Mo. / Hunter Stadium
November 23, 2024 (Saturday)2:00 pmAwayTennessee-MartinMartin, Tenn.