ROCKFORD, Ill. – Lakeland University gashed Rockford University with a barrage of big plays and set a new school single-game scoring record with a 76-21 win Saturday afternoon on the gridiron at Sam Greeley Field.

The Muskies won their second straight Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference game in overwhelming fashion. Lakeland exploded for 28 points in the second quarter and 32 in the third on the way to moving to 3-3 overall and moved to 2-1 in conference play.

The Muskies led 69-0 after three quarters, and a 43-yard interception return for a touchdown by Jayson Wilder (Fr.-Milwaukee, Wis.) and the ensuing extra point by Dualy Schueffner (Fr.-Sheboygan, Wis.) broke Lakeland's previous single-game scoring record set in a 75-7 win over Benedictine University Sept. 25, 2004.

Lakeland piled up 715 yards of total offense, including 556 yards rushing. Many of the yards came in big chunks, including the Muskies breaking off five plays of at least 52 yards, scoring touchdowns on four of them.

In all, the Muskies scored eight touchdowns of at least 22 yards. Lakeland also added a second interception return for a touchdown from one yard out as Sam Bartlett (Sr.-Racine, Wis.) swallowed up a tipped Rockford (1-5 overall, 0-3 NACC) pass just past their own goal line and scored.

Dezmon Eddie (Sr.-Alexandria, La.) rushed for 226 yards and three touchdowns on just nine carries. Eddie took it 52 yards for a touchdown to make the score 30-0 midway through the second quarter, and then added matching 57-yard touchdown runs in the third quarter, the second putting Lakeland ahead 56-0. He also blasted past Kendrick Burks (2011-14) into fourth place on the Muskies' all-time rushing list and now has 2,433 yards in his career.

Larry Rivers (Jr.-Dearborn Heights, Mich.) also carried 24 times for 180 yards and a touchdown. Rivers scored on a 22-yard run in the third quarter and continued to quickly move in on becoming Lakeland's first 1,000-yard rusher since 1995, finishing the game at 906 yards on the season. The junior also moved into sixth on the school's all-time rushing yards list with 2,287 yards, passing both Charley Morrissey (1963-66) and Mark Smith (1986-90).

Charl'Tez Nunnery (Jr.-Liberty, Miss.) also rushed for 55 yards and two touchdowns and Quinton Wilson (Fr.-Detroit, Mich.) came off the bench late and ran six times for 42 yards. Chris Bustamante (Sr.-El Paso, Texas) also carried twice for 36 yards, including a 28-yard score for his first career touchdown.

Nunnery didn't have to pass much, but when he did he completed 8 of 18 passes for 95 yards and a touchdown, hitting Christian Chatman (So.-Detroit, Mich.) on a 27-yard score that put Lakeland ahead 16-0 early in the second quarter. Logan O'Neill (Sr.-Spokane Valley, Wash.) also completed his only pass, for 62 yards and a touchdown to Mason Prunick (Jr.-Sheboygan, Wis.), who led the Muskies with five catches for 86 yards.

The Lakeland defense shut down Rockford until the fourth quarter, including 10 straight drives of three downs or less. The Regents converted just 1 of 14 third downs and 0 of 4 fourth downs, and the defense even got the Muskies on the board first in the opening quarter with a safety after Rockford was penalized for holding in its own end zone.

Shazon Crutcher (Jr.-Lansing, Mich.) finished with nine tackles, including 3.5 tackles for loss. Donovan Parker (Fr.-Milwaukee, Wis.) added six tackles and McNemon Vincent (Jr.-Vernon Hills, Ill.) posted five tackles, a sack, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. Johnathan Hagerty (Jr.-Brookville, Ind.) also added an interception and two more pass breakups.

Lakeland is back home next week when it welcomes Wisconsin Lutheran College for a 1 p.m. kickoff at Taylor Field.

Muskies by the numbers:
1 - Conversion in 18 third- or fourth-down plays for Rockford
9.2 - Average yards per play in 78 offensive snaps for Lakeland
25.1 - Average yards per rush for Dezmon Eddie in his nine carries
40 - Average yards per punt in four kicks for Kyle Ericsson, who had his best day of the season kicking and turning field position when the Muskies offense was stopped
60 - Unanswered points scored by the Muskies in just 30 minutes over the second and third quarters
94 - Yards needed by Larry Rivers to reach 1,000 rushing for this season
715 - Yards of total offense for Lakeland, most since the Fish gained 731 yards against Aurora Nov. 5, 2016
1,461 - Combined yards rushing this season for Rivers and Eddie