Lindenwood quarterback Pops Battle had 177 total yards and three touchdowns in the Lions’ win at Gardner Webb on Saturday. (Photo: Thomas Grove)
| NCAA Football | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lindenwood (5-4, 4-1) | 7 | 10 | 3 | 14 | 34 |
| Gardner-Webb (3-7, 2-3) | 6 | 3 | 6 | 6 | 21 |
BOILING SPRINGS, NC — The Lindenwood University football team earned its fourth straight win and remained tied for first place in the Ohio Valley Conference, thanks to a 34-21 victory over Gardner-Webb, Saturday afternoon at Spangler Stadium.
Lindenwood is now 5-4 on the season, but 4-1 in the OVC — tied with Southeast Missouri State and Western Illinois for the top spot in the conference. If the season ended today, SEMO would own the tiebreaker due to wins over both Lindenwood and Western Illinois earlier this season.
Gardner-Webb fell to 3-7 overall and 2-3 in the conference.
“We played 3 levels of complementary football,” Lindenwood head coach Jed Stugart said. “I love to watch our guys have each other’s back. We have a one play at a time mentality, and that has paid great dividends the last few weeks. Great one to enjoy on the flight back, and excited to get to work this upcoming week.”
Lindenwood RB Jared Rhodes had a game-high 66 rushing yards and scored a key touchdown in the Lions’ win over Gardner-Webb on Saturday. (Photo: Thomas Grove)
Lindenwood used its efficient passing attack to take quick control of the game. Quarterback Robert “Pops” Battle connected on four passes on LU’s first drive, including a 32-yard strike to receiver Elijah Roy for a touchdown that put the Lions up 7-0.
Gardner-Webb responded with a touchdown toss of its own, three plays later. But the Bulldogs missed the extra point, so the score remained 7-6. That would proved to be GWU’s only chance to not trail, as the Lions held the lead the rest of the day.
The key difference in the game proved to be Lindenwood’s ground game, which put up 172 total rushing yards, led by seniors Steve Hall and Jared Rhodes, who combined for 124 yards on 36 carries. Battle had 40 yards as well, including an 11-yard touchdown run just before halftime that gave LU a 17-9 lead.
Will Graham added his second field goal of the day midway through the third quarter to put the Lions up 20-9, but GWU responded with its second touchdown pass to get within one score. The Bulldogs went for two, but didn’t get it, so the score was 20-15 heading into the fourth quarter.
Battle hit Drew Krobath with a 38-yard touchdown bomb on the first play of the fourth to put LU up 12. Then, after an interception b DeVonta Owens — his second pick of the season and second in consecutive weeks — gave Lindenwood the ball deep in GWU territory, Rhodes scored on a 13-yard run to put the Lions up 34-15.
Gardner-Webb connected on its third touchdown pass of the day with three minutes to go, but that was as close as the home team would get, as Lindenwood closed out the game and headed back home with a win.
Lindenwood will be on the road again next week, with a game down south against Tennessee-Martin. That Saturday afternoon contest will kick off at 2 p.m., and will be streamed live on ESPN+.
SCORING SUMMARY
| Qtr | Time | Scoring Play | LU | GWU |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 10:55 | LU – TOUCHDOWN – Elijah Roy 32 yd pass from Robert Battle (Will Graham kick) | 7 | 0 |
| 1st | 09:07 | GWU – TOUCHDOWN – Kory Jones 20 yd pass from Cole Pennington (kick failed) | 7 | 6 |
| 2nd | 11:38 | LU – FIELD GOAL – Will Graham 21 yd field goal | 10 | 6 |
| 2nd | 06:16 | GWU – FIELD GOAL – Tyler Simpson 47 yd field goal | 10 | 9 |
| 2nd | 01:21 | LU – Robert Battle 11 yd run (Will Graham kick) | 17 | 9 |
| 3rd | 07:23 | LU – FIELD GOAL – Will Graham 47 yd field goal | 20 | 9 |
| 3rd | 01:09 | GWU – TOUCHDOWN – Kory Jones 12 yd pass from Cole Pennington (2-pt conversion attempt failed) | 20 | 15 |
| 4th | 14:52 | LU – TOUCHDOWN – Drew Krobath 38 yd pass from Robert Battle (Will Graham kick) | 27 | 15 |
| 4th | 13:35 | LU – TOUCHDOWN – Jared Rhodes 13 yd run (Will Graham kick) | 34 | 15 |
| 4th | 03:12 | GWU – TOUCHDOWN – Sean Brady 35 yd pass from Cole Pennington (2-pt conversion attempt failed) | 34 | 21 |
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 | | W, 27-0 (4-4) |
| November 7, 2026 (Saturday) | 12:30 p.m. | Away | Gardner-Webb* | Boiling Springs, N.C. | | W, 34-21 (5-4) |
| 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