Freshman running back Robert Giaimo had a big day, rushing for 105 yards and a touchdown to help lead Lindenwood to a 28-16 win over Findlay on Saturday. (Photo courtesy: Lindenwood Athletics)

Scoring by Quarter1234T
Lindenwood (2-2)00141428
Findlay (2-2)3001316

by Cedric Williams
Senior Editor

After dishing out a pair of blowout wins last week in which one team scored 56 points and the other scored 61, few people expected a defensive battle when the Lindenwood University and University of Findlay football teams met Saturday afternoon at Donnell Stadium in Findlay, Ohio.

Lindenwood scored eight touchdowns in its win last week and Findlay scored seven times on offense and twice on defense in its win. But this week, both teams shined on defense in a first half that saw Findlay leading just 3-0 at the break.

In the second half though, Lindenwood found its groove on offense and drove down the field for four touchdowns on four straight possessions to grab the lead and pull away in what eventually became a 28-16 win for the visiting Lions.

Quaterback Cade Brister led the way. He completed 23-of-28 passes for 253 yards and two touchdowns, while also rushing for 50 yards and another score. It was his 20-yard touchdown toss to senior receiver Payton Rose on Lindenwood’s first possesion of the second half that gave the Lions the lead.

The real spark for Lindenwood though, came on its next possession, when backup running back Robert Giaimo came in and carried the ball five times for 76 yards to get the Lions down the field. Four of those five runs produced first downs, including the final one — a 40 yard rumble through Findlay’s entire defense — that turned into a touchdown.

Giaimo finished with 15 carries and a game-high 105 yards. It was the freshman running back from Holden, Mo.’s first 100-yard rushing game of his career.

The play of the game came on the ensuing kickoff, when Lindenwood’s Caleb Urwiller knocked the ball out of Findlay return man Renaldo Reynolds’ hands, and then recovered it himself to give the Lions the ball on the Oilers’ 18 yard line.

Six plays later, after converting a fourth-and-1 with a three yard run, Brister did the same thing on a the first play of the fourth quarter to score a three yard touchdown, that gave the Lions a 21-3 lead.

Findlay got a 49-yard touchdown on a double-pass from wideout Ruben Flowers to running back Derek Lynch. That cut the score to 21-10.

But Lindenwood answered right back. First, the Lions got a 38-yard return on the ensuing kickoff by sophomore Andrew Martin. Then Lindenwood drove 58 yards on just eight plays to score, capped by a 20-yard touchdown toss from Brister to Alex Faddoul.

Findlay answered back with a 12-play, 88-yard drive, that was capped by a 1-yard run by Josh Booker, to cut the score to 28-16. The Oilers went for two, which would’ve brought Lindenwood’s lead down to 10 if they had gotten it. But quarterback Matt Winzeler’s pass to Flowers fell incomplete and that was as close as Findlay would get.

There was only 4 minutes and 58 seconds left in the game at that point, and Findlay would’ve needed two touchdowns to take the lead. But the home team never got a chance to even get the ball back once, because Lindenwood methodically ran out the clock — converting four first downs — to end the game.

The victory evened Lindenwood’s record at 2-2, while Findlay fell to 2-2. Saturday’s meeting was the fifth time the two schools had ever played one another in football, and it was the first time Lindenwood won.

The Lions will now move on to their next game, which will come next Saturday, October 2, when Lindenwood will be on the road again with its first Great Lakes Valley Conference game of the season at Truman State. That game is slated to begin at 6 p.m.

Lindenwood’s next home game will come in two weeks, when the Lions will host their Homecoming Game on Saturday, October 9, against Quincy. Kickoff at Hunter Stadium that day will be at 1 p.m.

Lindenwood vs. Findlay — Scoring Plays
1st Quarter
7:28 – UF – FIELD GOAL – Alex Snyder 28 yd field goal — UF 0-3
2nd Quarter
No scoring.
3rd Quarter
10:57 – LU – TOUCHDOWN – Payton Rose 20 yd pass from Cade Brister (Logan Siebert PAT) — LU 7-3
2:24 – LU – TOUCHDOWN – Robert Giaimo 40 yd run (Logan Siebert PAT) — LU 14-3
4th Quarter
14:56 – LU – TOUCHDOWN – Cade Brister 3 yd run (Logan Siebert PAT) — LU 21-3
12:26 – UF – TOUCHDOWN – Derek Lynch 49 yd pass from Ruben Flowers (Alex Snyder PAT) — LU 21-10
7:59 – LU – TOUCHDOWN – Alex Faddoul 20 yd pass from Cade Brister (Logan Siebert PAT) — LU 28-10
4:58 – UF – TOUCHDOWN – Josh Booker 1 yd run (2-pt pass failed) — LU 28-16