Lindenwood football overcomes 17-point halftime deficit for 1st league win

The Lindenwood football team turned around a big halftime deficit and turned some heads Saturday in Charleston, Illinois, winning its conference opener over Eastern Illinois.

The Lions, picked to finish eighth in the nine-team Big South-OVC, trailed by two touchdowns just nine minutes and two drives in vs. an Eastern Illinois team picked to finish near the top of the conference.

Eastern led 17-0 at halftime.

Lindenwood won just two of its 10 league games in the first two years of a transition to Division I, so the Lions could have been forgiven for expecting the worst when down big at halftime.

But the Lions persevered and quarterback Nate Glantz and receiver Jeff Caldwell connected for four second-half touchdowns as the Lions scored 28 straight points in the span of just over a quarter to lead 28-17.

Lions kicker Logan Seibert (Belleville West), the brother of NFL kicker Austin, made all four extra points.

Eastern Illinois kept it interesting with a late touchdown, but a missed Panthers 30-yard field goal attempt that would have tied the game with with 13 seconds to play sealed the Lions' first conference win of the season.

"Love a team that loves and believes in each other," Lindenwood coach Jed Stugart said, according to a school release. "We continue to learn the importance of starting fast and not digging holes early, and we'll continue to drive that home weekly, but they have resolve and never quit. And you always have a chance with a team that has that mindset"

Caldwell finished with four catches, all of them for touchdowns, for 115 yards. Glantz was 14-of-19 for 283 yards, and running back Cortezz Jones tallied 104 yards on the ground on 20 carries.

Lindenwood (2-3, 1-0 Big South-OVC) next hosts Tennessee State on Saturday afternoon while Eastern Illinois falls to 1-4 overall and 0-1 in Big South-OVC play.

Digital production editor