Live statistics: https://cuwfalcons.com/sports/fball/2024-25/boxscores/20241102_tidq.xml
 

The series between the Muskies and Falcons began in 1980 and has been played every season since, including the 2020-21 season when both teams played limited schedules in the spring due to the COVID-19 virus. Concordia has won the last two meetings, including a 31-28 victory at Lakeland last season when Michael Purkey connected with Kekoa Carmichael for a 30-yard touchdown with 6:55 left for the winning points, spoiling Robby Michael's 463-yard passing day. The Falcons also won the last time the teams met in Mequon, taking a 30-20 win Oct. 22, 2022. Before that, the Muskies had won the previous three meetings and seven of the last eight, including most recently a 49-32 win at Taylor Field Oct. 23, 2021, as Charl'Tez Nunnery passed for four touchdowns and Brice Kensey caught 17 passes for 180 yards.

Cheese Bowl: Lakeland and Concordia also are playing for the Cheese Bowl trophy for the 32nd time. The Cheese Bowl originated in 1992 as a traveling trophy for the winner of the two teams' annual game when they were the lone two Wisconsin members of the old Illini-Badger Football Conference. Lakeland and Concordia were conference rivals in the IBFC from 1980 through its final year in 2007, when both joined the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference for football. Concordia leads the Cheese Bowl series 17-15, holding the trophy the last two years after Lakeland won the previous three games in the series.

Lakeland last time out: Lost to #15 Aurora 49-14 last week
The Muskies gave the Spartans some trouble and hung around for the better part of three quarters but ultimately succumbed as Aurora won its 44th straight NACC game. Lakeland moved the ball better than any conference team has all season against the Spartans, with its 389 yards more than double the average Aurora was giving up to NACC teams coming in, and the Muskies outgaining the guests through the first three quarters before the Spartans finished with a slim 423-389 edge in yardage at the end. Robby Michael passed for 247 yards and also rushed for 137 yards, and Caleb Besaw caught nine passes for 120 yards and touchdowns of 24 and 30 yards as Lakeland took a 14-7 lead in the second quarter. Jake Leclaire added 4.5 tackles for loss including 2.5 sacks and Karlis Ozols intercepted a pass, but turnovers were a big difference as Aurora turned three Muskies miscues into 21 points.

Concordia last time out: Won at Rockford 42-35 last week
The Falcons held off the Regents on the road, prevailing in a back and forth game that saw the teams combine for more than 1,000 yards of offense. Concordia scored the go-ahead touchdown on a 41-yard run by Caleb Espinoza with 5:01 left in the game, part of CUW's 329 yards rushing and 585 total yards in the game. Justin Clark completed 24 of 39 passes for 256 yards and three touchdowns, Espinoza rushed for 152 yards on just 10 carries and Pierre Summers III added 90 yards rushing as the Falcons piled up 34 first downs. The Concordia defense gave up 457 yards to Rockford, including 375 yards passing, but came up with two turnovers and stopped both Regents drives in the fourth quarter, the last one on downs with 3:00 left.

About the Falcons: Concordia is 4-2 overall and 3-2 in the NACC, with wins over Rockford, Eureka and Benedictine in its conference opener and losses to St. Norbert and Aurora. Like Lakeland, the Falcons have just nine games on their schedule this season, having played just one non-conference game before entering conference play.

Concordia finished 7-3 a year ago and tied for second in the NACC with a 6-2 league mark. CUW has quietly been one of the more consistent programs in the conference in recent years, having posted six straight winning seasons. The Falcons are coached by Greg Etter, the dean of NACC coaches who is in his 17th year as head coach and has 82 career wins at the school.

Back-to-back: Lakeland defensive end Jake Leclaire has had two consecutive huge games disrupting in the opponents' backfield. A fifth-year senior in eligibility and now a graduate student at Lakeland, Leclaire followed up his five tackles for loss including two sacks against Eureka Oct. 11 with an even bigger game against Aurora. He finished with eight tackles (seven solo), with 4.5 tackles for loss including 2.5 sacks against the nationally ranked Spartans. Leclaire now has 13 TFLs for the season and 6.5 sacks, both totals that easily lead the NACC, and he also now ranks among the NCAA Division III leaders with his TFLs total tied for 13th nationally (and his 2.2 TFLs/game rank 7th in the country). Leclaire also is tied for 18th in the NCAA with 1.08 sacks/game, and his sack total is tied for 25th nationally.

Respectable effort: It can feel trite to say that Lakeland played better against NACC power Aurora last week than the final score indicated, but the Muskies have some goods to back up the point. Lakeland gained 389 yards last week, more than 220 yards better than the 166.4 yards per game the Spartans had allowed to NACC teams in their first five conference games. Even more, Lakeland gained more yards against Aurora than any NACC team has in more than three years, a span of 22 games since the Muskies gained 499 yards in a 38-20 loss to Aurora late in 2021. Lakeland also was the first conference team to post more first downs in a game against the Spartans in 29 games, since Benedictine accomplished the feat in the abbreviated 2020-21 COVID-19 affected spring season.