The Lakeland University football team will play for the first time in its refurbished Taylor Memorial Field and will do so under the lights when it welcomes Carroll University for a 6 p.m. kickoff Saturday night.
The Muskies will play the first-ever night home game on campus in school history. They'll do so in a completely newly built stadium that features an artificial surface, new grandstand and new press box, and in honor of the occasion admission will be free for all in attendance.
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Lakeland is coming off another successful season that included a 7-4 overall record and a second straight trip to the NCAA Division III Playoffs. The Muskies made consecutive playoff trips for the first time in school history, and were plenty competitive in their game against top-ranked Wisconsin-Whitewater, giving the Warhawks a battle before falling 45-27.
Senior quarterback
Michael Whitley is back for one more year and with another big year can firmly establish himself among the most prolific Muskie quarterbacks of all-time. The two-time NACC Offensive Player of the Year and three-time NACC Scholar-Athlete is already among the school's top five in passing completions, attempts, yards and touchdowns, and he has a chance to break the school mark for total offense. He's one of 13 seniors on this year's team, which again features a deep receiving corps including fellow seniors
Dezmen Morse,
Jody Harrison and
Peyton Petersen, plus a defense led by first team all-NACC cornerback
Dajuan Darling.
Carroll posted a tough 1-9 season a year ago that was marked by tough sledding in its first year back in the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin. The Pioneers' losing record marked the end of a six-year streak of winning seasons, all under current head coach Mark Krzykowski.
Lakeland and Carroll are kicking off their respective seasons against each other for the eighth consecutive year. This is also the eighth meeting ever between the schools. The Pioneers hold a 5-2 lead all-time in the series, but the Muskies have won each of the last two meetings. Lakeland pulled out a 27-24 win on the road last year on Sept. 3, recovering a Carroll fumble late and then going 87 yards in seven plays with
Dezmon Eddie scoring the go-ahead touchdown with 1:04 left in the game. The Muskies then survived as the Pioneers missed a 42-yard field goal in the final seconds.
Live video and live statistics will be available from Lakeland atÂ
http://portal.stretchinternet.com/lakeland/.
For the rest of this week's game notes please click
here.
