The Muskies and Cougars meet again in a series that dates back to 1947 and is for now tied with the series against Benedictine for Lakeland's most-played rivalry on the gridiron. The Muskies have won two straight over Concordia, including a 43-23 win a year ago this weekend at home on Homecoming in a game in which Lakeland rolled up 468 yards rushing and 682 yards of total offense. Robby Michael gained 232 yards rushing with three touchdowns and Devon Harris added 173 yards. The Muskies have won eight of the last nine against CUC, though the Cougars snapped a six-game losing streak in the series with a 31-26 victory at home Oct. 5, 2019. The first meeting between the teams came nearly 76 years ago on Oct. 18, 1947, a 20-0 win for Lakeland when it was known as Mission House College.

Lakeland last time out: Lost at Wisconsin Lutheran 34-14 last week
The Muskies had a rough day and especially a bad second half in falling on the road and losing their second straight game. Lakeland committed six turnovers, including four in the second half, and was held to 221 yards of offense for the game including just 47 yards passing. The Warriors outscored the Muskies 17-0 in the second half, rolled up 393 yards of offense for the game and held the ball for more than 39 minutes, including over 21 minutes in the second half. Jatron Bevly rushed for 92 yards and Robby Michael added 73 yards on the ground, but Lakeland gained more than half of its total offense in two plays, a 69-yard run by Bevly and another 46-yard gallop by Michael.

Concordia Chicago last time out: Lost to #15 Aurora 91-0 last week
The Cougars had an even worse day last week, falling to the nationally ranked Spartans in a Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference contest. Aurora scored 28 points in the first quarter, 35 in the second quarter on the way to a 63-0 halftime lead and led 84-0 after three quarters. The Spartans scored on 10 straight drives at one point and also returned two punts for touchdowns. Concordia was outgained 509-135, including Aurora posting a 382-52 advantage in rushing yards. The Cougars also produced just six first downs and went 2-for-17 on third down.

About the Cougars: Concordia enters winless at 0-5 but just a week earlier had played well in challenging NACC co-leader Concordia Wisconsin, sitting tied with the Falcons 29-29 at halftime and trailing by just a touchdown midway through the fourth quarter. The Cougars have struggled to stop the run this year, ranking third from the bottom of 238 NCAA Division III teams allowing 289.6 yards per game on the ground. Concordia also is 234th in third down conversion defense, allowing teams to pick up 56.4% of third downs, and is 235th in scoring defense, allowing 53.6 points per game.

Concordia Chicago finished 3-7 overall last year and 2-6 in the NACC and is coached by Andy Lambert, a 27-year coaching veteran in his third year with the Cougars. CUC hasn't posted a winning record overall or in the NACC since finishing 10-1 in 2012 and winning the conference with a perfect 7-0 record that year.

Punt block on: Highlights were few for the Muskies last week, but one for the team came when freshman Brekkan Spens blocked a punt in the second quarter that set up excellent field position and led to a score. Spens has been an impactful player on special teams as a freshman with four tackles, and he is the second Muskie to block a punt this season, joining fellow frosh Hassan Rivers. A California native, Brekkan is the second Spens to find his way to Lakeland; his brother Oaklee is a senior and a standout on the Muskies baseball team.

Odd stat line: Running back Devon Harris posted a bizarre mix of numbers last week. The sophomore rushed nine times for a net of -2 yards, yet also scored a pair of touchdowns on the ground, scoring from three yards out to open the game's scoring and adding a 1-yard touchdown in the second quarter. Harris also caught one pass but for a loss of six yards, meaning his 10 touches netted a loss of eight yards, but also both of Lakeland's touchdowns. The contest marked Harris's second two-TD game of the season, and his first time rushing for two touchdowns in a game.

Sack leader: Senior Karlis Ozols posted the Muskies' lone sack last week, giving him a team-leading 3.5 sacks this season. Ozols has at least one-half sack in four of six games this season, and also leads the team with 6.5 tackles for loss. The Fond du Lac native has been a big-play player for the Lakeland defense throughout his career, with 20 career tackles for loss as well as seven passes batted down, three forced fumbles and one fumble recovery. He also posted his first interception last month against Concordia Wisconsin and returned it 21 yards for his first collegiate touchdown.

New leader: First-year Muskie Keon Willis led Lakeland receivers with four catches last week, a modest number given the team's struggles throwing against Wisconsin Lutheran but notable nonetheless because it was the first time someone other than Caleb Besaw had led the team in catches in a game since the opener. Besaw paced the team for four straight games, and in the season opener he tied Kolby Cohen and Devon Harris for the team lead in receptions. A transfer from fellow Division III school Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa, Willis is the team's fifth-leading receiver so far this season with 11 catches for 115 yards.