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 four meetings, the last three by a field goal or in overtime including last year's 41-34 victory in Mequon in overtime as the Falcons came back from a 28-7 third-quarter deficit to force overtime and won it on a touchdown by Jacob Pugh in the extra session followed by the Muskies' drive ending with a fumble inside the CUW 5. Concordia also won 37-34 at home in 2024 when Logan Navis made a 54-yard field goal as time expired, and claimed a 31-28 comeback victory in the teams' last game at Lakeland in 2023, spoiling Robby Michael's 463-yard passing day. 

The Falcons' recent streak in the series comes after the Muskies had won the previous three meetings and seven of 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 35th 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 19-15, holding the trophy the last four years after Lakeland won the previous three games in the series.

Lakeland last time out: Won at Wisconsin Lutheran 32-31 last week
The Muskies scored the final 25 points in the game's last 16 minutes, storming back to defeat the Warriors on the road to open the NACC loop. Caleb Besaw caught three touchdown passes from Carson Glosny in the rally, the last a 15-yard touchdown pass on fourth down with 1:54 left in the game to put Lakeland ahead. The Muskies then survived as WLC missed a 26-yard field goal in the final minute, holding on to four-game losing streak in the series to Lutheran. Glosny completed 26 of 52 passes for 327 yards and four touchdowns, Deshawn Hampton caught eight passes for 91 yards, and Besaw added eight passes for 61 yards. Zelmarious Banks also added an interception, picking off his ninth pass in Lakeland's last nine games.

Concordia last time out: Defeated Aurora 29-28 last week
The Falcons also won their NACC opener in dramatic fashion, scoring the winning touchdown with 16 seconds left in the game to overcome the Spartans. Roman Funk hit Jack Bradley for a 6-yard touchdown pass to put CUW ahead in the final seconds, capping a comeback from 26-17 down with less than four minutes remaining in the game. Concordia drew within 26-23 with 3:42 left when Funk connected with Kam'Ron Pierre for a 76-yard touchdown, but Aurora returned the two-point conversion attempt 89 yards for its own two points to stretch the lead back to five points before CUW's game winning drive in the final two minutes. Funk completed 30 of 54 passes for 445 yards, four touchdowns and four interceptions, while Pierre (155 yards) and Nick Crowell (112) both topped 100 yards receiving.

About the Falcons: Concordia is the defending NACC champions, finishing 8-0 in conference last year and 9-2 overall as part of its first conference championship and first trip to the NCAA Division III playoffs since 2013. The Falcons won their first four conference games a year ago all by a touchdown, then knocked off Aurora to end the Spartans' six-year reign as NACC champions. CUW hosted a Division III playoff game, falling to Coe (Iowa) 44-7 in the first round. Concordia is in its final season as a member of the NACC before moving to the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin next year.

Muskies on Homecoming: Homecoming has far more often than not in the past been a very good day for Lakeland football. The Muskies have a superb 62-23-3 all-time record in Homecoming games, though last year they dropped a narrow 34-31 decision to Wisconsin Lutheran, just Lakeland's third loss in its last 18 Homecoming games. Concordia has been a frequent opponent of the Muskies on Homecoming-11 times-and a frequent nemesis, with the Falcons winning seven of those games, though Lakeland won the last two, including a 44-0 blowout in 2019 and a 16-7 victory Oct. 1, 2016. The latter game was played in a rain that turned Taylor Field's grass surface to mud, resulting in the Muskies playing their final two home games of that season at Sheboygan North High School and providing the impetus for installing the current artificial turf at Taylor Field for the 2017 season.

Biggest comeback...almost: The Muskies' rally from 25 points down against Wisconsin Lutheran was their biggest comeback win in nearly 30 years, but it was not quite the biggest rally in school history. That came Oct. 11, 1997, when Lakeland fell behind Concordia Wisconsin by 33 points before firing back with the final 41 points of the game over the last 1 1/2 quarters for a 41-33 win. That win was part of a 10-0 season for the Muskies, the last undefeated season in program history, and that 1997 team is joined by teams 1996, 2015, 2016 and 2017 as being honored for conference championships today. Wide receiver George Schultz caught an 82-yard touchdown pass in that game, and he is one of five who will be inducted into the Lakeland Athletics Hall of Fame Sunday, and one of three-joined by Seitu Smith and Casey Thousand- who will be part of a celebratory coin toss before the game.