Staring at a 10-0 halftime deficit, far from home against a fired-up opponent, the Lindenwood University football team had two choices on Saturday afternoon in Saint Paul, Minn. - reach down and fight back, or accept one of many possible excuses for an improbable loss and get ready for a very long ride home.

The 6th-ranked Lions have showed the heart of a champion many times before in this magical undefeated season, coming from behind to win three different times in their romp through the HAAC. This was different, though - head coach Patrick Ross' team was traveling with a red cross on the top of the bus, many key players either out or playing hurt. Several time-honored football potholes were at play, as well ... underestimating an opponent, letting the underdog get the lead at home on Senior Day, too long on the bus the day before a game, just to name a few.

But this HAAC champion Lion team, which has put together a comeback story unlike any in the history of college football this season, wasn't about to let it go that easy. Getting a lift from injured senior quarterback Emiliano Salazar in the second half, LU rallied with two long scoring drives to take the lead, then held on for a 14-10 win that moved their record to 10-0 on the season.

"It would have been very easy for our guys to fold up their tents at halftime," said Ross. "Things weren't going well, we're banged up, and sometimes you just feel like it's not your day. But we were very proud of how we picked ourselves up and came out with the only thing that matters - the win."

Junior tailback De De Dorsey, who didn't practice all week and wasn't expected to play much, if at all, was the catalyst again on offense for the Lions. The best football player in the HAAC this season racked up 198 rushing yards on 32 carries, including the game-winning TD from nine yards out with 10:39 remaining in the game. Since becoming more or less a full-time offensive player the last two games, Dorsey has posted 413 yards on the ground, while averaging a whopping 7.6 yards per carry.

Dorsey's numbers for the season are nearing mind-boggling status: he has scored two TD's on fumble returns, one TD on an interception return, blocked five punts and three field goals, rushed for 521 yards on 68 attempts with six TD's on the ground, caught four passes from the backfield, posted 36 tackles, with three TFL's, recovered three fumbles, forced another, and intercepted two passes. Rumors that he also drove the bus to Minnesota and sang the national anthem prior to the Culver game are unsubstantiated.

The roots of why the game on Saturday became a nailbiter can be found by looking at the drive chart. Four times in the first half, the Lions penetrated as far as the Northwestern 27-yd. line, only to come away with a grand total of zero points. In the second half, the Lions saw two drives die on downs at the Northwestern 24-yd. line. That's six possessions in the red zone that came up empty.

In fact, LU rolled up lots of yardage while managing not to score - the Lions recorded 23 first downs and 398 yards of total offense while snapping off 77 plays. On a normal day, that kind of production would account for more than 14 points, and that ability to cash in on those opportunities is going to be critical this Saturday against Benedictine, and in the national playoffs.

Salazar took over after the intermission, even though standout freshman Brent Hodgkiss, making his first collegiate appearance, had played pretty well in the first half. Needing a bit of an emotional lift at halftime, Ross and his staff decided to go with their hobbled senior leader, and it paid off - the Lions put together two 11-play, 80-yard scoring drives in the second half to take the lead, then held on down the stretch with some gutty play by the defense.

"Hodgkiss is going to be a great player for us, but we felt like our situation at halftime called for someone to step into the huddle with experience at coming from behind," said Ross. "Salazar has been the guy for us this season, and he made some throws to help us win that game in the second half."

The normally dominant Lion defense also struggled a bit with the same demons that troubled the offense on Saturday - whether it was travel, injury, overconfidence or a combination thereof - but the Lions still stuffed Northwesterd on the ground. The Eagles could manage only 66 rushing yards on 28 carries, which made it hard to move the clock when they needed to in the second half. Junior linebacker Jake Sharp, pushing for All-American honors himself, led the Lions again with 11 tackles, including one in the Eagle backfield.

Without a doubt, the Lions will have to play better in the regular season finale this week against the Ravens if they are to make history and run the table in the Heart. It's only been done 12 times in the 34-year history of the league, and it's been a goal of this team since last spring. Standing in the way are longtime BC head coach Larry Wilcox and his proud Benedictine team, which has struggled at times this season, but is closing strong and has a chance to finish with a winning mark at 6-5. Kickoff is set for 1:00 pm on Saturday in Atchison, KS.