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It took over four hours for the No. 2 Lindenwood football team to outlast the weather on Thursday night at Hunter Stadium in St. Charles, Mo., but once the lightning cleared the area the Lions routed Evangel by a 68-7 score in the season opener for both teams.
Lightning delayed the game after just eight plays had been run in the first quarter. On the first play when action resumed, Denodus O’Bryant scored on a six-yard run. That set the tone for the first half which eventually ended with the Lions leading 49-0.
Seven different Lindenwood players scored in the first half as the Lions rolled up 569 yards of total offense. Philip Staback was 19-of-21 passing for 385 yards and three touchdowns and three of his receivers went over 100 yards receiving in the first two quarters. Matt Bramow, Andrew Helmick, and Donald Fusilier all caught touchdown passes, and Bramow, Helmick, and Jamere Holland were over 100 yards receiving. Other touchdowns came on the ground from Dominick Sherman, Nate Orlando, and Mike Bunton.
Lindenwood scored two more times in the third quarter to go up 56-0. Bramow caught his second touchdown pass and David Ortega threw a scoring pass to Terance Jackson. After the Jackson touchdown, the Lions had reached the end zone in each of their first nine possessions.
The lone bright spot for Evangel came late in the third quarter when it scored a defensive touchdown. Taylor Jasin threw an incomplete backwards pass and Evangel scooped up the live ball and returned it 55 yards. The scoring ended early in the fourth quarter when Blake Conreaux intercepted a pass and returned in 42 yards for a Lindenwood defensive touchdown.
Lindenwood’s defense did not allow a point in the game and held Evangel to just 2.5 yards per play. The Crusaders had 53 rushing yards on 42 attempts, and just 116 passing yards. Lindenwood also held Evangel to just seven-of-20 on third and fourth downs.
Chris Howard led the defensive unit with 10 tackles, including a sack. Hakim Thomas had an interception, and Jason Young and Duke Middleton each had a sack.
Offensively, Lindenwood finished with school records of 735 yards of total offense and 552 passing yards. Another school mark broken was most points in a half (49) and the 68 total points tied for the third most in Lions history.
Bramow finished with 174 yards receiving on eight receptions. Holland had 143 receiving yards and Helmick collected 106. LeMarien Parson was the leading rusher with 64 yards, one more than O’Bryant.
Lindenwood will hit the road for the first time in 2010 when it travels to Central Methodist on Sept. 11 for a 6 p.m. contest.