The Lindenwood football team (1-0) picked up a 77-9 win over Wisconsin Stevens-Point in the 2023 season opener on Thursday night at Hunter Stadium in St. Charles, Mo.
GAME OVERVIEW
After a quick stop to open the game, Lindenwood marched down the field in a drive that was capped off by a Robert Giaimo 19-yard touchdown run. Giamio wasn’t done making an impact on the first quarter, this time through the air as he bullied his way into the endzone after hauling in a pass from Cole Dugger, giving Lindenwood a 14-0 lead. The defense kept up its strong play in the opening frame, forcing another three and out. On the ensuing kickoff, Jeff Caldwell came around the edge and blocked the punt, returning it for a touchdown, putting the Lions up 21-0 after one quarter.
Lindenwood’s offense stayed hot in the second quarter, scoring five times. Three of those scores came through the air, including a 72-yard strike between Dugger and Chase Lanckriet. The Lions would head into the locker room up 56-0 after two quarters of play. The defense did their part as well, holding the Pointers to just 78 yards of total offense in the opening half.
Lindenwood went to work on the ground in the second half, rushing for 186 yards. Justin Williams picked up a rushing score in the third quarter, while Von Gordon earned one in the fourth. In total, Lindenwood rushed for 349 yards on the ground on the way to a dominate win.
GAME LEADERS
Jeff Caldwell (3 catches, 27 yards, 1 TD, 2 blocked kicks)
Cole Dugger (9-of-14 263 yards, 4 TDs)
Robert Giaimo (75 total yards, 2 TDS)
QUOTABLE
“We challenged our guys to come out and play at the standard that we expect them to play at and I believe they did what we asked them to do, said head coach Jed Stugart. “We saw a lot of great things, and we see things that we need to improve on. Now the next challenge is to play at that standard against the quality schedule that we have this year.
UP NEXT
The Lions will travel to Cape Girardeau, Mo. for a battle with No. 11 SEMO on Saturday, September 9, beginning at 6:00 p.m.
