Lindenwood WR Drew Krobath tries to break away from a defender during the Lions’ game against Stony Brook, Thursday night. (Photo courtesy: Lindenwood Athletics)
| NCAA Football | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lindenwood (1-1) | 10 | 12 | 3 | 7 | 32 |
| Stony Brook (1-1) | 7 | 0 | 10 | 19 | 36 |
STONY BROOK, NY — The Lindenwood University football team suffered its first loss of the 2026 season Thursday night, when it fell 36-32, in a non-conference game in Long Island against Stony Brook University.
Lindenwood led most of the evening, until Stony Brook scored three touchdowns in the fourth quarter to rally back and win. The game-winning score came on an 8-yard run by SBU quarterback Quinn Boyd that gave the host Seawolves their first lead of the night.
LU got the ball back two more times to try and re-take the lead. But one drive ended when the Lions were stopped on fourth down and the other finished when the clock ran out before LU could run another play.
Lindenwood WR Drew Krobath had five catches for 81 yards in the Lions’ loss to Stony Brook on Thursday. (Photo: Luka Captures)
Lindenwood dominated the first half and led 22-7 at halftime. Quarterback Robert “Pops” Battle was a dynamo for the Lions, rushing for over 60 yards and scoring both of LU’s first half touchdowns.
The first one came on LU’s second possession. Battle broke loose on a QB keeper and scampered 24 yards for a touchdown that put the Lions up 10-0 midway through the first quarter.
Then after SBU scored a touchdown to get on the board, Battle worked his magic again and scored on a 26-yard run that put LU up 17-7 on the first play of the second quarter. Lindenwood added a field goal and a safety to go into the midway break with a 15-point lead.
SBU found its rhythm in the second half and pulled to within 25-17 heading into the fourth quarter. Then on the first play of said fourth quarter, running back CJ Hester — a transfer from Michigan — broke free for a 52-yard touchdown that made the score 25-23. The Seawolves went for two to try to tie the game, but the play failed and Lindenwood retained its lead.
The Lions later added to their lead when Battle led a quick drive for a score. Running back Jared Rhodes had a 20-yard run on the first play. Then later, Battle completed passes for 35 yards and 19 yards to Drew Krobath and Jalen Smith, respectively, which set Lions up on the SBU 1-yard line.
Rhodes punched the ball in on the next play to put LU up 32-23. But the remainder of the game was all Stony Brook.
Hester scored a 5-yard touchdown, which made the score 32-30. The Seawolves stopped the Lions on their next possession to get the ball back, which set up Boyd’s game-winning score on SBU’s next possession.
Lindenwood QB “Pops” Battle throws a pass during Thursday’s game against Stony Brook. (Photo: Luka Captures)
Lindenwood is now 1-1 on the year and will look to get back on the winning track when it travels back to Missouri to take on Missouri State, next Saturday, September 12.
Kickoff is set for 6 p.m., and the game will be streamed live on ESPN+.
SCORING SUMMARY
| Qtr | Time | Scoring Play | LU | SBU |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 10:14 | LU – Graham,Will 21 yd field goal 9 plays, 73 yards, TOP 04:40 | 3 | 0 |
| 1st | 08:14 | LU – Battle,Pops 24 yd run (Graham,Will kick), 2 plays, 24 yards, TOP 00:33 | 10 | 0 |
| 1st | 05:25 | SBU – Gutierrez,Keiden 28 yd pass from Boyd,Quinn (Mannino,Michael kick) 7 plays, 75 yards, TOP 02:49 | 10 | 7 |
| 2nd | 14:54 | LU – Battle,Pops 26 yd run (Graham,Will kick), 10 plays, 82 yards, TOP 05:26 | 17 | 7 |
| 2nd | 07:12 | LU – Graham,Will 50 yd field goal 9 plays, 33 yards, TOP 03:45 | 20 | 7 |
| 2nd | 05:02 | LU – safety | 22 | 7 |
| 3rd | 08:29 | SBU – Sweitzer,Seth 29 yd pass from Boyd,Quinn (Mannino,Michael kick) 7 plays, 82 yards, TOP 02:10 | 22 | 14 |
| 3rd | 05:05 | LU – Graham,Will 38 yd field goal 9 plays, 52 yards, TOP 03:21 | 25 | 14 |
| 3rd | 01:51 | SBU – Mannino,Michael 33 yd field goal 8 plays, 29 yards, TOP 03:05 | 25 | 17 |
| 4th | 14:52 | SBU – Hester,CJ 52 yd run (two-point conversion attempt failed), 3 plays, 67 yards, TOP 00:33 | 25 | 23 |
| 4th | 12:47 | LWU – Rhodes,Jared 1 yd run (Graham,Will kick), 5 plays, 75 yards, TOP 02:05 | 32 | 23 |
| 4th | 12:11 | SBU – Hester,CJ 5 yd run (Mannino,Michael kick), 2 plays, 60 yards, TOP 00:26 | 32 | 30 |
| 4th | 07:39 | SBU – Boyd,Quinn 8 yd run (two-point conversion attempt failed), 8 plays, 71 yards, TOP 03:28 | 32 | 36 |
2026 LINDENWOOD LIONS FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
| Date | Time | At | Opponent | Location | TV | Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 27, 2026 (Thursday) | 6:00 p.m. | Home | Charleston Southern* | Hunter Stadium |  | W, 20-17 (1-0) |
| September 3, 2026 (Thursday) | 6:00 p.m. | Away | Stony Brook | Stony Brook, N.Y. |  | L, 36-32 (1-1) |
| September 12, 2026 (Saturday) | 6:00 p.m. | Away | Missouri State | Springfield, Mo. | | |
| September 26, 2026 (Saturday) | 12:00 p.m. | Away | Eastern Michigan | Ypsilanti, Mich. | | |
| October 10, 2026 (Saturday) | 1:00 p.m. | Home | Southeast Missouri State* | Hunter Stadium | | |
| October 17, 2026 (Saturday) | 2:00 p.m. | Away | Eastern Illinois* | Charleston, Ill. | | |
| October 24, 2026 (Saturday) | 2:00 p.m. | Home | Chicago State | Hunter Stadium | | |
| October 31, 2026 (Saturday) | 1:00 p.m. | Home | Tennessee State* | Hunter Stadium | | |
| November 7, 2026 (Saturday) | 1:30 p.m. (12:30 p.m. central) | Away | Gardner-Webb* | Boiling Springs, N.C. | | |
| November 14, 2026 (Saturday) | 2:00 p.m. | Away | Tennessee-Martin* | Martin, Tenn. | | |
| November 21, 2026 (Saturday) | 2:00 p.m. | Home | Western Illinois* | Hunter Stadium | |