Lakeland and Rockford meet for the 13th straight season in a series that has mostly been dominated by the Muskies save for one recent matchup. Lakeland did win the most recent meeting, drilling the Regents 76-21 on Oct. 19, 2019. The Muskies piled up 715 yards of offense and set a school record for points in a game with 28 points in the second quarter and 32 in the third on the way to building a 69-0 lead. The win avenged the result the season prior when Rockford broke through for its first win ever over Lakeland, a 37-20 victory on the road at Taylor Field on Oct. 13, 2018. Lakeland is 6-1 at home and 5-0 on the road in a series that started in 2008, the first season of football in the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference.

Lakeland last time out: Defeated Concordia Wisconsin 19-10

The Muskies opened their belated and abbreviated 2020-21 season with a dominant defensive effort in the second half and tough running by Charl'Tez Nunnery and Larry Rivers to keep the Cheese Bowl trophy for the second straight year. The Lakeland defense held the Falcons to zero points and 47 yards total in the second half, when McNemon Vincent also sacked CUW quarterback James Linn four times. The D also limited Concordia to minus-8 yards rushing for the game and the Falcons converted just 1 of 14 third downs. Nunnery also rushed for 132 yards and three touchdowns and Rivers added 116 yards rushing. Brice Kensey also caught 11 passes from Nunnery for 120 yards.

Rockford last time out: Lost at Wisconsin Lutheran 28-14

The Regents fell behind 21-0 in the third quarter before a fourth-period rally came up short in their season opener. Rockford displayed a balanced attack with 210 passing yards and 199 yards on the ground while holding possession for more than 36 minutes, but WLC quarterback Nick Yockey threw for 390 yards and three touchdowns and also rushed for a score to win the coaching debut for former Muskies assistant Eric Treske. LaVar Johnson Jr. rushed for 113 yards and a touchdown for Rockford and Jaelen Ray completed 22 of 37 passes for 210 yards.

About Rockford: The Regents are led by second-year head coach J.T. Zimmerman and finished 1-9 overall in his first year in 2019, including 0-7 in the NACC. LaVar Johnson was an honorable mention all-NACC selection after rushing for 725 yards, while linebacker Jallen Bashford was a second team all-conference pick in 2019 after posting 149 tackles.

Rivers record watch: Lakeland running back Larry Rivers has a chance to become the school's all-time rushing leader in the game against Rockford. He enters the game with 2,872 career yards, needing 43 yards to tie former teammate Dez Eddie for the Muskies' all-time mark of 2,915 yards. Rivers had his 13th career 100-yard rushing game for Lakeland last weekend, and if he surpasses Eddie he will hold the Muskies' all-time marks for rushing yards in a season and career.

More honors for McNemon: McNemon Vincent was named the NACC Defensive Player of the Week after his four-sack performance against Concordia Wisconsin, and that wasn't his only honor. The senior defensive end also was named to the D3football.com Team of the Week, an all-star team honoring the best players of the weekend at each position. It is the first time in his career that Vincent has received the award, and he's the first Lakeland player to receive the honor since Dez Eddie in 2017.

Two-sport athletes-right now: The postponement of the NACC's fall sports seasons to the spring has brought busy schedules for many Muskies, including a pair of members of the football team. Lane Sobieski and Peyton Domangue both are members of the Lakeland football and baseball teams, and both are alternating time between the two sports this spring. Sobieski is the Muskies' backup quarterback and Domangue is a kicker, and both played last Saturday, with Sobieski throwing one pass and Domangue kicking an extra point. The next day, Sobieski served as the designated hitter in both ends of a baseball doubleheader, while Domangue pitched two-thirds of an inning in relief in the second game, allowing three hits and one earned run.