Live audio: https://www.eureka.edu/ec1031

Live statistics: https://www.eurekareddevils.com/sports/fball/2024-25/boxscores/20241011_1038.xml

Series: 51st meeting, Lakeland leads 36-13-1
The series between the Muskies and Red Devils has a long history, one that was renewed several years ago after an 11-year absence and has since added some colorful chapters since Eureka joined the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference in 2018. That included last year, when Lakeland rallied from a 20-point deficit with seven minutes left with Robby Michael hitting Caleb Besaw for a 16-yard touchdown with 23 seconds left for a 35-34 win. The Muskies scored two touchdowns in the final 1:25 to come back to win, defeating the Red Devils for the third straight year.

The last meeting in Eureka, Ill., came in 2021, when Lakeland won 45-16 in a game where Charles Kobe tied an NCAA Division III record with three blocked punts in a single game. The prior two games before that were shootouts, including Nov. 2, 2019 when Eureka held off Lakeland 50-49 in Illinois to snap the Muskies' 13-game winning streak in the series. The year before Lakeland won a wild one, edging the Red Devils 56-55 at Taylor Field as Michael Moreau scored the go-ahead touchdown with 56 seconds left in the game. The score capped a rally from a 21-0 deficit just 3:44 into the contest and gave Lakeland its first lead of the game, and the Muskies held on after Eureka scored a touchdown with 18 seconds left but missed an ensuing two-point conversion attempt to take the lead. Lakeland also pinned Eureka with its lone regular season loss that year as the Red Devils won the NACC regular season title and NCAA Division III playoffs berth.

The two teams met every year except for one from 1962-2007, missing only 1979, and the two were members together of the Illini-Badger Football Conference from 1976-2007 and also the Gateway Conference in the 1960s. Only Benedictine (56 meetings) and Concordia Chicago (55) have played Lakeland more than Eureka's 50 times.

Lakeland last time out: Defeated Benedictine 42-21 last week
The Muskies played their most complete game of the season and on Homecoming to earn their second NACC win. Robby Michael completed 23 of 28 passes for 240 yards and three touchdowns, completing a career-best 82.1% of his passes, and also rushed 33 times for 170 yards and another score. Caleb Besaw caught all three touchdown passes from Michael, finishing with six catches for 105 yards. The defense also pitched in a pair of touchdowns. Justin McMahon returned an interception 24 yards for six points, and a sack and forced fumble by Markese Collins was picked up by Charles Kobe, who took it 46 yards for a score. Lakeland outgained Benedictine 461-301 and held the ball for more than 34 minutes.

Eureka last time out: Lost to Concordia Chicago 31-27 last week
The Red Devils dropped their second straight NACC game and remained winless on the season after falling to the Cougars at home. Eureka closed within four points on a 40-yard touchdown pass from Kaeden Frazier to Nathanael Vroman midway through the fourth quarter, and the Red Devils had possession with a chance to win but saw their chances end on a fourth down sack with 34 seconds left. Frazier completed 20 of 31 passes for 155 yards and two touchdowns, and the Eureka defense held Concorida to 82 yards rushing and 2.5 yards per rushing attempt.

About the Red Devils: Eureka is in transition this year with a new head coach, as Randy Starks is in his first year leading the program. Starks was a 12-year NFL veteran, playing at defensive end with three teams from 2004-15, including seven years with the Miami Dolphins, and he was a two-time Pro Bowler and recorded 42 sacks in a career spanning 186 games. The Red Devils finished 4-6 overall last year, but lost their last six games and finished 2-6 in the NACC. This year Eureka has an almost all-new team, with 15 freshmen starting on the team's two-deep depth chart.

Michael moving up national lists, record books: Lakeland quarterback Robby Michael has piled up big numbers running and throwing this season, and for his play last week was named the NACC Offensive Player of the Week and to the D3football.com Team of the Week all-star list of top performances in NCAA Division III for the weekend. He also is beginning to move up Lakeland's all-time lists, and last week he became the latest Muskie to rush for 2,000 yards in a career. He now has 2,146 yards rushing, and he moved past Charley Morrissey (2,113 from 1963-66) into eighth on the school's career list. Michael also surpassed 6,000 yards of total offense in his career and moved past Dylan Van Straten (6,009 from 2010-13) into sixth all-time.

Michael also leads the NACC and ranks No. 4 nationally in Division III in total offense, averaging 359.0 yards per game. He also is 11th in the country in rushing yards/game, 13th in points responsible for per game (22.5 points passing and rushing), 18th in total points responsible for (90) and 21st in total rushing yards.

Multiple defensive TDs: Lakeland scored two defensive touchdowns last week, a rare feat but one it reached not that long ago. The last time the Muskies scored more than one defensive TD in a game came Oct. 16, 2021, and it actually included three scores in a 63-7 win over Concordia Chicago. Rayshion Brumfield and Shazon Crutcher both returned interceptions for touchdowns, and Matt Glogowski added a 48-yard fumble return for a score, his first of two career fumble returns for six points.