WHEATON, Ill. – An outstanding season for the Lakeland College football team ended on a sour note with a 55-6 loss to Wheaton (Ill.) College Saturday afternoon in the first round of the NCAA Division III playoffs.
Lakeland's season ended with an 8-3 record, while Wheaton moved to a second round matchup and will host UW-Whitewater next weekend.
The Muskies had little success getting their passing game going on a snow-covered and slippery field after six inches of snow south of the Chicago area. That task was even tougher against the No. 4-ranked Thunder, who possessed one of the top defenses in Division III all season.
The game was an uphill battle from the start, as the host Thunder scored two touchdowns in the first minute. Wheaton scored on its second offensive play, as Sola Olateju ran it in from 18 yards out for a score after Noah Roberts returned the game's opening kickoff 55 yards deep into Lakeland territory.
The news got no better on the Muskies' first offensive series, as
Michael Whitley (
So.-Vidalia, La.) was intercepted by Adam Dansdill on the team's second offensive play and the linebacker returned it 35 yards for a touchdown, putting Lakeland behind 14-0 just 48 seconds into the game.
Wheaton then took complete control in the second quarter, including a pair of touchdowns in the final 3:53 before halftime. Olateju scored from 11 yards out to make it 21-0 with 9:09 left in the half, and the Thunder scored two more rushing touchdowns late for a 35-0 halftime lead.
The Muskies got on the board in the third quarter thanks to a turnover.
Fred Fielding (
Sr.-Black Creek, Wis.) made a diving interception of a batted pass, and Lakeland pushed across a score when Whitley hit
Kezlow Smith (
Jr.-Pontiac, Mich.) for a 2-yard touchdown pass on 4th-and-goal to make it 41-6.
The Muskies were held to nine first downs and 69 yards of total offense. Whitley completed 7 of 25 passes for 38 yards and three interceptions and also was sacked seven times. He added 33 yards rushing, while Smith also rushed for 32 yards and added three catches for 15 yards.
The Lakeland defense did a respectable job in the conditions, holding Wheaton to 362 yards of total offense and just 3 of 13 conversions on third downs.
Landon Derginer (
Sr.-Marinette, Wis.) tied a career high with 17 tackles while
Ronnie Biggs (
So.-Detroit, Mich.) added a career-best eight tackles including a sack. Fielding also posted eight tackles plus a fumble recovery in addition to his interception.
The Muskies are now 0-3 all-time in Division III playoff games. Lakeland's eight wins are still tied with the 2003 and 2005 teams for the most wins since the 1997 team went 10-0 overall.
Notes: Whitley finished the season with the second-most passing yards (3,257) and passing touchdowns (34) in a season in school history, behind marks set in 1996 by Mark Novara... His 3,897 yards of total offense are a new school record, his 260 completions are second in school history to Kevin Fix's total in 1999, and his 15 rushing touchdowns are also the fifth-most TDs in a season in school history...Smith's 73 receptions are the second-most in a season in school history, his 18 touchdowns scored are the third-most and his 939 receiving yards are fifth for a season.
