The Lakeland University football team managed wet and muddy conditions to near perfection and kept the Cheese Bowl trophy for the third straight year with a 16-7 win over Concordia University Wisconsin in a Homecoming quagmire at Taylor Memorial Field.

The Muskies accomplished what they needed to on offense and left it to the defense the rest of the way, and the result was a victory that wasn't always pretty but was plenty satisfying. Lakeland improved to 3-1 overall, won on Homecoming for the eighth time in nine years and also won the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference opener for both teams.

Rains continuing in the area for another day played a role in Taylor Field quickly turning to mud, making footing treacherous for both teams. As such, passing downfield became nearly impossible, and the game became a battle of which team could impose its will in the trenches.

The Muskies defense stoned Concordia (2-2 overall, 0-1 NACC) all day, limiting the Falcons to 115 yards of total offense. Exactly 114 of those yards came through the air, as CUW gained a net of just one yard on 22 rushing attempts.

Lakeland also kept consistent pressure on Concordia quarterback Aaron Nixon, sacking him four times and hurrying him on a number of other occasions. In all, a full two-thirds of Concordia's 54 offensive plays went for two yards or less.

On the other side of the ball, the Muskies offense put up what would not always be seen as prolific numbers, but on this day they were more than enough. Lakeland gained 280 yards of offense but moved the chains with 22 first downs to just seven for the Falcons, held the ball for 35:45 of the game, and also had success on the ground, running for 135 yards.

Dezmon Eddie (Fr.-Alexandria, La.) keyed the running game, carrying 20 times for a season-best 80 yards. Most importantly, the Muskies only committed one turnover in the slop, and they responded to an early Concordia score by heating up at the end of the second quarter and in the third.

Lakeland trailed 7-0 late in the second quarter before embarking on an 11-play, 66-yard drive. Michael Whitley (Jr.-Vidalia, La.) finished it with a two-yard run, and he then completed a two-point conversion pass to Kezlow Smith (Sr.-Pontiac, Mich.) for an 8-7 lead.

The Muskies extended their lead in the third quarter with Whitley running it in again, receiving terrific blocking on the left side to allow him to sweep around end for his second score. The quarterback also ran it in again for a two-point conversion to ensure Concordia would need to score twice to go ahead.

The Falcons were unable to seriously threaten the rest of the way. After its touchdown on a 16-yard pass by Nixon to Isaiah Tennette early in the second quarter, CUW ran only two plays in Lakeland territory the rest of the game, those coming early in the fourth quarter and both resulting in yardage that stalled a drive at midfield.

Whitley finished completing 12 of 26 passes for 145 yards and also rushed for 22 yards and the two scores. Smith was on the other end for much of his passing yardage with four catches for 89 yards, and the senior wideout also rushed four times for 19 yards. Eldrada Meeks (So.-Southfield, Mich.) also rushed for 29 yards.

Airiss Hargrow (Sr.-Flint, Mich.) and Kevyn Lewis (Sr.-Inkster, Mich.) led the defense with seven tackles each, and Hargrow added 1.5 tackles for loss, including a sack. Diante Moses (So.-Houston, Texas) added six tackles and two pass breakups, Chris Dickson (Sr.-Griffin, Ga.) intercepted a pass in the first quarter, Mario Rafe (So.-Bourbonnais, Ill.) notched a sack and two quarterback hurries, and a total of 11 Lakeland players accounted for at least one-half tackle for loss.

Lakeland is on the road next week and steps out of conference play one more time when it faces Adrian (Mich.) College at noon Central time in Adrian, Mich.

Muskies by the numbers:
1 - Rushing yard by Concordia on the day in 22 rush attempts
3 - Number of years in a row Lakeland has won the Cheese Bowl trophy
7 - Number of first downs by Concordia surrendered by the Muskies defense
16 - Number of Lakeland points Michael Whitley had a direct hand in on Saturday
35:45 - Time Lakeland offense held the ball for Saturday
36 - Number of Concordia offensive plays that went for two yards or less
53 - Rushing attempts for Lakeland out of 79 offensive plays
56 - Homecoming wins all-time for Lakeland, which has a sparkling 56-21-3 record all-time on Homecoming
115 - Total offensive yards for Concordia
2,929 - Career receiving yards for Kezlow Smith, a Lakeland all-time record he continues to build on