COLUMBIA, Ky. – The No. 7-ranked Lindsey Wilson football team outscored No. 10 Indiana Wesleyan 57-7 in the Blue Raiders' 57-31 victory on Saturday in the Second Round of the NAIA Football Championship Series at Parnell Family Stadium.
Tate Rice earned NAIA Offensive Player of the Game honors. Rice threw for a career-high 382 yards, completing 22 of his 35 passes with four touchdowns.
Max Gainey caught nine passes for 188 yards and a touchdown. Gainey surpassed the program record for receiving yards in a season. He now has 880 yards, breaking the previous record of 850 set by Terrill Cole in 2020.
Davontaye Saunders ran for 79 yards on 18 carries, scoring three touchdowns. Saunders now has 20 rushing touchdowns during the season, breaking the previous record of 18 set by Jalen Sublett in 2016.
The Blue Raider (10-1) defense forced six Indiana Wesleyan (9-3) turnovers with five interceptions. The six turnovers are the highest since September 7, 2024, against Point, while the five interceptions are the most since October 25, 2014, against Belhaven.
Khaleb Bridges earned NAIA Defensive Player of the Game honors, recording nine tackles and a program-record four interceptions.
Howie Gant led the Lindsey Wilson defense with 14 tackles, while
Jamarques Frank added 12 and an interception.
Indiana Wesleyan led 24-0 with 1:57 remaining in the first half. The Wildcats struck first with an 11-play, 88-yard touchdown drive with 7:18 to play in the first quarter. Following a Blue Raider three-and-out, Indiana Wesleyan capped off a 10-play, 91-yard drive with a 14-yard touchdown pass, increasing its lead to 14-0 late in the first quarter.
The Wildcats put together another 10-play touchdown drive to make it 21-0 with 4:09 remaining in the half. Lindsey Wilson fumbled the ball on the ensuing kickoff, giving Indiana Wesleyan the ball at the Blue Raider 23. The Blue Raider defense held the Wildcats to a field as Indiana Wesleyan took the 24-0 advantage.
Lindsey Wilson finally broke through on the scoreboard with an eight-play, 79-yard drive. Rice found Saunders for 28 yards with seven seconds remaining in the half. Rice then connected with
Khia Sherrard on the two-point conversion to make it 24-8 going into halftime.
Indiana Wesleyan opened the third quarter with the ball. On the fourth play of the drive, Bridges recorded his first interception, giving the Blue Raiders the ball on their own 40. Lindsey Wilson capitalized on the turnover with a 10-yard rushing touchdown from Saunders. Going for two again, Rice this time found
Taborie Reed to make it 24-16 with 10:53 to play in the third quarter.
The Blue Raiders kept the momentum in their favor, forcing a three-and-out on the next Wildcats drive. On the first play of the Lindsey Wilson drive, Rice found Sherrard for 56 yards setting up the Blue Raiders on the Indiana Wesleyan 20. Three plays later, Saunders ran for his second touchdown to make it 24-22 with 8:05 remaining in the quarter. The Blue Raiders' two-point attempt was unsuccessful, keeping it a two-point game.
Bridges recorded his second interception on the next Wildcat drive, returning the ball to the Indiana Wesleyan 36. On the second play of the drive, Rice connected with Gainey for 34 yards, giving Lindsey Wilson its first lead at 29-24 with 5:21 left in the third. On the ensuing kickoff,
Jamahl Gentry forced a fumble, and Adrienne Bailey recovered it at the Indiana Wesleyan 26. Indiana Wesleyan was then called for a personal foul, which put the ball at the Wildcat 13. After a holding penalty on the first play of the drive, Rice found Sherrard for a 23-yard touchdown to make it 36-24.
The Wildcats put an end to the Lindsey Wilson scoring run with an eight-play, 79-yard touchdown drive to cut the Blue Raiders' lead to 36-31 with 1:27 left in the quarter. Lindsey Wilson answered with a touchdown of its own. Rice found Reed for six yards, increasing the Blue Raider lead to 43-31 with 12:30 remaining.
On the first play of the next Indiana Wesleyan drive, Bridges recorded his third interception at the Lindsey Wilson 49. The Blue Raiders capitalized off the turnover with a three-yard touchdown run from Saunders, making it 50-31. Lindsey Wilson forced another turnover on the next Wildcats' drive. Frank picked off the pass, returning it 14 yards to the Lindsey Wilson 38.
Stevin Mack scored the final touchdown of the day with an eight-yard run. Bridges put the finishing touches on the victory with his program-record fourth interception on the next drive, giving the Blue Raiders the 57-31 win.
Lindsey Wilson will find out its NAIA FCS Quarterfinal opponent later on Saturday night, following the conclusion of the Second Round games.
Stay tuned to lindseyathletics.com for updates regarding the NAIA FCS.
