Lions two week recap

One game was thrilling, and one was not.

The big home football game of the season—so far—was against Azusa Pacific University on Oct. 22. The eighth ranked NAIA Cougars traveled from California looking to improve their 6-1 record, but LU beat Azusa Pacific in a breathtaking 38-31 game.

The second half plays decided the outcome. LU led 24-17 heading into the third quarter. Then the Lions hit a rough spot. After several stalled drives by LU, the Cougars marched down the field with their running game —which was dominant the entire afternoon – to tie the game with 8:30 left.

Less than 30 seconds later, LU junior quarterback John Uribe fumbled the ball and the Cougars recovered. They struck quickly for a 31-24 lead with eight minutes remaining.
The Lions punted again, but their defense came up with a stop on third and seven yards to go.

With 2:36 left, junior running back Therman McGowan returned a punt 44 yards for a touchdown and tied the game 31-31. “We needed to score.” McGowan said. “The punt return team did a good job of blocking.”

APU took over, moved the ball and eventually faced a fourth and two at its 41 yard line with under a minute left. The Cougars rushed the ball for 283 yards in the game. But instead of  trying to run for the first down and set up the game winning field goal, APU punted and pinned LU at its own 13-yard line.

“Our defense made a good stop and we were able to get the ball back with a minute left,” Uribe said.

On the second play of the drive, Uribe threw an 81-yard scoring pass to a wide-open Andrew Helmick to seal a come-from-behind victory. “That play had been there all day and we missed it a couple of times,” said Helmick, the junior wide receiver. “John threw a perfect ball.”

The Cougars had the final possession with about 20 seconds on the clock, but time ran out.
Last week, the Lions played their final NAIA team, beating Culver-Stockton 70-24. Most of the Lions starters were subbed out by the half.

This Saturday, the Lions can improve to 8-2 and keep their 26 straight home win streak alive when they battle Central Missouri. Kick-off is 1:30 p.m. at Hunter Stadium.

Check out LindenLink’s preview of the game.