Lindenwood WRs Drew Krobath (left) and Jalen Smith celebrate scoring a touchdown during the Lions’ win over Chicago State on Saturday. (Photo: Thomas Grove)
| NCAA Football | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago State (1-7) | 0 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 9 |
| Lindenwood (3-4) | 7 | 24 | 10 | 3 | 44 |
ST. CHARLES, MO — The Lindenwood University football team celebrated Homecoming weekend, with its best offensive output of the season, in a 44-9 win over Chicago State.
The Lions put up 549 yards of total offense and scored five touchdowns in a celebration day victory over the visiting Cougars.
LU quarterback Robert “Pops” Battle had a huge day, with 292 passing yards on 14-of-22 passing, with three touchdown passes. Senior receiver Jalen Smith caught four passes for 95 yards and scored two touchdowns, while sophomore Elijah Roy caught four passes for 90 yards.
Reserve running backs Robert Giaimo and Noah Triplett also had big days. Giaimo carried the ball just three times, but had a game-high 120 yards and a touchdown. Triplett carried the rock five times and put up a career-high 93 yards.
Lindenwood WR Christopher Bennett makes a catch in front of a Chicago State defender during Saturday’s NCAA football game at Hunter Stadium. (Photo: Thomas Grove)
LU scored first, when it completed a seven-play, 56-yard drive, with a 25-yard touchdown pass from Battle to fifth-year senior Drew Krobath.
Chicago State got on the board on the first play of the second quarter, when it connected on a 33-yard field goal to make the score 7-3.
Lindenwood dominated the rest of the half. Three plays after the CSU field goal, Battle hit Smith for a 30-yard touchdown that put the Lions up 14-3.
Then, after adding a field goal midway through, the Lions got an 8-yard touchdown run by Steve Hall and a second touchdown catch (12 yards) from Smith to go into the locker room ahead 31-3.
The play of the game came midway through the third, when Giaimo broke loose for an 81-yard touchdown run that put the Lions ahead 41-3. Both teams added scores in the fourth, but the day was already decided, with Lindenwood earning its third win of the season.
Lindenwood WR Jalen Smith caught four passes for 95 yards and two touchdowns in the Lions’ win over Chicago State on Saturday. (Photo: Thomas Grove)
Lindenwood (3-4) will be back home and returning to Ohio Valley Conference action next weekend, when the Lions will host Tennessee State in a key conference game on Saturday. Kickoff at Hunter Stadium is slated for 1 p.m., and the game will be streamed live on ESPN+.
SCORING SUMMARY
| Qtr | Time | Scoring Play | CSU | LU |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 09:16 | LU – TOUCHDOWN – Drew Krobath 25 yd pass from Pops Battle (Will Graham kick) 7 plays, 56 yards, TOP 03:26 | 0 | 7 |
| 2nd | 15:00 | CSU – FIELD GOAL- Donovan Blair 33 yd field goal, 8 plays, 31 yards, TOP 04:08 | 3 | 7 |
| 2nd | 13:56 | LU – TOUCHDOWN – Jalen Smith 30 yd pass from Pops Battle (Will Graham kick) 3 plays, 75 yards, TOP 00:54 | 3 | 14 |
| 2nd | 09:26 | LU – FIELD GOAL – Will Graham 37 yd field goal, 4 plays, 3 yards, TOP 01:26 | 3 | 17 |
| 2nd | 04:42 | LU – TOUCHDOWN – Steve Hall 8 yd run (Will Graham kick), 4 plays, 66 yards, TOP 02:07 | 3 | 24 |
| 2nd | 00:10 | LU – TOUCHDOWN – Jalen Smith 12 yd pass from Pops Battle (Will Graham kick) 2 plays, 18 yards, TOP 00:10 | 3 | 31 |
| 3rd | 09:07 | LU – FIELD GOAL – Will Graham 24 yd field goal, 7 plays, 51 yards, TOP 03:04 | 3 | 34 |
| 3rd | 06:03 | LU – TOUCHDOWN – Robert Giaimo 81 yd run (Will Graham kick), 1 plays, 81 yards, TOP 00:13 | 3 | 41 |
| 4th | 13:21 | CSU – FIELD GOAL – Donovan Blair 37 yd field goal, 14 plays, 54 yards, TOP 07:34 | 6 | 41 |
| 4th | 06:28 | LU – FIELD GOAL – Will Graham 30 yd field goal, 6 plays, 14 yards, TOP 02:39 | 6 | 44 |
| 4th | 01:43 | CSU – FIELD GOAL – Donovan Blair 26 yd field goal 11 plays, 73 yards, TOP 04:38 | 9 | 44 |
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. | | L, 48-14 (1-2) |
| September 26, 2026 (Saturday) | 12:00 p.m. | Away | Eastern Michigan | Ypsilanti, Mich. | | L, 29-3 (1-3) |
| October 10, 2026 (Saturday) | 1:00 p.m. | Home | Southeast Missouri State* | Hunter Stadium | | L, 38-27 (1-4) |
| October 17, 2026 (Saturday) | 2:00 p.m. | Away | Eastern Illinois* | Charleston, Ill. | | W, 20-13 (2-4) |
| October 24, 2026 (Saturday) | 2:00 p.m. | Home | Chicago State | Hunter Stadium | | W, 44-9 (3-4) |
| 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 | |
* – denotes Ohio Valley Conference game