Lakeland University brings the top-ranked offense in NCAA Division III in front of the home fans Saturday with the chance to secure a third straight trip to the Division III Playoffs when it welcomes Concordia University Chicago for a noon kickoff at Taylor Field.
The Muskies return home after two big Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference wins on the road the last two weeks, and they need just one win over their final two games to clinch their fourth straight NACC title and a third consecutive trip to the playoffs. Lakeland also returns home with an offense averaging 577 yards per game, a number that ranks best of all Division III schools and second among all 663 NCAA football programs across divisions I, II and III, behind only the NCAA Division I-A (Football Bowl Subdivision level) Oklahoma Sooners.
The Muskies (6-2 overall, 4-0 NACC) prevailed over Aurora 47-38 in a thriller last week to take sole possession of first place in the NACC. Michael Whitley (
Sr.-Vidalia, La.)Â hit Dezmon Eddie (
So.-Alexandria, La.) for a 5-yard touchdown pass with two seconds left, capping a 75-yard drive in just 52 seconds after the Spartans had taken the lead, and the Muskies also added a touchdown on the last play of the game when Aurora attempted a number of laterals and Dionte Moses (
Jr.-Houston, Texas) fell on a loose ball in the end zone.
Concordia (3-4 overall, 1-3 NACC) was defeated by Benedictine 61-32 at home last week. The Cougars overcame an early 13-point deficit to take the lead late in the second quarter and still trailed just 28-23 at halftime, but the Eagles exploded for 33 points in the third quarter to pull away. Shane Virnala passed for 385 yards for CUC, which finished with a 31-25 advantage in first downs and nearly matched Benedictine in total offense (544 to 517).
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Concordia is one of Lakeland's most frequent and longest-running opponents, as Saturday marks the two schools' 49th meeting. The Muskies hold a 34-14 lead in the all-time series and have won four straight over the Cougars. Lakeland rolled to a 42-14 win last year in River Forest, Ill., roaring out to a 35-0 lead early in the second quarter and cruising the rest of the way.
Live video and live statistics from the game will be available atÂ
https://portal.stretchinternet.com/lakeland/. Lakeland students Nathan Golownia and Austin Hansen will call all the action.
For the rest of this week's game notes please click
here.
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