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Series: 17th meeting, Lakeland leads 12-4

The series between Lakeland and Wisconsin Lutheran began in 2001 and became a regular on the schedule when the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference started football in 2008. The Warriors snapped the Muskies' winning streak in the series with a 25-21 victory at home in the Milwaukee area last season, rallying from a 21-13 deficit in the second half. Lakeland had won the previous five meetings, including most recently a 56-7 win last year Sept. 18, 2021 on Homecoming. Larry Rivers set a school single-game record with six rushing touchdowns and Lakeland scored 50 points in the first half on the way to an easy win. The Muskies have won seven of eight meetings between the teams at home in Plymouth, but the series has been closer at WLC, with Lakeland holding a 5-3 lead. 

Lakeland last time out: Lost to St. Norbert 24-21 last week
The Muskies lost by a field goal at home in NACC play for the second time this season, this time on Homecoming as the Green Knights rode a run-heavy offense to victory. The guests posted an eight-minute advantage in time of possession, including holding the ball for more than 21 minutes in the second half when SNC ran on 36 of its 41 offensive plays, with enough success to keep drives alive. Lakeland fell behind 14-0 in the first quarter but stayed in the game with Robby Michael completing long touchdown passes to Kaeden Calcari and Kolby Cohen and also rushing for a two-yard score. The Muskies were hurt by two turnovers in the second quarter, though, and again struggled to finish drives despite outgaining St. Norbert 411-268.

Wisconsin Lutheran last time out: Defeated Rockford 52-20 last week
The Warriors picked up their first win of the season, pulling away by scoring 28 unanswered points to close out the game. WLC cranked up its offense for a season-high 497 yards, including 301 yards rushing with both Trevion Green (144 yards) and Javier Murillo (130) topping the 100-yard mark. Bryce Barbian also threw four touchdown passes and the Warriors scored on seven of their 11 drives, with two others ending due to time running out in the half. Lutheran also added a defensive score with a fumble returned for a touchdown and limited the Regents to a net of 58 yards rushing on 28 attempts.

About the Warriors: Wisconsin Lutheran had lost its first four games of the season, mixing in some lopsided results with a near-miss against St. Norbert, when the Warriors rallied from a 31-20 deficit with less than a minute left to take the lead before the Green Knights drove down the field in the final seconds to pull out the win. WLC's results already reveal several comparisons to Lakeland; like the Muskies, the Warriors also have a solid win over Rockford and a close loss to St. Norbert, while Lutheran also fell 41-0 to Concordia Wisconsin one week after Lakeland dropped a three-point game to the Falcons.

Wisconsin Lutheran is coached again by Eric Treske, a WLC grad and a familiar face to Muskies football. Treske  took over for longtime coach Dr. Dennis Miller in 2020 after spending seven years at Lakeland, including his last five as offensive coordinator. Treske is in his third full season and fourth overall with the Warriors, and his teams have shown improvement each year from a 1-2 record in the COVID-19 shortened 2020-21 spring season, to 3-7 in 2021 and 4-6 last year, including a 4-4 NACC record.

Red zone woes: The Muskies have had regular success moving the ball this year, as evidenced by their ranking 11th in NCAA Division III in total first downs (123) and being tied for 25th in D-III with 23 visits to the red zone through five games. The team's key to better success the rest of the season, though, likely includes a better conversion percentage on those trips inside the opponent's 20-yard line. Entering Saturday, Lakeland ranks 228th of 239 Division III teams in red zone percentage with a 52.2% conversion rate, including 10 touchdowns plus two field goals in 23 times inside the 20. The Muskies have struggled in this season in both wins and losses; they're 5-for-12 inside the red zone in their three losses and 6-for-10 in their two wins.

Michael still ranks high: Robby Michael passed for 318 yards against St. Norbert and also rushed for a net of 30 yards despite being sacked five times. The Muskies' sophomore quarterback continues to rank among the Division III leaders in a host of categories, including moving up one spot to now rank third in the country in total offense with 381.8 yards per game. He also is eighth in D-III in passing yards (1,432) and 13th in points responsible for with 96 (points scored rushing or passing). Michael also is in the top 25 in rushing touchdowns (20th with six), 24th in rushing yards (477) and completions per game (22.2) and 25th in passing yards/game (286.4). A couple recipients of Michael's work also are ranked high in some national categories; wide receiver Xaviar Thomas is 15th nationally in yards per reception with 23.6 yards per catch, while Caleb Besaw is 24th in the country averaging 7.2 receptions per game.

Gang (of) tacklers: Lakeland has three players tied for the team lead in tackles through three games, with Jake Leclaire, Matt Glogowski and Charles Kobe all tied with 27 tackles each. The share of players making defensive stops is even wider than that, as the Muskies' top seven tacklers are separated by just three tackles. Behind the top three, Andrew Redditt and Karlis Ozols both have 26 tackles each, Shamond Oliver has 25 tackles and Justin McMahon-the team's leading tackler a year ago-has 24 tackles.