Lindenwood University head football coach Patrick Ross said in a media conference call Monday that the points the University of Sioux Falls Cougars have scored per game this season are “pretty incredible.”

“Isn’t it funny?” Sioux Falls head coach Kalen DeBoer responded. “He’s talking about how many points we’re putting up but he’s putting up more.”

Yes, this Saturday’s NAIA National Football Championship game at Barron Stadium will involve the two highest-scoring offenses in the nation in a “Battle Between the Rivers.”

No. 1 Sioux Falls (S.D.) will be defending its title against No. 3 Lindenwood (Mo.) with each team boasting an undefeated record prior to the noon kickoff.

Both teams average over 50 points a game with Lindenwood leading the way with 55.5 points per game and Sioux Falls averaging 53.6.

“Thank goodness we have two weeks to prepare for Lindenwood,” DeBoer said. “Certainly we’ve been beyond impressed with who they are as a football team and coach Ross has a lot talent playing for the Lions but it goes beyond that. You can tell that they’re well coached and we’re looking forward to a big championship game this Saturday.”

The Cougars (14-0) are in the final game of the season for the fourth year in a row while Lindenwood (13-0) is playing for a national championship for the first time in the program’s history.

“It’s a great honor for our program to be in this position,” Ross said. “It seems like it’s been forever since it’s been anybody but Sioux Falls, Carroll (College) and St. Xavier so we’re happy to be here.”

Sioux Falls defeated Carroll, from Montana, last December in the first championship game hosted at Barron Stadium in conjunction with Rome and Shorter College. Lindenwood upset Carroll, 42-35, on Dec. 5 in the semifinals to end hopes of a second rematch between the Cougars and Saints.

“We’ve been kind of charting Sioux Falls for years knowing that if we wanted to ever compete for a national title we were going to have to go through Carroll College and the University of Sioux Falls,” Ross said.

“They are talented at every spot,” Ross said of the Cougars’ offense. “The receivers do a great job of blocking downfield. The best teams in the country do that. Their receivers create a lot of big plays for the quarterback and the running back.”

Both teams will arrive in Rome Wednesday and dive head first into two days of scheduled events, team meetings and practices before going face-to-face at Barron Stadium on Saturday.