The Lion defense limited the Indians (0-2) to 20 yards in the second half and 114 for the game. The Lions logged three quarterback sacks and nine tackles for loss, including two apiece by backup nose tackle Clarence Leverette and backup linebacker Josh Woodard and 1.5 by backup end Cruz Johnson.

“We really wanted the shutout,” strong safety Skyler Vandiver said. “Giving up that one touchdown, we were all pretty upset about that, but you just have to overcome that and come out and play. We ran to the ball real well. It was nice to get people who don’t get playing time sometimes out there.”

Haskell middle linebacker Greg Nilges, 5-foot-10, 175-pound freshman, made 21 tackles, including 13 solo stops.

The Lions scored on their first six possessions while building a 38-7 halftime cushion. The Lions outgained the Indians 260-94 in the first two quarters, and 56 of Haskell’s yards came on Quentin Haynes’ touchdown sprint around left end with 5:50 left in the half.

Defense ignited the Lions’ quick start as cornerback Jordan Patton intercepted Tyler Sessions’ pass on the game’s first play and returned it 29 yards to the 1.

Quarterback Adam Hinspeter scored on the Lions’ first play, and on his final play of the game, he hit Isaac Norman down the middle with a 67-yard scoring strike on the first play of the second quarter.

In between, fullback Elreo Smith scored from the 2 for his first MSSU touchdown, and Brian Malette kicked a 29-yard field goal.

“It worked out perfectly,” Tatum said. “I was proud of our guys coming out ready to go and getting some numbers up on the board so we could start rolling people in the game.”