LISLE, Ill. – A bad start to the game portended a frustrating afternoon to come for the Lakeland University football team, which fell to Benedictine 31-6 Saturday in a Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference game.

The Eagles scored a touchdown 15 seconds into the game and the Muskies trailed the rest of the way in losing for the third time in four games. Lakeland dropped to 3-5 overall this season and 2-4 in the NACC with two games left in its season.

The Muskies again struggled offensively, gaining just 147 yards, their lowest output of the season and third straight game with 238 yards or less after having averaged 500.5 yards per game in their previous four contests. Lakeland also was unable to keep Benedictine (3-3 overall, 3-2 NACC) off the field, with the hosts holding the ball for 37 minutes, 44 seconds of the game.

The game got off to a bad start when the Muskies fumbled the opening kickoff and the Eagles needed one play to take advantage, with Nathan Rillo hitting Sami Ayash for a 5-yard touchdown and a 7-0 lead. Lakeland briefly bounced back with a 30-yard pass from Isaiah Malone (So.-Compton, Calif.) to Kaeden Calcari (Fr.-Menominee, Mich.) on the third play of its next drive, but that would turn out to be the Muskies' longest gain of the game, and the drive stalled in Benedictine territory without points.

Lakeland's third possession also was over almost as quickly as it started, with another fumble on the first play, and though the Eagles did not capitalize immediately, they would eventually take advantage of field position. Benedictine went 54 yards in nine plays near the end of the first quarter with Blake Shoddie plunging in from one yard out for a 14-0 lead, and then needed just five plays to go 48 yards on its first drive of the second quarter, with Shoddie again scoring from the 1 to make it 21-0.

The Eagles would get the ball first in the second half and would tack on a field goal, burning nearly eight minutes off the clock before Liam McCarty kicked a 27-yard field goal to build the lead to 24-0. Lakeland finally got something going on its second drive of the second half, going 66 yards in 11 plays and with Robby Michael (So.-Sheboygan, Wis.) hitting Xaviar Thomas (Sr.-Chicago, Ill.) for a 15-yard touchdown.

Benedictine came right back to add one more score, with a 3-yard drive ending with Gregory Hoard running seven yards for a touchdown. The Muskies drove as far as the Eagles 26 on their last drive, including an 18-yard pass from Malone to Thomas on 4th-and-10, but got no further.

Michael completed 9 of 26 passes for 112 yards and Malone completed 6 of 14 throws for 53 yards. Jatron Bevly (So.-Springfield, Ill.) caught four passes for 52 yards and Calcari added two catches for 36 yards. The offensive struggles included 26 rush attempts for a net of minus-18 yards, including eight Benedictine sacks for a loss of 64 yards credited to that total.

Jake Leclaire (Sr.-Stuart, Fla.) and Andrew Redditt (Fr.-New Orleans, La.) led the Lakeland defense with 11 tackles each. Leclaire finished with 2.5 tackles for loss, and Adonis Rodgers (Fr.-Merrillville, Ind.) added 1.5 tackles for loss including the Muskies' lone sack.

The Muskies are idle next week and will return to take on nationally ranked Aurora University Nov. 4 at 1 p.m. in Montgomery, Ill.