COLUMBIA, Ky. – The 2025 NAIA Football Championship Series continues this weekend as No. 11-seed Indiana Wesleyan travels to face No. 7-seed Lindsey Wilson in the 2025 NAIA FCS Second Round. Both the Wildcats and the Blue Raiders received a bye through the first round of the postseason this past weekend. With a berth in the Quarterfinals at stake, both programs enter Saturday's matchup with championship aspirations and high-powered offenses capable of controlling the momentum.


THE ESSENTIALS

• #11 Indiana Wesleyan University vs. #7 Lindsey Wilson University
• Location: Columbia, Ky. | Parnell Family Stadium
• Kickoff: 12:00PM CT | 1:00PM ET
• Records: IWU: 9-2 | LWU: 9-1

HOW TO FOLLOW

• Live Video: https://lindseyathletics.com/watch/?Live=79&type=Live  
• Live Stats: https://naiastats.prestosports.com/sports/fball/2025-26/boxscores/20251129_ha7d.xml

 
THE SERIES

• Saturday's game will be the first meeting between these two programs.

IWU TEAM STATS

• The Wildcats enter the 2025 NAIA FCS Second Round rested and prepared following their first-round bye.
• Indiana Wesleyan continues to rank among the nation's most productive passing offenses, averaging over 350 passing yards per game (2nd in NAIA) behind the MSFA Mideast Most Valuable Player, Arjun Lothe.
• Defensively, IWU has excelled at generating pressure and takeaways throughout the season, creating opportunities for its offense to operate with short fields and explosive tempo.

WILDCAT LEADERS | 2025 SEASON STATS

• MSFA Mideast MVP Arjun Lothe has completed 220 of 363 passes (60.6%) for 3,704 yards (1^st in NAIA), 38 touchdowns (3^rd in NAIA), and 7 interceptions, averaging 336.7 yards per game (2^nd in NAIA).
• Moses Fullingham leads the ground attack after rushing for over 100 yards and 5 touchdowns in the last two games. Brock Short has also contributed 334 rushing yards and 4 touchdowns this season, while Ayden Ewing adds 322 yards and 7 scores.
• Isaac Smith anchors the receiving unit with 83 receptions (2^nd in NAIA) for 1,196 yards (4^th in NAIA) and 14 touchdowns (4^th in NAIA). Simon Vinson has tallied 38 receptions for 616 yards and 7 touchdowns, and Braxton Myers adds 24 catches for 490 yards and 4 touchdowns.
• Brock Thomason leads the defense with 86 tackles and 8 TFL, while Vincie Solano has totaled 67 tackles, 6 interceptions (4^th in NAIA), and 2 pass breakups. Deven Arevalo adds 54 tackles and 4 interceptions. Up front, Anthony Cheesebourough has recorded 12 TFL and 7 sacks, and Da'Veon Turner leads the secondary with 6 pass breakups.
• Josh Clifton has converted 6 field goals and 68 PATs for 86 points (7^th in NAIA), while Jack Doty averages 37.6 yards per punt.
• Drew Dutton remains one of the NAIA's most dangerous returners with 14 returns for 543 yards, while tying an NAIA single-season record with 4 kickoff returns for touchdowns.

 
LWU TEAM STATS

• The Blue Raiders enter the 2025 NAIA FCS Second Round after earning a first round bye as well. They are riding a three-game winning streak and boasting one of the elite running backs in the NAIA with MSC Co-Offensive Player of the Year, Davontaye Saunders.
• Lindsey Wilson has averaged 223 rushing yards per game (7^th in NAIA) as well as 6.7 yards per rush (2^nd in NAIA).
• Saturday's matchup marks the program's first postseason appearance since 2022 with eyes on a deep run.

 
BLUE RAIDER LEADERS | 2025 SEASON STATS

• Co-Offensive Freshman of the Year Tate Rice has completed 141 of 215 passes (65.6%) for 1,959 yards, 24 touchdowns, and 4 interceptions.
• MSC Co-Offensive Player of the Year Davontaye Saunders leads the ground game with 1,464 rushing yards (2^nd in NAIA) and 17 touchdowns (5^th in NAIA), averaging 146.4 yards per game (2^nd in NAIA). Stevin Mack adds 542 yards at 6.8 yards per carry (12^th in NAIA) and 6 touchdowns.
• Khia Sherrard has recorded 40 receptions for 756 yards and 11 touchdowns (9^th in NAIA), while Max Gainey adds 46 catches for 692 yards.
• Cameron Rankins leads the defense with 73 tackles and 5.5 TFL, while Troy Churchill adds 6.0 TFL and 4.5 sacks. Caleb Bridges leads the secondary with 12 pass breakups, and Lee Livingston has collected a team-high 3 interceptions.
• Jadan Burns has hit 7-of-8 field goals and 49 PAT's, and Tucker Swindler averages 38.0 yards per punt.

UP NEXT

• With a win on Saturday, the Wildcats will advance to the quarterfinal round for the fourth-straight season.
• Their opponent will be announced by the NAIA on Saturday evening after the conclusion of all the second round games.

FOLLOW THE WILDCATS

• Follow Athletics (@IWUWildcats): Instagram | X |Facebook
• Follow Football (@IndWesleyan_FB): Instagram | X | Facebook

 

 
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