Despite being separated by just over 50 miles, the Muskies and Green Knights have met just five times before, three of those coming in the last three years as Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference members. St. Norbert has won the last two over Lakeland, including a 24-21 win last season on the Muskies' Homecoming Sept. 30, 2023 as the Green Knights built a 14-0 first quarter lead and stayed a step ahead the rest of the way. SNC also won the last meeting in De Pere two years ago with a 35-12 win in 2022.

Lakeland's only win in the series came in 2021 with a dominant 40-8 victory at home as the Muskies forced eight turnovers in SNC's first game as a NACC member, six of those in the first half on the way to a 33-0 halftime lead. That was the first meeting between the schools in nearly 60 years, since St. Norbert won the two previous meetings in back-to-back years in 1961 and 1962, including a 25-0 win at Lakeland Oct. 7, 1961 in the first meeting and then a 42-0 shutout Sept. 22, 1962 in De Pere. There have been two other meetings between the schools involving the Muskies' varsity. Lakeland, then known as Mission House College, hosted the St. Norbert freshman team in consecutive years in 1938 and 1939 and picked up two close wins by scores of 14-13 in 1938 and then 19-12 a year later.

Lakeland last time out: Lost at Concordia Wisconsin 37-34 last week
The Falcons retained the Cheese Bowl trophy for a third straight year as the Muskies fell in agonizing fashion. Concordia's Logan Navis kicked a NACC-record 54-yard field goal at the end of regulation, capping the Falcons' comeback from 10 points down in the fourth quarter to win. CUW scored on its final three drives, including the tying and winning field goals by Navis, while Lakeland's offense stalled out late, getting stopped after scoring touchdowns on four of its previous six possessions. Concordia posted a big advantage on the ground, gaining 314 yards rushing while the Muskies were held to 99 yards, and the result was the Falcons posting a 14 1/2 minute bulge in time of possession. Robby Michael passed for 264 yards, including a 64-yard catch-and-run by Jatron Bevly for a touchdown. Michael also rushed for 58 yards and two scores, while Markese Collins intercepted a pass and returned it for a touchdown to lead the defense. 

St. Norbert last time out: Won at Wisconsin Lutheran 55-7 last week
The Green Knights blasted the Warriors on the road in a battle for position in the NACC standings. The St. Norbert defense especially completely shut down WLC, allowing just one first down in the first half, two in the first three quarters and four in the entire game. The Warriors finished with more turnovers (six) than first downs, while the Green Knights offense did not punt until the second half, allowing SNC to take a 27-0 halftime lead. Peyton Lyon completed 18 of 28 passes for 258 yards and four touchdowns and Patrick Oden rushed 22 times for 124 yards. Marc Thomas intercepted two passes, Brett Boelkow returned another pick 65 yards for a touchdown, and St. Norbert held the ball for more than 40 minutes while outgaining Lutheran 468-203.

About the Green Knights: St. Norbert opened its season with three straight losses, falling to Wabash (Ind.), Wisconsin-Stevens Point and NACC regular season champion Aurora by a combined score of 104-3. Sicne then, the Green Knights have won five in a row and have particularly gained steam the last two weeks, dominating both Concordia Chicago (62-0) and Wisconsin Lutheran in a pair of lopsided wins.

St. Norbert is in its fourth year in the NACC and has won seven games overall and gone 6-2 in league the last two years, including a 7-4 record last season. The Green Knights tied for the runner-up spot in the conference and via tiebreaker won the conference's berth to the Lakefront Bowl, where SNC lost to former Midwest Conference foe Monmouth 21-14.

Defense scores again: The interception return for a touchdown by Markese Collins last week against Concordia Wisconsin marked Lakeland's fourth defensive touchdown, as Collins joined Charles Kobe, Justin McMahon and Shamond Oliver as Muskies defenders scoring this season. Lakeland ranks tied for third in NCAA Division III in defensive touchdowns with four, two behind leader Grove City (W.Va.) with Randolph-Macon (Va.) second with five. The Muskies are tied with 12 other teams for third, and two of them happen to be NACC schools as Aurora and St. Norbert also both have four defensive TDs this year.

Back to big plays: Jatron Bevly has this season again displayed the form he showed two years ago as a freshman, notably in one of the most explosive games ever played by an NCAA Division III running back. Bevly this year has provided a spark with four touchdowns of 54 yards or more, including a 64-yard TD run against Concordia Chicago and touchdown catches of 54, 61 and 64 yards. The plays are reminiscent of Bevly's massive game against Buena Vista (Iowa) in 2022, when he rushed 17 times for a school-record 343 yards and five touchdowns, scoring on runs of 36, 47, 54, 70 and 75 yards. In that game Bevly set a Division III record for highest average gain per rush in a game with at least 15 rushes, averaging 20.2 yards per carry that day.