Michael Moreau (Sr.-Crown Point, Ind.) dashed in from 21 yards out with 56 seconds left to give Lakeland University its first lead of the game and the defense came up with a big stand in the final seconds to give the Muskies a wild 56-55 win over Eureka College Saturday afternoon at Taylor Field.

Lakeland stopped Red Devils star running back Le'Anthony Reasnover on a two-point conversion attempt with 18 seconds left in the game and then recovered a final onside kick for a victorious Senior Day for 12 seniors. The highest scoring game in Muskies football history saw Lakeland end Eureka's 16-game regular season winning streak and stay alive for a share of a fifth consecutive Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference title, and possibly even more.

Lakeland (4-5 overall, 4-2 NACC) now joins two other teams in trailing Eureka (8-1 overall, 5-1 NACC) by one game in the conference heading into the final weekend of regular season play next Saturday. The Muskies could tie the Red Devils for the title if they defeat Aurora University and Eureka would lose to Rockford University next week, and if tiebreakers go the right way Lakeland would even have a shot at its fourth consecutive trip to the NCAA Division III playoffs.

The Muskies passed a mighty test and showed resiliency over and over on Saturday, coming back from a 21-0 deficit just 3:44 into the game and rallying despite another monster day by Reasnover.

The leading rusher in Division III and the leader in touchdowns across all NCAA divisions rushed 49 times for 316 yards and five scores. Mixing big runs with a ball-control offense that hogged possession for nearly 41 minutes and converted 12 of 18 third down attempts, Eureka kept Lakeland in catchup mode for virtually the entire game.

The Muskies answered the Red Devils' thunder with lightning-quick strikes, with every one of their touchdown drives lasting 2:46 or less. Four scoring drives went 1:34 or less, including Lakeland's final one to at last take the lead.

It was starting to look like the Muskies might never get a last chance to go ahead as Eureka went on an 18-play, 70-yard journey that started with 12:07 left in the fourth quarter and ate up 9:37 off the clock. The Red Devils converted on four straight third downs, but Lakeland finally got a stop when Ezekiel Combs (So.-East Point, Ga.) knocked away a pass in the end zone on fourth down to give the Muskies the ball on their own 11 with 2:30 left.

The Muskies started with a pair of runs by workhorse Larry Rivers (So.-Dearborn Heights, Mich.) for a first down, then Charl'Tez Nunnery (So.-Liberty, Miss.) hit Dezmon Eddie (Jr.-Alexandria, La.) for 32 yards to the Eureka 45. Rivers then gained 24 yards over three straight runs to the Eureka 21, and after a Red Devils timeout Moreau burst up the middle 21 yards for the score. Nunnery then ran in the all-important two-point conversion to put Lakeland up by seven points.

Eureka still had 56 seconds left, and started a final drive with great field position with a long kickoff return by James Douglas III down to the Muskies 44. Three straight plays gained just five yards, but on fourth down quarterback Drew Barth threw deep to the end zone to an open Caleb Fauver for a 39-yard score with 18 seconds left.

Red Devils kicker Tanner Kuhne was a perfect 7-for-7 on extra points in the game, but Eureka passed on the tying single to go for the win. Reasnover ran right up the middle from a tight power formation but the Muskies defense got penetration and stopped him short, causing a fumble that Barth also tried to run in but was stopped at the three-yard line.

Eureka still had an onside kick attempt to follow, but Kuhne's kick did not go 10 yards and Eddie pounced on it for good measure, allowing Lakeland to run out the final seconds.

The day could not have started much worse for the hosts, who were down three touchdowns less than four minutes into the game. Reasnover ran 51 yards for a score on the game's first play from scrimmage, a botched handoff attempt was recovered by Eureka's Jon Jackson and returned 33 yards for a score, and after a Muskies punt Reasnover needed just four carries to take the Red Devils 66 yards and make it 21-0 in a flash.

The game started to turn for Lakeland on Eureka's next drive, after a fortuitous penalty followed by one of what would be several huge defensive plays in the game.

The Red Devils appeared to have gone ahead 27-0 after Barth found Josh Kuse for a 15-yard touchdown, but an illegal chop block nullified the score. On the next play, Barth went to the end zone again, but Paul Saucedo (Fr.-Georgetown, Texas) intercepted the pass for his fourth pick of the season.

The Muskies then drove 80 yards for their first score, with Nunnery's seven-yard run making it 21-6. Lakeland then got the ball back again on a turnover with Combs forcing a fumble that was recovered by Rayshion Brumfield (Fr.-Ponchatoula, La.) at the Muskies 27, and five plays later Nunnery went deep to Brice Kensey (So.-New Orleans, La.) 57 yards for a touchdown, with Moreau's two-point conversion run making it 21-14.

From then on, both teams answered the others' scores time and again. Eureka went back up again at 35-20 with just 31 seconds left in the second quarter, but the Muskies still had enough time to score again as Nunnery found Mason Prunick (So.-Sheboygan, Wis.) all alone behind the defense for a 40-yard touchdown with just eight seconds left in the half.

Nunnery and Prunick connected again over the top for a 31-yard score to start the second half, making it 35-32. After a Reasnover touchdown and a Muskies punt, defensive end Washington Vivanco (Jr.-Houston, Texas) then came up with a huge play, first getting pressure into the backfield and then swallowing up a swing pass by Barth and taking it 13 yards for a touchdown. Reasnover and Rivers then traded touchdowns with Rivers also twice running in two-point conversions, making it 49-48 and setting the stage for the dramatic final quarter.

The two teams combined for 1,051 yards of offense, including 557 by Eureka and 494 by Lakeland. Eureka also held the ball for 40:56, including 21:46 in the second half, but the Muskies won the turnover battle 3-1 and scored 22 points off Red Devils turnovers.

Rivers topped 100 yards for the third straight game and finished rushing 27 times for a career-high 175 yards and a score, while Moreau and Eldrada Meeks (Sr.-Southfield, Mich.) both added 30 yards each. Nunnery attacked the Red Devils secondary deep regularly and completed 9 of 21 passes for 243 yards and three touchdowns, with Prunick catching three passes for 94 yards.

Diante Moses (Sr.-Houston, Texas) led the Lakeland defense with 13 tackles (11 solo), while Johnathan Hagerty (So.-Brookville, Ind.) also added a career-high 11 tackles. Combs also finished with eight stops (six solo), including two tackles for loss plus two pass breakups.

The game was the final at home for 12 Lakeland seniors, including Meeks, Moreau, Moses, T.J. Corona (Green Bay, Wis.), Ryan Frahm (Rhinelander, Wis.), Jamal Hawkins-Sconiers (St. James, Mo.), Michael Hilliard (Detroit, Mich.), Cristopher Jackson (Chicago, Ill.), Cedric Logan (Highland Park, Ill.), Ivan Martinez (Custer Park, Ill.), Chandler Watson (Gurnee, Ill.) and Marcus Williams (Houston, Texas).

Lakeland wraps up the regular season next week when it travels to face Aurora at noon in Aurora, Ill.

Muskies by the numbers:
3 - Turnovers forced by the Lakeland defense, which the Muskies turned into 22 points
16 - Touchdowns scored between the two teams Saturday
19:04 - Amount of time of possession it took for the Muskies to score 56 points
27 - Average yards gained on Lakeland's nine pass completions
56 - Total seconds Lakeland led in the game
58 minutes, 46 seconds - Total time Lakeland trailed in the game
94 & 95 - Career high receiving yardage totals for receivers Mason Prunick and Brice Kensey, respectively
111 - Points scored between the two teams, making for the highest-scoring game in Muskies football history
316 - Yards rushing for Eureka star Le'Anthony Reasnover, his second straight 300-yard game
849 - Rushing yards this season for Larry Rivers after his fourth 100-yard rushing game this year
1,051 - Combined yards of total offense between the two teams