LIBERTY, Mo. - The William Jewell football team gave Division I Lindenwood all they could handle for the first 30 minutes on Saturday but couldn't maintain pace in the second half, falling 64-23 to drop to 1-8 on the season. 

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Things started fast on both sides as each team put points on the board on their opening drive as Paul Geelen connected from 49 yards, the longest field goal by a freshman in Jewell's NCAA era and fourth longest in the GLVC this season, to put the Cardinals on the board. 
• Lindenwood scored three times to take a 26-3 lead before momentum shifted in the  Cardinal's direction. Carson Anderson blocked a point after attempt followed by the Jewell offense marching down field on the ensuing drive which ended in a three yard touchdown pass to Grant Latina. 
• Kian Betancourt picked off the Lions quarterback to cut Lindenwood's next drive short as the Cardinals again drove the field to the opposite red zone. Marquis Whitmire found Jesse Thomas for a 10-yard touchdown to pull the Cardinals within nine. 
• The Lions scored again to make it 33-17 but with 50 seconds remaining in the half Taylor Eggers sent a pass downfield that was nearly intercepted but as three Lindenwood players collided for the grab, Winston Quinn picked it up midair and ran it in for another Jewell touchdown to trail by just 10 at the break. 
• Lindenwood found an offensive rhythm in the second half scoring 31 points and limited the Cardinals to 145 yards of offense. 
   

KEY STATS

• Jordan Clay ran for an impressive 151 yards, fifth most by a Cardinal in the NCAA era.
• The offensive line was effective as Jewell posted a season best 248 yards on the ground, the most since 2018, and did not allow a sack. 
• In his first career start, quarterback Taylor Eggers threw for 207 yards and two touchdowns on 18-of-35 passes. 
• Whitmire posted 81 yards on two catches along with a touchdown pass, while Quinn finished with 58 yards on three receptions and a score. 
• Sean Mitchell collected 13 tackles while Anderson and Adam Callahan had 10. 
• Anderson and Kevin Roberson combined for one sack while Betancourt picked up his first interception of the season. 

UP NEXT
Jewell returns home next Saturday as they host nationally ranked Indianapolis for Senior Day. This game will also mark the finale for Greene Stadium as after 67 seasons the stadium will be demolished as part of The Link Project with a new stadium coming in 2024.