MEQUON, Wis. – Rain, wind and a fast start by a rival on its home field were no problem for Lakeland College, which pulled away in the second half for a 48-21 win over Concordia University Wisconsin in the 23rd annual Cheese Bowl game Saturday afternoon at Tomasini Stadium.
Kezlow Smith (Sr.-Pontiac, Mich.) and Dezmen Morse (So.-Wisconsin Dells, Wis.) both had huge days and Michael Whitley (So.-Vidalia, La.) put up big numbers again as the Muskies gained a season-high 606 yards of total offense. The defense also survived several quick strikes by the Falcons to dominate for long stretches as Lakeland continued on a crash course with Benedictine (Ill.) University for the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference title.
The Muskies won their fifth straight game and clinched a winning record for the third straight year. Lakeland also is now 4-0 in the NACC (6-2 overall) and is assured of its season finale against Benedictine being for the league title. The Eagles remained undefeated with a 20-7 win over Rockford University, and Concordia's loss assures every other team in the conference has at least two losses.
The Muskies also retained the Cheese Bowl for the second straight year, backing up a 27-10 win over the Falcons last year at home that snapped Concordia's three-game streak in the series. Lakeland did it using a newly balanced offense with a new wrinkle for its most complete offensive performance of the season.
With the weather rainy and windy, the Muskies used a ball-control offense to hog the ball for a season-best 35 minutes, 37 seconds. Lakeland also had its finest day of the season rushing, grinding out 223 yards.
That included 100 yards rushing from Smith, the Muskies' leading receiver on the season who played out of the backfield on this day. He scored two touchdowns on the ground in his 12 carries and also added six receptions for 65 yards and another touchdown.
Meanwhile, after he accounted for 15 touchdowns over the last two weeks, Concordia might feel it kept Whitley in check. The Lakeland quarterback was "held" to five touchdowns after completing 31 of 52 passes for 383 yards and four touchdown passes and also rushing for another 37 yards and a score.
Whitley helped the Muskies fight back after the Falcons got off to a fast start with a pair of big plays in the first quarter. On just CUW's second play from scrimmage, Andrew Gatz busted a run right up the middle and broke away for an 87-yard touchdown for a 7-0 lead.
Lakeland followed with a three-yard toss from Whitley to Hunter Van Straten (Sr.-Shiocton, Wis.) for a touchdown, but the Falcons (3-5 overall, 3-2 NACC) came right back when the Muskies' kickoff hung up in the wind and Tyler White returned it 76 yards for a touchdown and a 14-6 advantage.
Smith rushed 31 yards for a touchdown on Lakeland's ensuing drive, and Peyton Petersen (So.-Farmington Hills, Mich.) completed a two-point pass to Michael Esiobu (Sr.-Chicago, Ill.) to tie the game at 14-14 in the first quarter. The Muskies then took the lead just before halftime on an eight-yard completion by Whitley to Smith to make it 21-14.
Lakeland took control in the third quarter as Whitley located Esiobu for a 21-yard touchdown and then found Petersen underneath for an eight-yard score and a 35-14 lead. The Muskies answered a Concordia touchdown with another of their own early in the fourth quarter with Whitley running to the pylon from two yards out to make it 42-21.
The final quarter also belonged to the Lakeland defense. Kevyn Lewis (Jr.-Inkster, Mich.) and Christopher Dickson (Jr.-Griffin, Ga.) both picked off passes, including Lewis getting his toes down at the CUW 1-yard line to halt a drive.
Lewis's interception was followed by a play that immediately turned field position around. Whitley hit Morse deep down the right side, who took it all the way to the Concordia 13 for an 86-yard pass play, capping a 9-catch, 177-yard performance.
Lakeland piled up 30 first downs and outgained the Falcons 606-303. Despite surrendering a few big plays, the Muskies defense generally shut down CUW quarterback Aaron Nixon, who came into the game not far behind Whitley in the NACC and national statistics in total offense but was limited to 19 completions in 42 attempts for 187 yards and also minus-seven yards on 16 rush attempts.
Lewis finished with 10 tackles plus a sack in addition to his interception. Donte Rowell (So.-Chicago, Ill.) and Josh Schneider (Sr.-Green Bay, Wis.) both added sacks, Romain Johnson (Sr.-Pontiac, Mich.) and Vincent Stepney-Willis (Sr.-Madison, Wis.) shared a sack and Landon Derginer (Sr.-Marinette, Wis.) also added an interception and a blocked punt.
The Muskies close their regular season with a pair of home games, beginning with Rockford next week at Taylor Field. Game time will be noon, as starting times shift one hour earlier after turning the clocks back for the fall.
Muskies by the numbers:
0 - Total carries and rushing yards by Kezlow Smith before Saturday's game, when he rushed 12 times for 100 yards
3 - Blocked punts by Landon Derginer this year
11:14 - Advantage in time of possession for the Muskies on Saturday after holding the ball for 35:37 to Concordia's 24:23
15 - Season total for interceptions after three more interceptions by the Muskies defense on Saturday
17 - Passing touchdowns by Michael Whitley over the last four games
45.2 - Completion percentage for Concordia QB Aaron Nixon on Saturday. Nixon came into the game completing 67.1% of his passes.
86 - Yards of the pass from Whitley to Dezmen Morse in the fourth quarter, the team's second-longest pass play of the season
177 - Receiving yards for Morse, a career high as a Muskie
606 - Yards of total offense for Lakeland
Cheese Bowl stays at Lakeland after Muskies put away Falcons 48-21
/seasons/2015/boxscores/20151031_hwc2.xml
2015
Lakeland
48
Concordia (Wis.)
21
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lakeland (6-2) | 14 | 7 | 14 | 13 | 48 |
| Concordia (Wis.) (3-5) | 14 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 21 |
Oct 31, 2015