The Lakeland University football team begins its 2021 season with a rare Thursday night game and a rare opponent when it faces Illinois College at 6 p.m. at England Stadium in Jacksonville, Ill.
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Series: 2nd meeting, Lakeland leads 1-0
Lakeland and Illinois College have met just one other time, 55 years ago and also on the Blueboys' field in Jacksonville. The Muskies prevailed 26-12 on Sept. 24, 1966, as Tom Riffey threw three touchdown passes and added a touchdown run. Bob Ealing caught two TD passes from Riffey and Lakeland outgained Illinois College 399-148 on the day and built a 20-0 lead in the second quarter. The Muskies also forced five Blueboy turnovers and allowed just 37 yards rushing.
About Lakeland: The Muskies enter a new season already with a 3-0 record in the year 2021, having swept their three Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference games in the shortened 2020-21 season moved to the spring due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Lakeland was one of just two NACC teams to go unbeaten in the spring and outscored its North Division opponents 116-31 over three games, finishing with a 62-14 win over Wisconsin Lutheran on April 3 as
Charl'Tez Nunnery passed for 336 yards and four touchdowns and also rushed for 102 yards and a score.
Lakeland returns the bulk of that team, including seven seniors who elected to use the extra year of eligibility granted to all athletes last year by the NCAA due to the coronavirus pandemic. Nunnery,
Larry Rivers,
Brice Kensey and
Mason Prunick are all fifth-year seniors on the offense, including Rivers as already the Muskies' all-time leading rusher, while
Ezekiel Combs,
Shazon Crutcher and
Trevion Smith all return on the defense for a 'second' senior season.
About Illinois College: The Blueboys played an even more limited spring schedule, facing Midwest Conference rival Lake Forest (Ill.) and falling 21-14 in mid-April. Illinois College built a 14-2 lead in the third quarter but the Foresters rallied on the strength of two touchdowns and three safeties in the game.
In their most recent full season, the Blueboys finished 6-3 in 2019 and 2-2 in the Midwest Conference South Division, outscoring opponents 292-172 on the season but dropping close games in conference to Monmouth (Ill.) and the University of Chicago. Three first team all-Midwest Conference South Division performers return from then including running back Trevor Smalls, tight end Seth Vaughn and defensive end Jaylin Swan. Illinois College frequently has been a contender in the Midwest Conference and has won at least five games in 10 of its last 11 full seasons, posting a 68-43 record in that time.
Rivers looking beyond 3,000: Larry Rivers became Lakeland's all-time leading rusher in the spring and is the first Muskie to rush for more than 3,000 yards in a career. Also the holder of the school's single-season rushing record (1,375 yards in 2019), he has a chance to set the career rushing mark well out of reach with another big season.
Throw...or run: Charl'Tez Nunnery had a productive spring season passing, throwing for 698 yards and seven touchdowns over three games, including a host of big plays through the air. The senior was every bit of a weapon on the ground, though, and his 110.7 rushing yards per game in the spring led the NACC, while his 332 rushing yards ranked third in the conference behind only two players who played an additional game. Nunnery also tied for the conference lead with five rushing touchdowns.
Lakeland in season openers: Lakeland is 25-59 all-time in season-opening games, though it won its most recent season opener earlier this year when it defeated rival Concordia Wisconsin 19-10 in March to open the abbreviated spring season. The Muskies have won four of their last six season debuts, a string of success after losing nine straight openers from 2006-14.
Rare midweek game: The Muskies are playing on a Thursday night for the first time in more than 20 years, since taking on UW-Platteville on Sept. 9, 1999 and falling to the Pioneers 20-17. The game also will snap a string of 197 consecutive games played on a Saturday and will mark Lakeland's first time not playing on a Saturday since Aug. 31, 2001, when UW-Stout defeated the Muskies 48-24 in Menomonie, Wis.
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