App State football welcomed Lindenwood to Boone for the first home game of the 2025 season Saturday and withstood a late rally by the Lions to win, 20-13. Despite scoring 14 points in the first quarter, 4 turnovers allowed Lindenwood to stay within striking distance, until an interception by redshirt junior defensive back Elijah Mc-Cantos late in the game secured the victory and App State’s first 2-0 start since 2019.

Following the opening kickoff which was returned to the 28-yard line, redshirt junior quarterback AJ Swann launched a deep ball to redshirt senior wide receiver Dalton Stroman down the right sideline for a 72-yard touchdown on the first play from scrimmage, bringing a packed Kidd Brewer Stadium to its feet.

Lindenwood was unable to answer on their first drive, as the Lions quarterback overthrew his receiver, and redshirt junior defensive back DJ Burks snagged the interception for App State.

Swann connected with Stroman again on a 4th down pass, but the ball was knocked loose by Lindenwood defensive back Jayden Patrick before Stroman could get into the endzone and rolled out of bounds, resulting in a turnover.

Following a Lions punt, Swann found junior wide receiver Jaden Barnes for a 13-yard touchdown to cap a 6 play, 75-yard drive and put the Mountaineers up 14 at the end of the first quarter.

Lindenwood got their first points on a 1-yard touchdown run from Lions quarterback Nate Glantz midway through the second quarter. The point-after-touchdown kick was blocked by redshirt senior defensive lineman Kevin Abrams-Verwayne, keeping the score 14-6.

The Mountaineers offense struggled in the second quarter, as they collected only 48 total yards and no points in the frame. Swann threw his first interception of the season late in the half, but the defense held the Lions at bay to preserve the 8-point lead at the end of the half.

Lindenwood received the ball out of halftime, and their first drive of the second half went backwards. Redshirt sophomore linebacker Brayshawn Littlejohn sacked the Lions quarterback for a 12-yard loss, forcing a punt. The Mountaineers defense was stout throughout the game but stepped up big time, recording 3 sacks in the third quarter.

Senior running back Rashod Dubinion racked up 194 rushing yards on the day but had issues with ball control in the second half. Dubinion fumbled in Lions territory four minutes into the third quarter and Lindenwood quickly pounced on it for the turnover. Once again, the defense answered the call and maintained the lead.

The Mountaineers marched into the red zone on their next possession, but ultimately had to settle for a 29-yard field goal by freshman kicker Dominic De Freitas, which made it a two-score game again. The field goal was the only points for either team in the third quarter.

App State drove down the field to begin the 4th quarter. However, an illegal formation penalty, followed by an incomplete pass, forced the Mountaineers to kick another short field goal, extending the lead to 20-6.

Dubinion fumbled again with nine minutes left in the game, and Lindenwood capitalized on the turnover. The Lions quarterback scrambled on 4th down from the 24-yard line all the way back near midfield before launching it to the endzone, where it was caught for the score with under four minutes left. The Lions then recovered an onside kick after the touchdown when the ball ricocheted off an App State player, allowing the Lions a chance to tie the game.

With pressure mounting and the Lions trailing by 7 with the ball, App State’s defense stepped up one final time. Mc-Cantos intercepted the Lindenwood quarterback on a desperate 4th down throw, and the offense ran out the clock to survive the upset bid.

App State dominated the stats sheet, racking up over 500 yards of total offense to Lindenwood’s 216, collecting an FBS-era program record 8 sacks and holding the Lions to a negative rushing yard, but costly turnovers were the reason the game was close. The Mountaineers had 3 fumbles, an interception and a turnover on downs via an incomplete 4th down pass in the second quarter.

“Our fans deserve better than what they saw tonight,” head coach Dowell Loggains said postgame. “We’re 2-0 for the first time since 2019, which is really, really important. You’ve got to win as you build, but not the way that we wanted to win, and expectations are a lot higher.”

App State will hit the road for their first conference game of the season Saturday, facing off against the Southern Miss Golden Eagles in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. EST and the game will be streamed live on ESPN+.