Live statistics: https://static.lakelandmuskies.com/custompages/stats/fb/LS/xlive.htm

Series: 18th meeting, Lakeland leads 12-5
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 have won the last two meetings, both at home in Milwaukee, including last year's 34-14 win. WLC controlled the second half, outscoring the Muskies 17-0 after the break, and Lakeland finished with just 221 yards of offense, including 47 yards passing, while also committing six turnovers. Lutheran also posted a 25-21 victory at home in 2022, rallying from a 21-13 deficit in the second half. Lakeland had won the previous five meetings, including most recently a 56-7 win 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 5-4 lead.

Lakeland last time out: Won at Concordia Chicago 66-61 last week
Robby Michael threw an 86-yard touchdown pass to Xaviar Thomas with 34 seconds left in the game to cap a thoroughly wild game and an almost inconceivable final three minutes that resulted in the Muskies picking up the win in their NACC opener. Lakeland and Concordia combined for 56 points in the fourth quarter, including 27 in the final 2:43. The teams traded big plays all game long, with 10 touchdowns of at least 34 yards between them.

Michael accounted for seven touchdowns, throwing for 335 yards and four scores and adding 208 yards rushing and three touchdowns. His 543 yards of offense are the second-most in a game in NCAA Division III so far this season, and resulted in his being named the NACC Offensive Player of the Week on Tuesday. Michael's touchdown throws included a 45-yarder to Keon Willis and a 61-yard catch and run by Jatron Bevly which gave the Muskies back the lead at 60-55 with 2:03 left in the game, before CUC drove 75 yards in just 1:11 to retake the lead in the final minute. Karlis Ozols and Kenyon Peoples led the Lakeland defense with two sacks each and Justin McMahon added an interception, and the Muskies largely shut down Concordia's rushing attack (136 yards on 44 rushes) but surrendered 405 yards passing and an average of 18.4 yards per completion.

Wisconsin Lutheran last time out: Defeated Eureka 38-6 last week
The Warriors also won their NACC opener last Saturday and won their second straight game overall. After a scoreless first quarter, WLC took over with 17 unanswered points in the second, and Lutheran built the lead to 38-0 in the fourth quarter before the Red Devils scored their lone touchdown late. Bryce Barbian threw for 324 yards and three touchdowns, including two to Emmitt Hawkins, who caught six passes for 136 yards. Jamil Gordon also added 12 catches for 105 yards and a score, and Liam Heiges rushed for 113 yards as the Warriors gained 508 yards of offense. Wisconsin Lutheran's defense also held Eureka to 189 yards and just nine first downs.

About the Warriors: Wisconsin Lutheran opened with a non-conference loss to Lake Forest before posting two decisive wins by a combined sore of 82-19 over Buena Vista and Eureka. The Warriors are looking to move up in the NACC after finishing 4-6 overall and 4-4 in conference to place each of the last two seasons. Lutheran is chasing its first winning season since going 7-3 and tying for the NACC title in 2014.

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 fifth season with the Warriors, and his teams showed improvement in the win column in each of his first three years from a 1-2 record in the COVID-19 shortened 2020-21 spring season, to 3-7 in 2021 and 4-6 the last two years.

Record-breaker: Last week's game between Lakeland and Concordia Chicago set a school record for most points in a game by both teams combined, and it wasn't even close. The 127 points combined bettered the previous record of 111 points between Lakeland and Eureka in a 56-55 Muskies' win Nov. 3, 2018.

The 66 points also were the ninth-most by a Lakeland team in school history, and were 10 points short of the record of 76 points set against Rockford five years ago on Oct. 19, 2019. The 86-yard touchdown from Michael to Thomas also is tied for the eighth-longest pass play in Muskies history.

Bevly nearing 1,000: Jatron Bevly was one of a number of Lakeland players on offense to enjoy big numbers against Concordia Chicago, nearly going over 100 yards both rushing and receiving in the game. Bevly was the team's leading receiver out of the backfield, catching five passes for 99 yards, including the 61-yard touchdown reception that was his first collegiate receiving touchdown. He  also rushed seven times for 94 yards and two touchdowns, including a 64-yard burst in the first quarter plus a 13-yard score earlier in the period.

Bevly enters Saturday's game needing just two yards to go over 1,000 yards for his career. He comes into the game with 998 yards rushing in 17 career games, a number that includes his school single-game record 343 yards against Buena Vista as a freshman in 2022.