Michael Whitley (So.-Vidalia, La.) had his best day yet as a collegian accounting for eight touchdowns and the Lakeland College defense forced five turnovers in a resounding 61-35 win over Trine (Ind.) University Saturday afternoon at Taylor Field.
Whitley passed for 438 yards and six touchdowns and added 62 yards and two more scores rushing in another explosive performance for the Muskies offense. Lakeland rang the bell early and often in the first half for the second straight week in winning its third straight game and improving to 4-2 overall.
The Muskies dominated a solid opponent from the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association with a 48-point first half, backing up the team's 41 points scored last week in the first half against Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference foe Concordia University Chicago. Lakeland performed in all three phases in building a 61-14 lead after three quarters.
The Muskies' mastery began on their first offensive play, when Whitley found a wide-open Peyton Petersen (So.-Farmington Hills, Mich.) deep over the middle for a 61-yard touchdown just 1:29 into the game. The defense got in the act just over three minutes later when Landon Derginer (Sr.-Marinette, Wis.) had the first of his three big plays when he returned a fumble 71 yards for a touchdown and a 13-0 lead.
Michael Esiobu (Sr.-Chicago, Ill.) had a career day of his own, and later in the first quarter he took a 15-yard pass, broke several tackles and broke away for a 61-yard touchdown. Trine (3-3 overall) tried to keep up, answering the touchdowns by Derginer and Esiobu and trailing just 20-14 after a 62-yard touchdown pass from Taylor Masiewicz to Jeffery Barnett with 4:08 left in the quarter, but Lakeland struck again when Whitley made the Thunder pay on 4th and 5 from the Trine 18 when he hit Kezlow Smith (Sr.-Pontiac, Mich.) on a fade for six with just three seconds left in the quarter.
Leading 27-14 after just 15 minutes, the Lakeland defense and special teams took over. Donte Rowell (So.-Chicago, Ill.) intercepted a pass at the Trine 1 to stall a drive, and after a Levi Barske (Sr.-Antigo, Wis.) punt the Muskies got it right back when Derginer recovered a muffed return. Whitley ran 18 yards for a score on the next play, and he was in the end zone again for a three-yard touchdown run just over two minutes later, following an interception by Derginer.
Lakeland still wasn't done in the second quarter, as Dajuan Darling (So.-Detroit, Mich.) intercepted the Thunder deep in Muskies territory and returned it 72 yards. Smith caught his second touchdown on a six-yard toss from Whitley with 22 seconds left in the half for a 48-14 lead.
The Lakeland defense continued to hold Trine in the third quarter, and the Muskies added on two more touchdowns. Whitley rolled to his left and found Michael Wynn (Jr.-Detroit, Mich.) for a nine-yard touchdown to cap an 11-play, 94-yard drive, and Hunter Van Straten (Sr.-Shiocton, Wis.) got into the act with a four-yard catch for a score to finish a 10-play, 95-yard drive.
In all, Lakeland scored all 61 of its points in 45 minutes, just a week after scoring all 41 points against Concordia in 24 minutes. The Muskies also piled up 516 yards of offense and nine touchdowns despite holding the ball for just 22:29 compared to 37:31 for Trine.
Whitley finished completing 28 of 41 passes and also paced the team rushing with 11 carries for 62 yards. Esiobu caught 10 passes for 179 yards, both career highs, while Dezmen Morse (So.-Wisconsin Dells, Wis.) added five catches for 86 yards and Petersen also totaled four catches for 84 yards.
Derginer led the defense with 10 tackles (eight solo) plus three turnovers gained. Romain Johnson (Sr.-Pontiac, Mich.) notched eight tackles, and Josh Schneider (Sr.-Green Bay, Wis.) added 2.5 tackles for loss including 1.5 sacks among his four tackles. Alex Busch (Jr.-Green Bay, Wis.) also added a career-best five tackles including his first collegiate sack.
Masiewicz threw for 161 yards but was intercepted three times, and three Trine quarterbacks completed just 14 of 29 passes for 166 yards. The Thunder did pile up 297 yards rushing, much of it in the second half, including 97 yards rushing in the fourth quarter by Mark Wilson, who scored three touchdowns in the final quarter for the Thunder.
Lakeland is back in NACC play next Saturday when it travels to face Aurora (Ill.) University at 1 p.m. in Aurora, Ill.
Whitley, Muskies cranking on all cylinders in 61-35 win over Trine
/seasons/2015/boxscores/20151017_2rfk.xml
2015
Trine
35
Lakeland
61
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trine (3-3) | 14 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 35 |
| Lakeland (4-2) | 27 | 21 | 13 | 0 | 61 |
Oct 17, 2015