The Lakeland University football team begins its drive for a fourth straight Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference title and a fourth straight year of holding the Cheese Bowl trophy when it travels to face rival Concordia University Wisconsin Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m.
The Muskies play their NACC opener and will look to continue success that has included three straight conference regular season championships, including a title shared with Aurora University last year. Lakeland and Concordia also play for the Cheese Bowl for the 26th time, and the Muskies have won the last three matchups, including a 16-7 Homecoming win a year ago in what was also both teams' conference opener.
Lakeland (1-2 overall) faced a tall task last week and was defeated by UW-Platteville 56-22 on the road, falling to the 10th-ranked team in NCAA Division III.
Michael Whitley again excelled with 305 yards passing and three touchdowns, throwing for at least 300 yards for the seventh straight game dating back to last year. Lakeland fell into a 28-0 hole in the second quarter, though, and the Pioneers were excellent on both third down (8 of 14) and fourth down (5 of 5) in hogging the ball for nearly 35 minutes.
Concordia (1-2 overall) was idle last week, but two weeks ago was defeated by Albion (Mich.) 79-7 on the road in a non-conference game. The Britons dominated from start to finish, leading 45-0 at halftime and 66-0 in the fourth quarter before the Falcons got on the board. Freshman quarterback Dalton Poole made his first collegiate star for CUW, and he rushed for a 1-yard touchdown for the Falcons' lone points.
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This is the 38th meeting all-time between Lakeland and Concordia. The Falcons hold a 21-16 lead in a series that began in 1980 and has been played every year since. Before the Muskies' current streak, the Falcons had won three straight against Lakeland, including most recently a 45-28Â victory in 2013 in Mequon.
