So what does a Cardinal do? Jewell safeties Eric Johnson and Clayton Hewitt will have to make sure tackles on the Lions’ three-headed tailback (Abdullah, along with juniors Richard Murrell and Durant), or it will be a long ride home for Coach Schwenk and the boys. That has been a tall order, indeed – that threesome has posted 1,504 rushing yards (a whopping 7.2 yards per carry) with 22 touchdowns, and the frequency and length of the lightning strike TD runs has been biblical in proportions. Last week at Graceland, Abdullah went 70 yards to the house early in the third quarter, then Durant applied the blow to the jugular with a 72-yarder only eight plays later. In all, Abdullah rushed for 131 yards and caught five passes for another 80, and Durant racked up 138 yards on just four touches.

The even better news for the Lions and their fans over the last few weeks has been the improving play of a defensive unit which has successfully weathered a variety of season-ending and nuisance injuries this season. The Lions held 6’4”, 250-lb. Yellowjacket tailback Jerome Messam to 35 yards on 13 carries last week, knocking both he and Graceland quarterback Garrett Graves from the game with third quarter injuries. Messam had been leading the nation in rushing before the game, and the Lions’ ability to shut him down is a good sign as the season moves into November and, possibly, beyond.

Sophomore linebacker Dan Carlisle led the Lions with 10 tackles last week, and his freshman running mate Seth Tutera—a star of the future—played well in his first extended varsity action. It’s a good thing, too, because neither inside backer who started the opener against MidAmerica Nazarene seven weeks ago (juniors Logen Wright and Quran Barge) played in Lamoni. The Lions have persevered, though, behind the strength of an outstanding front wall of seniors Jeremy Coley, John Krieger and Brian Schaefering, and junior T.J. Prell. Various pleasant surprises (sophomore linebacker Tyler Kasper, junior corner Thomas Christian, etc.) have stepped up to fill roles, and the defensive Lions have evolved into a tight-knit group playing its best, most physical football of the season right now.

Jewell senior quarterback Benny Palmer, good with his arm and his feet, is capable of making plays today against that improving Lion defense, and senior tailback Leon Wiggins is one of the league’s best. The plan for most teams thus far in 2007 has been to try to keep the Lion offense away from its favorite toy – the football – by controlling the rock on the ground. Graceland only threw it 16 times last week, but the reality is, the most overrated statistic in all of sports is time of possession in football. Empty possessions are what have proven disastrous for the six opposing defenses run out of the gym by the Lion offense this fall, as that quick-strike explosiveness has decimated every team but Benedictine.

Truth is, the only kind of control that matters is scoreboard control, and the Lions have been doing plenty of that, averaging 45 points per game and seven yards on each snap of the ball. Combined with a national-best turnover margin (+13) and enough depth to stock two pretty good football teams, the Lions have made the second and third quarters their own private playground this season, outscoring their opponents 183-80 during those game-deciding stretches. If the Cardinals can find some way to contain the LU arsenal of weapons in the final minutes before halftime and immediately after, their chances will ratchet up a few notches … if not, the gap between the Lions and the contenders for second place will continue to widen.

Game time is set for 1:30 pm on Saturday at Harlan C. Hunter Stadium on the Lindenwood campus.