It will be a battle of the Lions this afternoon in St. Charles as number three Lindenwood will start the first round of the NAIA playoffs at home against number 20 Langston. Lindenwood finished the season with a perfect record of 10-0, while Langston finished with a mark of 7-3.This game will be a battle of a potent Lindenwood offense against a tough Langston defense. The Lindenwood offense, one of the best in the nation at any level of college football, averaged more than 55 points per game and more than 530 yards of total offense per game. On the other side of the ball, the tough Langston defense allowed less than 250 total yards of offense per game and would only give up about 18 points per game.
The Langston defense will have a tough job, as the Lindenwood offense has weapons all over the field. It starts with the quarterback Philip Staback. Over the last seven games, he has completed more than 70 percent of his passes while tossing 18 touchdown passes and just two interceptions. Another potent weapon is one, that despite not touching the ball that many times, is still a threat to score. Running back Denodus O’ Bryant has scored 17 touchowns this season and only has touched the ball just 79 times.
The numbers this Lindenwood offense has put up, also tells an impressive story. If Lindenwood scores 26 points in this game, they will become the 80th team in all of college football history is score more than 600 points. In their last game, Lindenwood put up 73 points, which was the second highest single game total in school history.
This also means Lindenwood normally is used to being in front from the start of the game. They have trailed for only about 14 minutes the entire season and that was in one game.
With all of the offensive firepower, it could be easy to forget the Lindenwood defense. But, they have been equally impressive this season. They have allowed a little more than 18 points per game. The defense was also tied four seventh in the conference this season with a +13 turnover margin. Lindenwood has also not allowed a first quarter touchdown over the last four games, and have allowed just four touchdowns and two field goals in the first quarter all season.
Langston comes into this game after losing their last game of the season last week to Azusa Pacific, 37-3. Langston went 4-1 in the Central States Football League and finished second, but earned the conference’s automatic bid to the playoffs after Northwestern Oklahoma State was ruled ineligible for post season play.
Lindenwood had a much easier go of it as they destroyed William Jewell 73-6. The win not only gave Lindenwood the Heart of America Athletic Conference Title, but also their second undefeated season in school history.
Today’s game will kick off at 1:30 at Harlen C. Hunter Stadium.
