CALEB RIORDAN | Reporter

Lindenwood won its first game of the season 28-16 over William Jewell College Saturday night at Harlen C. Hunter Stadium during Family Day.

The Cardinals were the Lions’ first Great Lake Valley Conference opponents of the season and much like the Lions, William Jewell was also coming off of a week two loss.

This was the Cardinals’ first GLVC game of the season as well. 

The Lions started the game hot. Lindenwood was able to force a three-and-out on the Cardinals’ first possession of the game. The Lions then struck first on a 69-yard touchdown pass from sophomore Cade Brister to senior Erik Henneman on its first offensive drive.

The lead was extended to 14 after another touchdown pass from Brister, this time to junior Tyler Chandler. The Lindenwood defense only allowed 36 yards in the first quarter. 

Brister continued to pick apart the Cardinals’ defense adding another touchdown, this time on the ground. He ran it in from three yards out and extended the lead to 21. The Lions’ offense was marching down the field yet again until it hit its first bump in the road.

Freshman receiver Spencer Redd coughed up a fumble inside the red zone which handed the Cardinals the ball. The fumble ended up being the only non-scoring drive of the half for the Lions. With just over a minute left in the second quarter, Henneman dove to catch his second touchdown of the game on a pass from Brister that was tipped by the Cardinal defense. The Lindenwood defense held the Cardinal offense in check for the entirety of the first half. The Cardinals knocked in a 42-yard field goal as time expired.

The Lions led 28-3 at the half. 

The third quarter saw the first Lindenwood punt of the game as well as the first William Jewell touchdown. On a third-and-long, Cardinal junior quarterback Will Schneider scrambled out of the pocket to find junior Zack Gaudette for a 28-yard drive saving first down completion. Immediately following Schneider used his legs to find the end zone from 20 yards out, cutting the lead to 28-10. 

Following the score, the Lindenwood offense looked to be marching down the field again until Brister threw an interception on William Jewell’s 27-yard line, which eventually led to the end of the quarter. 

The Cardinal’s began to find their rhythm offensively. Schneider continuously found receivers in the middle of the field and got deep into Lindenwood territory. With 12:35 left in the fourth quarter, Schneider again found the end zone with his feet. He scampered for a score from 15 yards out. The touchdown cut the lead to 28-16 and was 16 unanswered points scored by the Cardinals. 

The Lions’ offense in the second half was hampered by penalties and unable to register any points. The Lindenwood defense stood a big test on fourth-and-short in its own territory with 4:50 left in the game. Junior Drew Seers flew into the backfield and tackled the ball carrier for a 5-yard loss to give the ball back to the Lions with 4:45 to go. The game ended 28-16.

“Every week there’s something else we have to learn,” head coach Jed Stugart said. “We stressed start fast all week… now its finish this week. I tend to want to be perfect all the time, but I’m proud of these guys. They got a win.” 

Brister threw for 24 completions for 276 yards and 3 touchdowns. Henneman registered 4 catches for 106 yards and a touchdown. Seers led the Lion defense with 12 total tackles. 

The Lions outgained the Cardinals 444 – 320. They held the Cardinal offense in check on third down, only allowing them to convert twice on 13 chances. 

Next, the Lions will travel to Grand Rapids, Michigan, to take on Davenport University Saturday, Sep. 28.