Lindenwood quarterback Carter Davis looks for someone to throw to during Saturday’s game against Charleston Southern. (Photo: Thomas Grove)
| NCAA Football – Oct. 14, 2023 | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lindenwood (3-4, 1-2) | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 10 |
| Charleston Southern (3-3, 1-0) | 10 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 24 |
DeMarcus Dixon
Staff Writer
CHARLESTON, SC — With a beaten and battered up roster, the Lindenwood Lions took their longest road trip of the season this weekend and will come back home with a rough loss, after falling 24-10 on Saturday to Charleston Southern.
Lindenwood, who was playing without six expected starters, including quarterback Cole Dugger and running back Robert Giaimo — both expected to be out for the rest of the season, had trouble moving the ball most of the day and fell into 17-point hole it wasn’t able to get out of.
Sophomore QB Carter Davis made his first start as a Lion and threw for 170 yards and a touchdown, but he also threw two interceptions and was sacked three times in a game where Charleston Southern put 379 total yards of offense, with 205 of those yards coming on the ground.
Running back TJ Ruff had 126 rushing yards and a touchdown for the Buccaneers, who were also sparked by freshman quarterback Zolten Osbourne, who threw for 174 yards and two touchdowns.
Lindenwood’s Jeff Caldwell, Jr. caught five passes for 63 yards and scored the Lions’ lone touchdown. That came in the third quarter, and coupled with a Logan Seibert field goal, brought Lindenwood to 17-10. But that was as close as the Lions would get, as Charleston Southern added a score of its own to go back ahead 24-10 and held Lindenwood scoreless in the fourth quarter.
Defensive backs Taylen Blaylock and Mann McGruder led the Lindenwood defense. Both players had eight total tackles, with two of Blaylock’s tackles being for loss and McGruder adding in two pass breakups.
The loss dropped Lindenwood’s overall record to 3-4 and its Big South-OVC Football Association mark to 1-2, while Charleston Southern improved to 3-3 and 1-0.
The Lions will get a much needed bye next week, before returning to action in two weeks, when they’ll be back on the road for another Big South-OVC game against Tennessee State. That game will be played on Saturday, October 28, with kickoff scheduled for 2 p.m.
Scoring Summary
| Qtr | Time | Scoring Play | LU | CSU |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 13:19 | CSU – Sauers,Landon 12 yd pass from Osborne,Zolten (Babbush,Sam kick) 1 plays, 25 yards, TOP 00:10 | 0 | 7 |
| 1st | 09:55 | CSU – Babbush,Sam 40 yd field goal 6 plays, 53 yards, TOP 02:04 | 0 | 10 |
| 2nd | 00:15 | CSU – Kakavitsas,Will 6 yd pass from Osborne,Zolten (Babbush,Sam kick) 8 plays, 77 yards, TOP 01:20 | 0 | 17 |
| 3rd | 08:46 | LU – Caldwell,Jeff 28 yd pass from Davis,Carter (Seibert,Logan kick) 9 plays, 78 yards, TOP 03:23 | 7 | 17 |
| 3rd | 01:02 | LU – Seibert,Logan 24 yd field goal 9 plays, 45 yards, TOP 04:38 | 10 | 17 |
| 4th | 11:32 | CSU – Ruff,TJ 5 yd run (Babbush,Sam kick), 8 plays, 75 yards, TOP 04:30 | 10 | 24 |
| 2023 Lindenwood Lions Football Schedule |
| Sat., October 28 — at Tennessee State* — 2 pm |
| Sat., November 4 — vs. Eastern Illinois* — 2 pm |
| Sat., November 11 — vs. Bryant* — 1 pm |
| * – denotes Big South-Ohio Valley Conference game |
| All Lindenwood home games will be played at Harlen C. Hunter Stadium |