The Lions needed this one.

"Sometimes during the course of a season, there are games you just have to win," said Lindenwood head football coach Patrick Ross. "Because of the way things have fallen early in the year for us, we had to beat Graceland."

That the fired-up, rejuvenated Lions did on Saturday night in Saint Charles, ripping the previously unbeaten Yellowjackets for 312 yards in total offense during a near-flawless first half, before coasting out to a comfortable 38-21 win in front of a boisterous home crowd.

The Lions opened the scoring in the first quarter, on a 32-yard TD run off a reverse by standout freshman split end Trevan Hombs. Sandwiched around the big play by Hombs was a group of three strong series by the LU defense: three-and-outs on Graceland's first two possessions, then an interception by sophomore linebacker Scott Symons which ended a second quarter GU threat at the Lion 10-yd. line.

On the ensuing LU possession, after sophomore quarterback Ben Kisner was sacked on first down, junior tailback Hakeem Abdullah ripped off a 67-yd. run on a counter play, moving the Lions all the way to Graceland's 29. The nine-play, 90-yd. TD drive was capped off by senior tailback Marcus Crawford's 3-yd. run, and the tone had been set for the evening.

"The first half was about as good as we can play on both sides of the ball," said Ross, who saw his career record move to 34-15 with the win. "We got big plays and long drives on offense, and we were able to keep them off balance with our defensive pressure. To hold a team with a quarterback like Braddock down like that means you're doing some things right on defense."

Braddock moved the Yellowjackets into successful field goal range later in the second quarter, but the Lions quickly answered with a four-play, 62-yard barrage that ended on Hombs' second big-play touchdown of the game, this one on a 44-yd. scoring strike from Kisner that made it 21-3.

The blow to the jugular for Graceland was an 11-play, 82-yd. Lion drive just before intermission, which ended on a beautiful play action pass from one yard out on the half's final play, with junior wideout Grady Wilson hauling in the TD toss from Kisner.

"Getting that score right before halftime really put them in a hole," said Ross. "There's a big difference between 28-3 and 21-3 at halftime."

The Lions got the rock first in the second half, and after a three-and-out by the Graceland defense forced a Zac Atterberry punt, the long night continued for the Yellowjackets - return man Donva Louder coughed up the ball, and freshman tailback McCray Harris recovered for Lindenwood at the GU 37-yd. line.

It took only two Abdullah running plays for the Lions to cash in from there, with the Indianapolis native taking the second one in from 29 yards out to make it 35-3. If the Graceland buses weren't warming up at that point, the drivers were surely looking for the keys.

"Some games you just can't seem to get anything right," said Ross. "We had one of those last week (in a road loss to Benedictine), so I know how they must have been feeling when they dropped that punt to start the second half."

A long kickoff return by freshman Alonso Spiller after that LU score set up the Yellowjackets' first TD, a three-yd. pass from Braddock to Louder. The PAT was blocked by LU freshman linebacker William Royston, and the score stayed at 35-9 for the rest of the period.

Graceland moved the ball well through the air in the final quarter, scoring on their first two possessions, but a Lion field goal by freshman Haley Farrell and the LU domination of the first 45 minutes of clock were too much to overcome. Braddock shined in the loss, completing 32 of 44 passes for 384 yards and two TD's, and adding a rushing TD of his own - a true testament to how flawed statistics can be, particularly passing yards. The Lions outrushed GU 260-79, and that contributed greatly to that 35-3 lead midway through the third.

"We played well against a team with some good athletes on both sides of the football," said Ross, whose team ran its' record against HAAC competition to 19-4 since the beginning of the 2004 season. "To be able to dominate a good team like that, with all the freshmen and sophomores we have playing, should give us some confidence. Now we have to build on it an play better next week at Jewell."

The Lions will be in Liberty, Mo., next Saturday afternoon at 1:00 pm to face William Jewell.