ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - The Lindenwood Lions are set to return to the football gridiron this week.
The Lions are set to compete in their third season the Ohio Valley Conference in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) where they will clearly look to improve from a 3-7 record, going 1-4 in conference play.
The Lions will start the season on the road, traveling to Children's Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kansas, to take on the top college football teams in the country in the Kansas Jayhawks, who begin the season ranked 22 in the AP Preseason Top 25 poll.
Lindenwood Head Coach Jed Stugert, who is in his eighth year coaching the Lions, say the challenge to take on the Jayhawks is a great opportunity for the program.
"It an opportunity for our guys to go and play a really good football team," said Stugert on Sports on A Sunday Morning. "We're that underdog story and everybody knows that, but just the enthutiasm and the excitement of playing a game like that against a really good opponent should be a fun opportunity."
"I've gotten to know Leipold for a lot of years and we used to coach against each other when he was at Omaha-Nebraska and I was at Northern Colorado, we've known each other for a long time. He's a really really good football coach doing a great job there."
Stugert also discussed how the transition to Division I is going for the Lions and felt things are going as planned.
"When we took on this endeavor, you got to lay out a plan, lay out a direction," said Stugert. "I feel like we know when we started this, there was going to be some growing pains into that."
"The best thing you could do is try to put out a plan to do that through recruiting. You know you got to flip your whole team in a matter of a couple years. We been doing that as you kind of graduate out some Division II guys and have been starting to add up some young Division I and transfer guys so we feel we're on track."
Stugart says he definitely does feels the Lions are a better football team this year, but understand they do play a much tougher schedule.
"We got to keep grinding and keep getting people to buy into your message and direction and we're going to get there," said Stugart.
Lindenwood and Kansas will kick off on Thursday, Aug. 29 at 7 p.m. with the game set to be broadcasted on ESPN+.