Regular rivals for a 20-year stretch from the mid-1990s to 2015, Lakeland and Carthage meet for the first time since 2015, when a Carthage team then known as the Red Men edged the Muskies 29-28 at Taylor Field. Lakeland led 28-21 late in the game but Carthage scored on a safety and Lafayette McGary scored the go-ahead touchdown from three yards out with 35 seconds left in the game for the winning points. The win marked the 12th straight in the series for Carthage.

Lakeland's last win in the series came Sept. 13, 2003, a 17-16 win on the road in Kenosha. Brent Luebke scored on a pair of rushing touchdowns and the defense forced five Carthage turnovers. The teams first met Oct. 11, 1958, a 42-0 Carthage win in Carthage, Ill., where the school was originally located until the campus was moved to Kenosha in 1962.

About Lakeland: The Muskies enter a new season after an up-and-down campaign lats year, reflected in a 4-5 overall record and a 4-4 mark in the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference. Lakeland averaged 48 points per game in its four wins, including a wild 66-61 win over Concordia Chicago, and also lost to NACC rivals Wisconsin Lutheran and Concordia Wisconsin by a combined five points.

Quarterback Robby Michael is back for his senior year after last season leading the NACC and ranking fifth in NCAA Division III averaging 335.6 yards per game. Michael passed for 2,014 yards and 19 touchdowns and also had the eighth 1,000-yard rushing season in school history with 1,006 yards. He enters his senior season among Lakeland's all-time leaders in a host of offensive categories, including rushing yards, passing yards, total offense, passing touchdowns and total touchdowns. The offense also returns honorable mention all-NACC running back Jatron Bevly and offensive lineman Davarion Stevenson, while the defense is keyed by a pair of two-year starters in the secondary in Shamond Oliver and Markese Collins.

About Carthage: The Firebirds are coming off a 2-8 overall record last year including a 2-7 mark in the always tough College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin. In its first year under head coach Matt Popino, Carthage posted its lone two wins in back-to-back weeks over Millikin (Ill.) and North Park (Ill.), and three of its losses came to nationally ranked teams.

The Firebirds enter this season in search of their first winning record in a full season since 2017, when Carthage finished 7-3 for the second year in a row. The offense features a strong tandem at running back where Bryce Frank (694 yards) and Mark Hunter (375) combined for over 1,000 yards, while the defense includes cornerbacks Jy'Lique Barnes and Amarie Hill, who broke up 10 and six passes, respectively. This is the Firebirds' lone non-conference game; they jump into CCIW play for their next game in two weeks against defending Division III national champion North Central (Ill.), which has appeared in the last five D-III title games and has won three championships since 2019.

Lakeland in season openers: Lakeland is 26-62 all-time in season-opening games. The Muskies have lost their opener each of the last three years, including a loss to Illinois College in 2022; before that, the Muskies had won five of their previous seven season debuts. This is just the second time Lakeland has faced Carthage in a season opener; the Muskies posted a 37-14 win over the then-Red Men Sept. 14, 2002.

Roster makeup: The Muskies enter the season with a roster of 84 players that is again dominated by natives of Wisconsin and Illinois. Wisconsin holds a slim lead over its neighbors to the south with 27 Muskies to 25 from Illinois. Behind those two states are Indiana (8), Texas (7) and Michigan (6), followed by Alabama, Arizona and Missouri with two each. States with one member of the team include California, Florida, Nevada, Tennessee and Washington, making for a total of 12 states represented on this year's team.

Coach Bruton back: Lakeland University head coach Colin Bruton returns for his 11th year as head coach of the Muskies. Bruton is one of the longest-tenured coaches in program history, with his 11 years behind only 14-year runs by Marinus Kregel (1937-50) and John Thome (1967-80) for longevity. Bruton's 53 career wins also is No. 2 on the school's all-time list for football coaches, behind only Thome's 79 career wins. Including eight years from 2007-14 as defensive coordinator for former coach Kevin Doherty, Bruton is in his 19th year overall on the Lakeland football staff.

Backfield experience: Lakeland returns a pair of running backs who have seen the ball plenty in their collegiate careers already, if in various ways. Senior Jatron Bevly has rushed for 1,240 yards and 14 touchdowns over three seasons, and also has caught 49 passes for 561 yards and four scores, including all four of those touchdowns last year. Hassan Rivers also is in his third year as a junior and has rushed for 165 yards in his career, and also has been the Muskies' primary kickoff returner for two years. Rivers has returned 48 kickoffs for 892 yards and a steady average of 18.6 yards per return.