Lindenwood football (5-6, 4-3 OVC/Big South) used a dominant second half to throttle the Eastern Illinois Panthers (3-8, 2-6 OVC/Big South) 42-12 on senior day and send their 13 seniors out with a win in their final game at Hunter Stadium.
“It was a tough meeting on Monday when you have to stand up there as a head coach and feel like our guys did enough to win. As coaches, we had to humble ourselves and say, ‘Hey, we’re committed to fixing those things.’ We told them not to let the last game beat them again.” Jed Stugart said after the loss last week against Western Illinois, while preparing this week for Eastern.
The Lions outscored the Panthers 28-9 in the second half to close out the win after only leading 14-3 at halftime.
“I could tell on Monday where our kids’ attitudes were,” Stugart said. “They really bought into wanting to celebrate their brothers and seniors and honoring them today. You could just kind of feel it.”
Nate Glantz had himself a day, throwing for 280 yards on 13/21 passing with two touchdowns and a pair of interceptions. The senior also got it done on the ground, rushing for 44 yards and a score.
“He’s a warrior,” Stugart said. “When you see him starting to run the ball, he wants to get the run game going through his legs. I can’t say enough about him and the blessing he’s been to our program.”
Jalen Smith led the receiving corps, hauling in four catches for 101 yards and a touchdown. Six different players caught a pass for the Lions in the win.
Lindenwood rushed for 200 yards as a team, paced by Jared Rhodes’ 76 yards and two touchdowns on 10 carries. Steve Hall added 35 yards and a rushing score.
“Our challenge at halftime was that we were not consistently running the ball like we wanted to. When you’re starting second-and-long, it changes everything. When we win first down, we can be explosive.”
Panthers came out hot in the second half, down 14-3, as they forced an early turnover, but once again the Lindenwood defense held firm, keeping Eastern to a field goal that made the score 14-6.
The Lions extended the lead to 21-6 with a touchdown run from Rhodes, his second of the game, before Eastern cut the deficit to nine at 21-12 after a big return and a score on the next play. However, the extra point was blocked by Miaka Finau.
Lindenwood’s offense found another gear in the fourth quarter as Glantz connected with Smith on a 27-yard strike, making the score 28-12 less than a minute in. After a defensive stop, Hall ran up the middle for six, giving the Lions a 35-12 lead. A few minutes later, Glantz found Drew Krobath on a 44-yard touchdown, giving the Lions a 42-12 lead in the final frame, which would be the final score on Senior Day.
“When we win first down, it gives you a whole different play-call sheet,” Stugart said. “Our run game in the second half really set a lot of that stuff up.”
Seniors Go out with a Bang
13 seniors were honored pregame and ended their time playing at Hunter Stadium with a win. Those 13 seniors include: Glantz, Chris Camy, Devon Edwards, Eric Gant, Tajay Passmore, Robert Giamo, Gavin Hulet, Kobe McClendon, Jayden Patrick, Nelson Pipes, Sanjay Strickland, Jaymason Willingham, and Mason Brown.
“Guys like Jay Pat — he’s been with us for five years. I recruited him out of Tulsa. Some guys have been through the D-II to D-I transition. Others have only been here two years, but it feels like we’ve had them forever.”
This senior class leaves as one of the most accomplished in program history. They were part of Lindenwood’s transition from Division II to Division I and helped guide the Lions through their first seasons at the FCS level. Over the last four years, the group contributed to signature wins, multiple record-setting performances, and the establishment of Lindenwood as a competitive program in the OVC/Big South.
“Every one of those kids has something special,” Stugart said. “Some of them have been here five years, some just two, but they all feel like they’ve been in our program forever. It’s a special culture down there.”
Defense makes a Statement
After a sour loss last week to Western Illinois, the Lindenwood defense came out flying against Eastern, holding them to just 263 total yards and 4/15 on third down. Lindenwood contained the vaunted Panther rushing attack, holding them as a team to just 86 yards on the ground and 2.9 yards per carry.
“Our defense has been playing great football,” he said. “They held us in it last week, and today they got us out of tough situations and held them to field goals. They’re resilient.”
On the day, Waller led the way with nine total tackles, six solo, three tackles for loss, and a sack. Edwards, after progressing his way back from injury, had a tackle for loss and sack on his senior day as Passmore was the other Lion to tally a sack in the win.
“Everybody who plays on special teams took pride in what happened last week,” he said. “They felt like they had some redemption to make, and they rose today.”
Lindenwood finishes up their 2025 season looking to finish at .500 as they travel down to Cape Girardeau, Missouri, for the third annual Game Ball Brawl against the SEMO Redhawks on Saturday, Nov. 22, at 1 p.m., streaming on ESPN+, or you can listen to the game on 89.1 KCLC.
“We’re grateful for the support we’ve had this year at home. I run into people who say, ‘I came to a game, the tailgating was awesome.’ That kind of stuff matters.”
