Lindenwood LB Jacob Waller brings down Western Illinois QB Cason Carswell for a sack during Saturday’s NCAA football game at Hanson Field in Macomb, Ill. (Photo courtesy: Lindenwood Athletics)
| NCAA Football | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lindenwood (4-6, 3-3) | 14 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 21 |
| Western Illinois (3-7, 2-4) | 0 | 7 | 3 | 14 | 24 |
MACOMB, IL — The Lindenwood Lions gave up two fourth quarter touchdowns, including one with a little over a minute left, and didn’t score any of their own, in a 24-21 loss to Western Illinois, Saturday afternoon at Hanson Field.
Lindenwood led 21-7 midway through the third quarter, but Western Illinois scored the final 17 points of the game to pull out the win.
The Lions lost a fumble, had a turnover on downs, and threw an interception on three of their four possessions from the middle of the third quarter to the middle of the fourth. Those miscues gave the Leathernecks the momentum they needed to pull off their first comeback win after trailing by more than 10 points in more than six seasons.
WIU took its first lead of the day — and the only lead it would need — with 1:21 to go, when quarterback Cason Carswell threw an 8-yard touchdown pass to Alex Williams. That put the Leathernecks up 22-21, but Caswell then added a two-point conversion pass to Markell Holman to put WIU up three.
Lindenwood got the ball back, but Nate Glantz threw his second interception of the day, with 28 seconds left, which effectively ended the game. Western Illinois intentionally downed the ball on the next play, which ran out the clock.
Lindenwood QB Nate threw for 216 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions in the Lions’ loss to Western Illinois on Saturday. (Photo: Thomas Grove)
The first three quarters of the game was all Lindenwood. The Lions scored two touchdowns in the first quarter to go ahead 14-0.
Glantz hit Jalen Smith for a touchdown pass on Lindenwood’s first possession. Then, with just over a minute to go in the first, running back Steve Hall capped off an 8-play, 80-yard drive with a 6-yard touchdown.
Western Illinois responded with a score of its own in the second, which sent the game to halftime with Lindenwood holding a 14-7 lead.
Lindenwood made it 21-7 midway through the third, when Glantz hit Rico Bond for a 13-yard touchdown that had most believing the game was going to end in a Lions’ victory.
But the Leathernecks battled back, with a field goal late in the third and a pair of touchdowns in the fourth that gave the home team the lead.
Lindenwood RB Steve Hall had his third straight 100-yard rushing game in the Lions’ loss to Western Illinois last Saturday. (Photo: Thomas Grove)
Hall finished with a season-best 148 rushing yards and a touchdown. It was also Hall’s third-straight 100-yard rushing game.
The loss dropped Lindenwood to 4-6 on the season, with a 3-3 record in OVC-Big South Football Association play. Western Illinois is 3-7 overall and 1-4 in the conference.
The Lions will be back home next Saturday, November 15, hosting their Military Appreciation Day game against Eastern Illinois. Kickoff at Hunter Stadium on Saturday is slated for 2 p.m., and the game will be streamed live on ESPN+.
SCORING SUMMARY
| Qtr | Time | Scoring Play | LU | WIU |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 10:21 | LU – Smith,Jalen 2 yd pass from Glantz,Nate (Graham,Will kick) 8 plays, 75 yards, TOP 04:39 | 7 | 0 |
| 1st | 01:38 | LU – Hall,Steve 6 yd run (Graham,Will kick), 8 plays, 80 yards, TOP 04:33 | 14 | 0 |
| 2nd | 09:53 | WIU – Lanier,Brandon 17 yd pass from Carswell,Cason (Chadha,Antonio kick) 5 plays, 46 yards, TOP 02:47 | 14 | 7 |
| 3rd | 06:57 | LU – Bond,Rico 13 yd pass from Glantz,Nate (Graham,Will kick) 5 plays, 53 yards, TOP 03:08 | 21 | 7 |
| 3rd | 00:19 | WIU – Chadha,Antonio 41 yd field goal 6 plays, 42 yards, TOP 02:45 | 21 | 10 |
| 4th | 07:07 | WIU – Holman,Markell 27 yd run ( ), 9 plays, 76 yards, TOP 04:27 | 21 | 16 |
| 4th | 01:21 | WIU – Williams,Alex 8 yd pass from Carswell,Cason (Holman,Markell pass) 4 plays, 37 yards, TOP 01:18 | 21 | 24 |
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. | | L, 24-21 (4-6) |
| November 15, 2025 (Saturday) | 2 pm | Home | Eastern Illinois | Hunter Stadium | | |
| November 22, 2025 (Saturday) | 1 pm | Away | Southeast Missouri State | Cape Girardeau, Mo. | |