The Lions posted five sacks against Avila, in addition to seven other tackles for loss. That might be some indication that the front seven, anchored by an outstanding group of down linemen, may be growing into a force to be reckoned with. Junior Billy Ray Uren (6'5, 244) played very well against Avila at end, with senior Jeremy Coley (6'5, 240) and junior T.J. Prell (6'4, 255) supplying additional outside pressure. With long and strong senior Brian Schaefering (6'5, 292) clogging up the middle at the nose, the Lions are solid up front on defense.

They’ll be tested on Saturday by a talented Baker offense which has been impressive in both games, pounding Culver and outgaining Missouri Western—the 19th-ranked team in Division II—by over a hundred yards in an opening game loss.

That battle will be fun to watch, but the matchup of the high octane, no-huddle Lion offense against the fast and physical Baker defense is the marquee bout here this evening. Kisner has completed 74% of his passes in the first two outings, good for 506 yards and four scores. A tailback by committee, paced by senior Hakeem Abdullah and junior Richard Murrell, has racked up 424 rushing yards (7.6 per carry) and five touchdowns in two games.

To say the Lions have been explosive would be like saying August is hot in St. Louis—LU has returned two interceptions for TD’s already, and lightning quick junior Thomas Christian popped a 32-yard punt return last week. The Lions posted kickoff returns of 41 and 52 yards against Avila, nine different receivers have caught passes (averaging 15 yards per reception), and MidAmerica was blitzed with a barrage of big plays two weeks ago which prompted air raid sirens to go off in St. Charles County. Ball control is good, and the Lions have run the ball very well, but the best control is the scoreboard kind.

As with every football game ever played, this one will come down to those individual, mano-a-mano skirmishes within the bigger battle. The Lions will not avoid Allen’s side, though he has shown the ability to cover on film—his matchups against senior Dominic Peterson and standout freshman Nick Melillo will be worth watching. Likewise, don’t look for the Wildcats to shy away from running the ball right at the imposing LU front seven … Grossner’s team can trot out a trio of backs very similar to those in the Lion huddle.

The football gods will also be watching the battle between the Lion tailbacks and Wildcat linebackers—both units are very good, and each has dominated in their first two games. If Baker can’t get the Lions off the field, the depth of LU’s talent will come to bear as the game moves into its latter stages.

It is early in the Heart title race, but in a league so balanced from top to bottom, every game is critical. The Lions have jumped out to a good start, in contrast to the last two years, when slow moves from the gate led to a firm position behind the eight ball. Keeping Mother Momentum on the LU sideline is the focus in practice this week.