CAPE GIRARDEU, Mo.- Lindenwood football (6-6, 5-3 OVC/Big South) capped off its 2025 season with a 30-13 dismantling of its rivals Southeast Missouri State (4-8, 3-5 OVC/Big South) in the fourth annual Game Ball Brawl. The win is the second consecutive year that the Lions have claimed the trophy and kept it home right where it belongs in St. Charles.
Lindenwood dominated the opening half and saw their lead get as big as 16-0 before the Redhawks even scored and used a pair of fourth quarter rushing touchdowns from Jared Rhodes and Steve Hall to stamp down an exclamation point on the 30-13 win and burn the wood for one final time this season.
The Lions struck first blood as Nate Glantz powered in from a yard out on fourth down, giving the Black and Gold a 7-0 lead after one quarter. Lindenwood extended its advantage early in the second quarter when Will Graham drilled a 37-yard field goal to make it 10-0. The defense took over from there. Carter Johnson grabbed his first interception of the season, and the Lions held SEMO to just two first downs and 49 total yards before halftime, taking a 10-0 lead into the break.
SEMO cut the Lions’ lead to 10 after finding the end zone for the first time, making it 16-6, before Steve Hall powered in from seven yards out for a 23-6 cushion. SEMO answered to make it 23-13 with just over seven minutes left, but Lindenwood’s defense came up with a crucial turnover on downs. Two plays later, Rhodes iced the rivalry win with the Lions’ fourth rushing touchdown of the day, closing out the 30-13 victory.
Rhodes led the Lions’ rushing attack, which totaled 136 yards, including 87 yards and a touchdown. Hall wasn’t far behind, carrying the ball 13 times for 57 yards and a rushing touchdown, the eighth of his sophomore campaign. Glantz found ways to use his legs inside the red zone, rushing for two more touchdowns in the win, upping his season total to nine rushing touchdowns, good for second in the conference in terms of quarterbacks, and 26 total touchdowns on the season.
Glantz didn’t need to use his arm that much in the win as he just threw the ball 22 times, completing 14 of them, for 127 yards. The sixth-year senior finished his season second in the Association with 2,590 passing yards, as the second most passing touchdowns with 17. He also led the conference with 11 interceptions.
Rico Bond finished off his fantastic season, hauling in seven passes for 56 yards to cap off a stellar redshirt freshman season that saw him haul in 60 catches for 694 yards and six touchdowns, which earned him a spot as a Jerry Rice Award Finalist for the best freshman in FCS football.
Jalen Smith was held to just three catches for 14 yards as the Lions’ leading receiver finished 2025 with 40 catches for 771 yards and four touchdowns. Smith finished the year fourth in the OVC/Big South in receiving yards and led the association with 19.3 yards per catch, blossoming as Glantz’s serious threat target.
The Lindenwood defense was flying åround the field as they held the Redhawks to just 176 total yards, forced two turnovers, and held them to just 6/16 on third down. They also tallied three sacks and seven tackles for loss.
The 6-6 finish marks Lindenwood’s best record at the Division I level since its inaugural FCS season in 2022 (7-3). The five conference wins are the most the Lions have posted since joining the subdivision, giving them momentum heading into 2026 as they continue their pursuit of the program’s first FCS playoff berth.
