WAUWATOSA, Wis. – Lakeland University was held to 221 yards as part of a forgettable offensive day and Wisconsin Lutheran College scored the final 20 points of the game to defeat the Muskies 34-14 Saturday afternoon at Raabe Stadium.
The Warriors dominated the second half and turned their home field into a place of frustration for Lakeland again, defeating the Muskies at home for the second straight year. WLC also improved to 2-4 overall and 2-2 in the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference, while Lakeland fell to 2-4 overall and 1-3 in conference.
The Muskies could get little going the entire day offensively, especially in the air with just 47 yards passing in the entire game. Lakeland also committed six turnovers, with four interceptions and two lost fumbles, and converted just 3 of 13 third downs and 0 of 4 fourth down tries, finishing with just nine first downs in the game.
Wisconsin Lutheran finished with 393 yards of offense and became the second straight team to dominate possession in the second half against Lakeland. Aided by converting 9 of 20 third downs as well as the Muskies' turnovers, the Warriors held the ball for more than 39 minutes in the game, including a heaping 21 minutes 18 seconds in the second half.
Lakeland gained over half of its yardage on two plays, including a 69-yard by Jatron Bevly (So.-Springfield, Ill.) in the second quarter and a 46-yard run by Robby Michael (So.-Sheboygan, Wis.) on the first play of the fourth quarter. The first one resulted in a 1-yard run for a score by Devon Harris (So.-Milwaukee, Wis.) to tie the game at 14-14 early in the second quarter, while the second was the lone bright spot of what became a nightmare fourth quarter for the Muskies.
Lakeland trailed 24-14 entering the final period and was driving after Michael's run, but it was followed on the very next play by a fumble and recovery by WLC. It would be the first of three straight turnovers in a span of five plays in the fourth quarter for the Muskies, with a pair of interceptions also quickly ending drives.
The Warriors would not score on the drives following any of the three turnovers, but Lakeland's offensive struggles eventually resulted in two more four-and-out drives stunted or stopped by sacks, giving Lutheran field position deep in Muskies territory. WLC salted the game away with a seven-yard touchdown run by Trevion Green with 4:11 left and added an Arnulfo Ortega field goal with 37 seconds remaining for the final points.
Lakeland was held to 80 yards total in the second half on nine drives with four turnovers in all, but also struggled in the first half, albeit in a closer game for the first 30 minutes. The Muskies even got on the board first, taking advantage after a blocked punt by Brekkan Spens (Fr.-Burbank, Calif.) gave them possession at the WLC 4, and Harris scored from three yards out after an option pitch from Michael for a 7-0 lead late in the first quarter.
Lutheran would come back to tie quickly, with Bryce Barbian hitting Emmitt Hawkins for a 50-yard touchdown on the first play of the second quarter to tie it at 7-7. WLC would score on its next drive too, with Green bursting 27 yards for a touchdown, the first of his three scores.
The Muskies responded with their quick four-play, 75-yard drive that included Bevly's longest run of the season, but would not score again. Michael's second of four interceptions thrown came late in the second quarter, and the Warriors would drive 53 yards in nine plays and take the lead on Ortega's 34-yard field goal with 1:38 left in the first half.
Bevly rushed 13 times for 92 yards, while Michael added 73 yards on the ground but completed just 8 of 23 passes for 47 yards. Keon Willis (So.-Chicago, Ill.) led the receiving corps with four catches for 29 yards.
Shamond Oliver (So.-Phenix City, Ala.) and Andrew Redditt (Fr.-New Orleans, La.) paced the defense with nine tackles each from the secondary, with Oliver adding a forced fumble and Redditt a fumble recovery. Karlis Ozols (Sr.-Fond du Lac, Wis.) also posted five tackles, with two tackles for loss including the Muskies' lone sack.
Barbian completed 21 of 42 passes for 233 yards for WLC, while Green rushed 32 times for 149 yards. Savon Goodwin led the Warriors defense with 10 tackles, five of them tackles for loss including two sacks.
Lakeland is back home next weekend to host Concordia University Chicago at 1 p.m. at Taylor Field.
Wisconsin Lutheran dominates second half, sends Lakeland to 34-14 loss
/seasons/2023/boxscores/20231007_romu.xml
2023
Lakeland
14
Wisconsin Lutheran
34
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lakeland (2-4) | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
| Wisconsin Lutheran (2-4) | 0 | 17 | 7 | 10 | 34 |
Oct 07, 2023