The Lindenwood football team has released its schedule for the 2022 season. The Lions will officially compete as members of the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) at the NCAA Division I FCS level starting this fall.
“After finishing what I believe was an enthusiastic and successful offseason, I know our program is aware of the challenges of this new era of Division I, and we’ve worked hard in preparing for them,” said head coach Jed Stugart. “The one thing that doesn’t change is our expectations of our program and importance putting the work in. That’s the one thing we can control.”
Lindenwood will head to Houston, Texas on September 10 to kickoff the season against Houston Baptist University. The Huskies went 0-11 last season, while they posted a 5-7 mark in 2019. Houston Baptist is a member of the Southland Conference, which featured six member schools for football in 2021. The Lions will host their first home game of the season on September 17, as they welcome NAIA powerhouse in Keiser University. The Seahawks started their program in 2018, since then they have posted an overall record of 33-9 with three NAIA Playoff appearances.
The Lions will return to the road on September 24, as they visit the University of Tennessee at Martin in the OVC opener in Martin, Tenn. The Skyhawks won the 2021 OVC title with a 5-1 record inside conference play, before advancing to the NCAA Division I FCS playoffs. Lindenwood will hold its first OVC home game on October 1, when the Lions host Southeast Missouri State University. The Redhawks were 4-7 last year, including a 4-2 mark in OVC play. SEMO appeared in the playoffs in 2018 and 2019, posting a combined record of 1-2 in those games.
Lindenwood will hit the road for two-straight weeks, starting with a visit to Conway, Ark. for a game against the University of Central Arkansas on October 8. Last season, the Bears went 5-6 after going 5-4 in 2020. Central Arkansas made it to the FCS Playoffs in 2019, which included a Southland Conference Championship. The Lions will jump back into OVC play on October 15, for a matchup with Eastern Illinois University. The Panthers have won one game in each of the last three seasons, but four of their losses in 2021 were decided by one possession.
Lindenwood plays host to Murray State University on October 22 for the final OVC home game of the season for the Lions. The Racers posted a record of 6-5 last season, with the help of three-straight wins to close out the year. On October 29, the Lions will host former conference foe in William Jewell. The Lions earned a 53-10 win over the Cardinals last season, bringing the series winning streak to six games.
The conference schedule for the Lions will conclude on November 5, when Lindenwood heads to Cookeville, Tenn. to take on Tennessee Tech University. The Golden Eagles were 3-8 in 2021, including a 2-3 mark at home. Lindenwood ends the 2022 season at home, playing host to McKendree on November 12. The Lions took care of the Bearcats last year, winning its second game over the Bearcats in as many seasons.
Lindenwood announced on February 23, 2022 that it had accepted an invitation to join the Ohio Valley Conference starting in the fall of 2022. The football team brings recent success from NCAA Division II into the mix. The Lions won two GLVC Championships, and made appearances in the NCAA Division II Playoffs in both 2019 and 2021. In those two years, Lindenwood garnered three All-Americans, while four players received major conference awards. In 2019, Cade Brister (offensive) and Drew Seers (defensive) claimed GLVC Player of the Year honors. This past season, Seers repeated as the top defensive player in the league, while Robert Giaimo (freshman) and Spencer Redd (special teams) collected award recognition as well. Stugart was honored as GLVC Coach of the Year in 2019 and 2021, as the Lions were a perfect 14-0 in league play with two conference titles.
