Crusader football team hosts Lindenwood on Oct. 27

October 26, 2007
Contact: Evangel University Athletics 865-2815, Ext. 7282

Game 9
Evangel vs. Lindenwood
Oct. 27, 1:30 p.m.
JFL Stadium
Springfield, Mo.

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Culver-Stockton Ends EU’s Streak

Evangel had defeated Culver-Stockton 18 straight seasons, but the host Wildcats put a stop to the streak in Canton, Mo., on Oct. 20. Culver-Stockton didn't lead until with 2:17 left in the game, when quarterback Dustin Jacoby scored from 8-yards out and then tossed a two-point conversion pass to Pres Nicholson to put the Wildcats up 23-20. With 38 seconds remaining in the game, Evangel had a chance to tie it up, but Erik Brown’s 42-yard field goal hit the left upright and Culver-Stockton ran out the clock to record its secondever victory over the Crusaders.

The Crusaders scored first on an 8-yard pass from Derek Rasmussen to Landon Small and Brown booted the extra point with four minutes left in the first quarter. Culver-Stockton answered with a 14-yard scoring run by Darrell Dancy, but Coty West’s extra point kick failed and EU led 7-6 with 25 seconds left in the first quarter.

Culver-Stockton and Evangel then combined for 19 points in the second quarter. EU’s Ryan Polite started the scoring with a 1-yard TD run. David Sebastian’s extra-point run failed and EU held onto a 13-6 lead with 11:59 left in the first half. C-SC Quarterback Justin Gumm then ran into the end zone from 15-yards out and this time West’s kick was blocked to keep EU ahead by one point, 13-12, with 6:29 left. EU’s Jared Stevens then put a cap on the first half scoring with 3:09 left when he grabbed a 28-yard TD aerial from Rasmussen. Brown’s extra point then gave the Crusaders a 20-12 advantage heading into the halfime locker room.

Neither team scored in the third quarter. West finally got on the scoreboard, splitting the uprights on a 20-yard field goal just 50 seconds into the fourth quarter, and neither team scored until Jaoby’s winning run with 2:17 remaining.

EU’s Rasmussen aired the ball out 39 times, completing 23 of his passes for 229 yards and a pair of TDs. He was intercepted twice. Jared Stevens caught five passes for 91 yards and a TD and Zach Troutman had five receptions for 27 yards. EU managed just 100 yards on the ground. Polite ran for one TD on 13 carries and totaled 52 yards. Shedrick McClenton added 42 yards on 14 carries.

Culver-Stockton also had more success in the air. Jacoby completed 19 of 25 passes for 190 yards and Gumm totaled 90 yards, completing 9 of 14 with one interception. Nicholson led all receivers with 10 catches for 100 yards.

Chris Bodoin topped Evangel’s defense with eight tackles and a pass breakup. Beau Grech and Travis Meacham had seven stops, while Nathan Thomas, Ryan Chaffin and Andrew Matrone were credited with six tackles. Matrone also tallied 2.5 tackles for losses and a pair of quarterback sacks. Chaffin registered two tackles for losses and a sack.

Culver-Stockton’s Tyler Buckman led the Wildcat defense with 14 tackles, two tackles for a loss and one interception return for 26 yards.

Lindenwood Rolls On

The No. 7-ranked Lindenwood Lions used a balanced offensive attack and a defense that allowed 222 yards (21 rushing) to win their homecoming game against William Jewell, 27-3, on Oct. 20.

Lindenwood accumulated 178 yards rushing and 114 yards passing. Forced to go to the air, William Jewell responded with 43 pass attempts (23 completions) for 222 yards.

Seven different players had rushing stats for Lindenwood, led by Richard Murrell and Hakeem Abdullah. Murrell rushed for 53 yards on 14 carries and Abdullah had 50 yards on 13 rushes. Quarterback Ben Kisner completed 11 of 26 passes for 104 yards and a TD with one interception. Abdullah (45 yards), Dominic Peterson (14 yards), and Austin Bortle (12 yards, 1 TD) each had three receptions. Zac Atterberry put on a punting clinic. He boomed six punts for a 40.5 average and two punts were downed inside the 20-yard line. On defense, Dan Carlisle totaled 14 tackles with one tackle for loss and one fumble recovery. Jeremy Coley had nine tackles and 2.5 were for losses. He also had two pass breakups, forced a fumble and split a sack.

William Jewell took an early lead on a 38-yard field goal by Stephen Bader, but Lindenwood then scored the next 27 points. Kisner hooked up with Bortle on a 3-yard TD pass. Billy Uren scored LU’s second TD after scooping up a blocked punt and running 40 yards for a TD. Halley Ferrell then kicked field goals of 23 and 37 yards followed by Peterson’s 38-yard rushing TD. The extra points were all accurate by Ferrell.

The 2006 Meeting, EU vs. LU

After playing a competitive first half (Lindenwood led 14-10), Evangel mistakes and Lindenwood’s ability to capitilize on the miscues led the host Lions to a 41-10 victory over the Crusaders on Oct. 7, 2006, in St. Charles, Mo.

Five of Lindenwood’s six TDs were aided by Evangel mistakes. The Lions scored on two blocked punts, two interceptions and capped off their scoring with a 36-yard, flea-flicker following EU’s third interceped pass of the afternoon.

Highlighting the closeness of the game - minus the EU errors - was the fact that Evangel had more total yards, 294-261, and more first downs, 20-14.

Evangel quarterback Derek Rasmussen totaled 194 yards and completed 19 of 35 passes (.543) with one TD and the three interceptions. Shedrick McClenton accumulated 56 yards on 14 carries in the first half. He did not play in the second half due to an injury, which would keep him on the bench the rest of the season. (Except for two carries for four yards in the next game, EU’s homecoming game vs. Benedictine.) Troy Stegall took over the rushing duties and ended the game with 32 yards on 10 attempts. Drew Coplin caught four passes for 46 yards. McClenton and Edward Sands each caught three passes. Sands had one TD catch of three yards. Kicker Trevor Gies added the extra point and also booted a 21- yard field goal for the Crusaders.

Defensively, EU was led by Andrew Matrone’s six tackles. Keidrick Doby and Jon Fouch had four stops. Troy Rayburn led the team with two tackles for losses. Matrone and Brandon Mires each had a sack and Von Dixon returned an interception for 13 yards, which led to EU’s field goal.

Lindenwood managed only 47 rushing yards, but Ben Kisner completed 13 of 17 passes for 198 yards and a pair of TDs. Steven Kennedy caught a 34-yard TD pass and totaled five catches for 61 yards. Ricky Moore had four receptions for 80 yards, including a 36-yard TD aerial. In addition, Marcus Crawford had a 1-yard TD run and Leonard Durant ran back a blocked punt for a 25-yard TD. Lindenwood’s defense was led by Marcus Klund and Logen Wright. Each had 10 tackles.

Lindenwood vs. Evangel, The Series

Evangel leads the series with Lindenwood, 8-3. In JFK, Evangel has never lost to Lindenwood in Springfield. The Crusaders are 3-0 vs. Lindenwood in JFK and 2-0 at Missouri State’s Plaster Sports Complex.

Makin’ the HAAC’s Top-5 List

Evangel Players: Derek Rasmussen No. 4 total offense (208.9), No. 4 passing (209.8), No. 2 passing efficiency (136.0)...Andrew Matrone No. 1 (tied with Larry Wentzel of Mo. Valley) sacks (0.9)...Joel Stevens No. 3 punt returns (12.9)...Chris Bodoin No. 1 (tied with two other players) passes defended (1.4)...Erik Brown No. 3 PAT kicking (.909, 10-11)...Trevor Gies No. 4 punting (36.7)...Nathan Thomas No. 1 kickoff returns (29.2).

Lindenwood Players: Ben Kisner No. 3 total offense (224.9), No. 2 passing (222.3), No. 1 pass efficiency (143.2)...Hakeem Abdullah No. 3 rushing (93.8), No. 4 scoring (7.5)...Richard Murrell No. 5 scoring (7.0)...Dominic Peterson No. 5 receptions per game (5.1)...Halley Ferrell No. 1 kick scoring (9.1), No. 2 field goals (1.5), No. 1 PAT kicking (.974, 37-38)...Zac Atterberry No. 1 punting (43.2)...Brian Schaefering No. 4 (tied with 2 other players) sacks (0.7)...Thomas Christian No. 2 punt returns (16.4)...Leonard Durant No. 3 kickoff returns (24.2)

Crusader Notes

• Evangel has outscored its opponents 140-61 in the first half, but EU has been outscored 87-56 in the second half
• EU has had an 83-31 advantage in the second quarter...the opponents have enjoyed a 48-14 third-quarter advantage
• Shedrick McClenton leads the EU ground game with a 71.1 yards per game average
• Derek Rasmussen has passed for 1,678 yards, completing 137 of 229 passes with 15 TDs and 8 interceptions
• Jared Stevens leads the receiving corps with 37 catches for 464 yards and a TD
• Brenton Roggow has caught four TD passes, three were against Missouri Valley
• Joel Stevens is averaging 12.9 yards on 14 punt returns and has a TD
• Nathan Thomas averages 29.2 yards per kickoff return on 13 returns and has a TD
• Andrew Matrone leads EU’s defense with 63 tackles, 10 tackles for losses, 7 sacks, 3 pass breakups, 2 forced fumbles, 1 blocked kick
• Chris Bodoin has 10 pass breakups and 1 interception
• EU’s last two losses were by a total of five points (two vs. Baker, 16-14 and three vs. Culver-Stockton, 23-20)
• EU has been whistled for 65 penalties for 555 yards...the EU opponents have 50 penalties for 445 yards
• EU has fumbled the ball 10 times and lost it 7 times...the opponents have 20 fumbles and have lost 15.

Lion Notes

• Lindenwood is averaging 42.9 points per game and allowing its opponents 20 points
• The Lions have a balanced attack with 1,771 rushing yards and 1,873 passing yards...the opponents have 877 rushing yards and, because they are playing catch-up ball, have 2,073 passing yards
• some of Lindenwood’s games have resembled a track meet with the Lions averaging 455.5 yards per game and the opponents getting 368.8 yards per outing
• LU punters are averaging 41.1 yards per punt...Zac Atterberry has all but three of the team’s punts and is averaging 43.2 yards on 21 punts
• Lindenwood has 94 penalties for 839 yards...the opponents have 57 penalties for 470 yards
• LU’s defense has sacked the opponent QB 24 times for 141 yards
• LU’s quarterbacks have only been sacked 6 times for 33 yards
• Halley Ferrell has missed only one field goal (12-13) and one extra point (37-38)
• LU’s onetwo rushing punch, Hakeem Abdullah and Richard Murrell are averaging 93.8 and 73.6 yards per game on the ground
• Ben Kisner has completed 139 of 222 (.630) passes for 1,778 yards and 15 TDs with 10 interceptions
• Dominic Peterson has 41 receptions for 407 yards and 4 TDs
• Thomas Christian has brought back 11 punts for a 16.4 yards per return average...Leonard Durant averages 24.2 yards on 13 kickoff returns
• Dan Carlisle (49), Tyler Kasper (42) and Scott Burton (40) are the tackle leaders
• Jeremy Coley has 9.5 tackles for losses of 43 yards...four players have seven or more tackles for losses - Coley has 9.5, Brian Schaefering has 8.5, Billy Ray Uren has 8.0, and Jamil Abdullah has 7.5
• In eight games, Lindenwood’s defense has amassed 76 tackles for losses, 24 sacks, 30 pass breakups, 18 interceptions, 12 fumble recoveries

Heart of America Athletic Conference

2007 Football Standings, thru Oct. 20

Rank	Team	Record
1	Lindenwood	7-0
2	Graceland	6-2
3	MidAmerica Nazarene	5-2
	Missouri Valley	5-2
	Baker	5-2
6	William Jewell	4-4
7	Evangel	3-4
8	Benedictine	2-5
9	Central Methodist	1-6
	Culver-Stockton	1-6
11	Avila	1-7

EU’s Running Back’s Games with 75 or More Yards

Shedrick McClenton II, senior tailback

Date	Opponent	Atts.	Yds.	TDs	Yds/Att.	LG
9/8/2007	Langston	28	147	0	5.3	23
9/30/2006	Culver-Stockton	23	116	1	5	22
9/23/2006	Baker	23	212	2	9.2	72
9/16/2006	Avila	20	132	1	6.6	38
9/9/2006	MidAmerica Nazarene	20	177	1	8.9	23
9/22/2007	Missouri Valley	33	88	0	2.7	15
10/29/2005	William Jewell	15	81	2	5.4	14
10/8/2005	Lindenwood	8	83	0	10.4	39
10/1/2005	Culver-Stockton	6	78	0	13	41

Jared Stevens, senior fullback/receiver

Date	Opponent	Atts.	Yds.	TDs	Yds/Att.	LG
10/29/2005	William Jewell	13	145	2	11.2	80
9/25/2004	Benedictine	12	124	1	10.3	50
10/9/2004	William Jewell	14	124	1	8.9	39
10/23/2004	Central Methodist	20	104	1	5.2	34
11/12/2005	Central Methodist	9	91	1	10.1	46
11/13/2004	Avila	11	87	1	7.9	44
9/4/2004	Baker	7	83	0	11.9	36
9/17/2005	Avila	9	77	1	8.6	52

Ryan Polite, junior running back

Date	Opponent	Atts.	Yds.	TDs	Yds/Att.	LG
9/29/2007	MidAmerica Nazarene	34	153	2	4.5	24
9/23/2006	Baker	13	81	0	6.2	19

Troy Stegall, senior wide receiver

Date	Opponent	Atts.	Yds.	TDs	Yds/Att.	LG
10/14/2006	Benedictine	24	102	1	4.3	16

Rasmussen's 200-Yard Passing Games

Date	Opponent	Comp-Att-Int	Yds.	TD	LG
9/10/2005	MidAmerica Nazarene	25-53-2	393	3	70
9/3/2005	Missouri Valley	13-20-0	349	5	90
9/30/2006	Culver-Stockton	17-30-0	342	3	89
9/15/2007	Central Methodist	21-29-1	302	2	58
10/15/2005	Benedictine	20-38-0	286	2	60
10/1/2005	Culver-Stockton	19-32-2	259	2	83
9/9/2006	MidAmerica Nazarene	13-21-2	243	3	69
9/24/2005	Baker	20-31-0	238	2	44
9/22/2007	Missouri Valley	16-31-0	235	3	60 (2)
11/19/2005	McKendree	14-19-0	223	3	51
10/2/2004	Graceland	8/11/2000	212	3	75
9/17/2005	Avila	13-29-1	207	0	48