After three weeks of close games, head coach Patrick Ross and his LU football team were due for one with a little less suspense. The Lions got their wish on Saturday, moving to a perfect 7-0 on the season with a resounding HAAC win over Avila (Mo.), celebrating Homecoming in St. Charles with a 45-0 thumping of the Eagles.

The Lions, ranked #8 in this week’s NAIA national coaches poll, dominated from the beginning with big plays from their stars. Sophomore strong safety Marcus Klund opened the scoring in the first quarter with a 32-yard interception return on AU's opening possession of the game. After Avila was forced to punt by the ferocious LU defense, freshman kicker Zac Atterberry booted a 28-yd. field goal with 5:38 left in the opening period to give LU a 10-0 lead.

"As well as our defense has been playing, jumping on them early really put them at a disadvantage," said Ross. "They've had some injuries on offense, and we knew if we could get them playing catchup right away it would be to our advantage."

Junior free safety De De Dorsey, one of the brightest stars in the HAAC this season, showed up big – on both sides of the football. Appearing at tailback for the first time this season in place of ailing starter Derron Parquet, the speedy Dorsey scored on a 16-yard draw play in the second quarter to make it 16-0. Senior quarterback Emiliano Salazar found sophomore split end George Mumphard in the left corner of the end zone later in the quarter on a 24-yd. scoring pass, making it 23-0 at halftime.

Dorsey came up big again only 39 seconds into the second half, intercepting an Avila pass and rocketing 76 yards for a TD – his fourth score of the season (one rushing, two on fumble returns, and the interception return). The Broken Arrow, Okla., native had a busy afternoon - two interceptions, two TD's, three carries for 25 yards, one pass reception for nine yards, a kickoff return of 27 yards, and four tackles.

Senior cornerback T.J. Riley – the LU Homecoming King – celebrated in style with a 58-yd. punt return for a touchdown, making it 37-0 with 9:59 remaining in the third quarter. Salazar and Mumphard hooked up again later on in the third quarter, this time from 28 yards out, making it 45-0 and time for the reserves to take over.

"We were very happy with the effort our guys showed," said Ross of his unbeaten Lions. "We preach playing hard every snap, and this was a great game for us from that standpoint. It's always fun as a coach when lots of people get to play, so it was a good day all around for us."

Lindenwood dominated the statistical story, outgaining the Eagles 438-191 in total offense. The Lions intercepted Avila three times, returning two for scores, while Salazar completed 12 of 18 passes for 218 yards and two TD’s without an interception. Junior linebacker Jake Sharp continued to play well for the Lion defense, posting a team-high ten tackles, while junior defensive tackle Ismael Seals contributed 2.5 tackles for loss.

The Lions will travel to Baldwin City, Kan., next weekend to put their perfect record on the line against Baker University, which moved to 4-2 on the season with a win over Culver-Stockton on Saturday.