Posted: Nov 01, 2018
ADRIAN, Mich. -- The #23 Siena Heights Saints football team needs just one more win this season to earn the most wins in a season in program history with seven. The Saints will look to accomplish that goal when Lindenwood-Belleville comes to Adrian, Michigan for a Mid-States Football Association (MSFA) Mideast League matchup.
Siena Heights come into the game with a 6-2 overall record and a 2-2 MSFA mark. Siena Heights began the 2018 campaign with back-to-back road contests for the first time in program history. The Saints also made history with their first 5-0 start. Siena began the year with a 21-7 win at Missouri Baptist and a 16-7 win at Olivet Nazarene. The Saints then won their home opener 40-0 over Robert Morris (Ill.) before another road win (38-27) over Saint Francis (Ill.) on September 22. Siena rolled to a 40-13 win over Taylor at homecoming that included a three-hour weather delay before the overtime loss to St. Francis (Ind.). The Saints cruised to a 31-10 win over first-year program Indiana Wesleyan the following week. Last week, Siena lost to #2 Marian (Ind.) 27-14.
The Lynx enter the game winless with a 0-9 mark so far this season. The season started with two shutout losses to Olivet Nazarene (56-0) and St. Ambrose (26-0). Lindenwood-Belleville got on the board in week three in a 33-14 loss to then #18 St. Xavier before falling to first-year program Indiana Wesleyan 44-7 the following week. The Lynx were shutout against by then #15 Concordia (Mich.) in a 71-0 loss at home. Missouri Baptist upended Lindenwood-Belleville the next week with a 42-14 win. St. Francis (Ill.) downed the Lynx 55-0 for the team's fourth shutout loss of the season. LU scored 19 points in the 28-19 loss versus Taylor (Ind.) before scoring a season-high 25 points against #9 St. Francis (Ind.) in a 64-25 loss last week.
This will be the fourth meeting between Siena Heights and Lindenwood-Belleville in football. The Saints lead the series 3-0 including a 48-0 win last season, the largest margin of victory between the two teams. SHU has outscored LU in the series 124-36.
This will be the second meeting at O'Laughlin Stadium. The first meeting took place on September 3, 2016, where the Saints won 31-16.
The Saints are led offensively by the running duo of fifth-year senior D'aires Davis and redshirt freshman Jared Jordan. Davis is 100 yards away from achieving the 1000-yard rushing milestone for the season. He is currently averaging 112.5 yards-per-game and has scored once. Jordan has 502 yards on 109 carries and has scored 12 touchdowns. Tyler Knecht is 107-177 (60.5%) passing for 1297 yards and seven touchdowns this season. His favorite target, Damon Wright Jr. has 32 receptions for 314 yards and two touchdowns.
The defensive unit is led by sophomore linebacker Nick Stalworth with 50 tackles, two TFL, and an interception returned for a touchdown. 4th-year junior Griffin Sobol has 49 tackles, three TFL, and three interceptions.
On special teams, SHU is led by senior kicker Brady Tanguay. Tanguay is 9/14 in field goals (64%) with a long of 43 yards. Punter Caleb Meister has 1299 yards on 35 punts this year. He has pinned seven of his kicks inside the 20-yard line and has a season-long of 51 yards.
The Lynx are led on the ground by Jaquay Owens with 106 carries for 366 yards and two touchdowns. Dennis Chester leads the team at quarterback. He is 109-196 (55.6%) through the air for 1083 yards and four touchdowns. Ricardo Henry is Chester's favorite target with 32 receptions for 230 yards. Steph Candelaria is the team's main red zone threat with a team-leading four touchdown receptions.
Mason Carr and Lance Winkler lead the team defensively with 72 tackles each. Carr has 2.5 tackles for loss and a half sack on the season. Winkler has recorded six tackles for loss, one sack, and has scooped up two fumbles. Ga'Von Burks has contributed 63 tackles, 5.5 for loss, and is tied for the team high in sacks with two. Trecion Bell has all three of the Lynx interceptions this season.
Lindenwood-Belleville has been unsuccessful in all three field goal attempts this season. Justin Johnson has missed two and Riley Ripper, one. Ripper and Johnson have also split punting responsibilities this year. Ripper has 28 punts for 1118 yards with a long of 59; Johnson has 27 for 1090 yards and a long of 55.
The game is slated for a 1:00 p.m., EDT, kickoff. Fans that are unable to make the game can watch the video stream, follow the live stats, or listen to the WLEN broadcast via online or by tuning into 103.9 FM on Saturday afternoon.