In the opening game of the 2023 season, the Lindenwood Lions proved victorious over the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point in blowout fashion, winning by a score of 77-9.
Quarterback Cole Dugger and runningback Von Gordon led the Lions’ offense throughout the game.
Dugger threw for a 64% completion rate, with four touchdown passes and 263 yards total. Gordon led the rest of the team in touchdowns, scoring two of his own in the running game. The sophomore had eight total carries, with 77 total yards gained.
“It was good to come out and take care of business. We did a lot of good things in all three phases of the game, and we can carry that into practice and preparation for SEMO next week,” Dugger said.
Lindenwood kicked off their first quarter of the season with a bang, reaching paydirt on three different occasions.
The first touchdown of the season belonged to sophomore runningback Robert Giamo, who ran for a 19-yard score within the first five minutes of the game. Giamo scored again soon after, this time in the air, as Dugger found him in the endzone for a 20-yard touchdown pass with three minutes remaining in the first quarter.
The Lions’ special teams players got in on the first quarter scoring as well, as sophomore Jeff Caldwell returned a punt for a touchdown with a minute left in the quarter to move the score to 21-0.
The second quarter proved to be a largely successful one for Lindenwood, as the team put up an impressive 35 points. Within the first 13 seconds of the quarter, freshman runningback Jared Rhodes scored a nine-yard rushing touchdown to make the score 28-0.
On the next two Lions’ drives, Dugger threw back-to-back downfield passes for touchdowns, the first of which to wide receiver Spencer Redd, and the second to tight end Chase Lanckriet, improving the score to 42-0. Dugger completed one more scoring pass before the end of the quarter, a six-yard toss to Caldwell. Also in the second quarter, Gordon scored his first of two touchdowns on the night, a 28-yard carry, giving the Lions a 56-0 lead heading into halftime.
“We feel like we played like we were supposed to, and that score reflects it. We are happy with the win but are on to SEMO preparations,” Dugger said.
The third quarter was the quietest of the four for Lindenwood’s offense, only scoring once on a 24-yard rushing touchdown by running back Justin Williams. The defense allowed its first two points of the night on a safety by Stevens Point early in the third quarter. By the time the whistle blew to send the game into the fourth quarter, Lindenwood had a 63-2 lead.
The Lions quickly resumed their scoring pace in the fourth quarter, as Gordon reached the endzone for the second time of the night within the first two minutes of the quarter. The touchdown put the score at 69-2, which remained the score until roughly three minutes remained in the game.
Sophomore quarterback Cooper Justice found Williams for an eight-yard touchdown pass, to put Lindenwood up 77-2. Within the final six seconds of the game, the Pointers scored their first, and only, touchdown of the night, finalizing the game’s score at 77-9.
“Getting the first game out of the way allows us to settle into the excitement of football season and get comfortable under the lights, in front of the crowd, and playing against a different opponent,” Lanckriet said. “Next week brings a new challenge, so just resetting our mindset and looking to go 1-0 next week is what we are focused on.”
Lindenwood now heads to Cape Girardeau, Missouri, to take on Southeast Missouri State on Sept. 9 at 6 p.m. The team returns home on Sept. 30 to play Austin Peay State University, with kickoff set to occur at 1 p.m. that afternoon.
