PLYMOUTH, Wis. – Jayson Wilder (Sr.-Milwaukee, Wis.) returned an interception 54 yards for a touchdown with 17 seconds left in the game to allow Lakeland University to after some stressful moments finally close out Eureka College for a 26-17 victory Saturday afternoon at Taylor Field.

The Muskies built a 20-0 lead early in the second quarter and then held on the rest of the way, surviving offensive struggles, injuries and turnovers to earn their second win of the season. Lakeland improved to 2-6 overall and 2-4 in the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference with two games remaining in its season.

The Muskies led 20-17 in the final minute but that lead grew tenuous when the Red Devils (2-7 overall, 2-5 NACC) took possession at their own 20-yard line with 40 seconds left and needed just two plays to get near midfield.

Eureka quarterback Lucas Tinkham threw twice to his left to Sebastian Hill for easy completions of 11 and 16 yards against a defense playing back to get to the Eureka 47, but on his next pass he threw to his right. His throw was off target and Wilder was able to break on the ball and scoop it just before it hit the ground for his second interception of the game. Wilder then took off, breaking a tackle attempt and going all the way for a 54-yard score, his second career interception return for a touchdown.

The defensive score finished off a busy but productive day for the Lakeland defense. The Muskies spent more than 34 minutes on the field but held the Red Devils to 357 yards, and in particular limited Tinkham to 10 completions in 36 attempts while intercepting him three times. Lakeland defenders broke up 11 passes and the defense finished with 10 tackles for loss including three sacks.

The Muskies also did not allow a point in the second half, stopping Eureka four times after it drove into Lakeland territory. That included an interception by Shamond Oliver (Fr.-Phenix City, Ala.) at the 2-yard line in the third quarter, as well as a drive to the Lakeland 34 in the fourth before Jake Leclaire (Jr.-Stuart, Fla.) and Braedon Olivera (Fr.-Two Rivers, Wis.) stopped consecutive rushes for no gain and Oliver and Quintrell Randle (So.-Chicago, Ill.) broke up passes to halt the threat.

The Muskies needed their defense after a strong start gave way to laboring on offense. Lakeland gained 262 yards in just over 17 minutes to build a 20-0 lead by early in the second quarter. Robby Michael (Fr.-Sheboygan, Wis.) completed a 23-yard touchdown pass to Devin Martin (So.-Conyers, Ga.) to cap a nine-play, 75-yard drive to open the game, and the freshman quarterback then broke free for touchdown runs of 58 and 47 yards, the latter with 12:54 left in the second quarter and giving Lakeland a three-touchdown lead.

Michael rushed nine times for 144 yards and completed 8 of 15 passes for 103 yards, but he left the game due to injury after a run early in the second quarter. Eureka forced a turnover on the next play when Donovan Hathaway stripped the ball away from Devon Harris (So.-Milwaukee, Wis.), taking it away in strange fashion while almost running past him in the backfield, and the Muskies did not score on offense again the rest of the game, with three turnovers in all plus five drives ending on downs.

Eureka scored its first touchdown at 10:46 of the second quarter with a 1-yard run by Ben Bernabei capping a quick four-play, 71-yard dash, and the Red Devils added a 27-yard field goal by Steven Bartkus as time expired in the first half to draw within 20-10.

Eureka's only other points came early in the fourth quarter, when a Lakeland swing pass deep in its own territory was ruled a lateral and Jack Arnett recovered and walked into the end zone for a 9-yard touchdown. The Red Devils would get the ball back four more times after but got no closer than their drive to the Lakeland 34 that ended with 3:40 left.

Harris carried the ball 30 times and finished with 146 yards for his third straight 100-yard rushing game. Martin caught four passes for 69 yards to lead Lakeland's receivers.

Justin McMahon (So.-Kyle, Texas) paced the defense with nine tackles (five solo, four assisted), including a big sack on third down that helped stop Eureka's first drive of the second half deep into Lakeland territory. Leclaire and Charles Kobe (Jr.-Glendale, Wis.) both added seven tackles including two tackles for loss each and Bryce Wojta (So.-Randolph, Wis.) added a career-high five tackles, including 1.5 tackles for loss.

Lakeland goes on the road next week to face NACC-leading Aurora University at 1 p.m. in Montgomery, Ill., before closing out its season in two weeks at home against Rockford University.

Muskies by the numbers:
0 - Points allowed by the Lakeland defense in the second half
4 - Special teams tackles for freshman Monroe Hobbs, including a forced fumble
8 - Career interceptions for Jayson Wilder, including two returned for touchdowns
11 - Number of pass breakups by the Muskies today, a season high
27.8 - Completion percentage Lakeland defense held Eureka QB Lucas Tinkham to, with 10 completions in 36 attempts
52.7 - Average yards per punt this season for Lane Sobieski after his two quick kicks averaged 43.0 today, including a 49-yarder that rolled dead at the Eureka 1
163.7 - Average rushing yards per game for Devon Harris over the last three games
302 - Rushing yards for Lakeland, the team's fourth time topping 300 yards this season