AURORA, Ill. – Michael Whitley (So.-Vidalia, La.) scored on an eight-yard touchdown run in the second overtime and the Lakeland College defense came up with crucial stops in both overtime periods in a 47-40 win over Aurora (Ill.) University Saturday afternoon at Vago Field.
The Muskies won their fourth straight game and remained perfect in the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference at 3-0 by surviving six turnovers as well as an extra point attempt with 37 seconds left in regulation that would've given the Spartans the lead. Lakeland also came up with a goal line stand in the first overtime on the way to winning in overtime for the second time this season, prevailing this time in the third-longest game in school history.
The Muskies (5-2 overall) stuffed Aurora on fourth-and-goal from the 1 in the first overtime but missed a chance to win when Whitley was intercepted by Brendan Fulton to end their first offensive possession. Lakeland capitalized on its next drive, though, with Whitley gaining all 25 yards on the ground, and the extra point by Conrad Foss (Fr.-Muskegon, Mich.) made it 47-40.
The Spartans (3-4 overall, 2-2 NACC) gained a first down on a 13-yard pass from Geron Rogers to Danny Logiurato and then got to 3rd-and-5 from the 8-yard line after a carry by Jonathan Stokes. Rogers then threw twice to the end zone but missed both times as the Muskies defense held in similar manner to its first overtime win earlier this season against Carroll University.
Lakeland overcame considerable adversity, much of it coming in a frustrating first half that included five turnovers in the game's first 22 minutes. Whitley was intercepted three times early, and a pair of fumbles also allowed the host Spartans to build early leads of 14-0 and 20-7.
A turning point came in the final minute of the first half, when Landon Derginer (Sr.-Marinette, Wis.) intercepted a tipped pass and returned it 30 yards down to the Aurora 17, and the Muskies scored four plays later on 3rd-and-3 when Whitley found Kezlow Smith (Sr.-Pontiac, Mich.) on a 10-yard score to make it 20-14 just before halftime.
The momentum continued in the second half. Peyton Petersen (So.-Farmington Hills, Mich.) returned the opening kickoff 57 yards, and Lakeland was in the end zone just two plays later when Whitley hit Michael Esiobu (Sr.-Chicago, Ill.) for a 29-yard touchdown, with Foss's extra point making it 21-20.
Another big special teams play also fueled the Muskies' next drive, as Michael Wynn (Jr.-Detroit, Mich.) returned a punt 51 yards, and it took four plays for Whitley to hook up with Smith for a 13-yard pass and a 27-20 lead.
Aurora came back with a 14-play, 75-yard drive that ended with Rogers connecting with Logiurato to tie the game at 27-27, and the two teams traded touchdowns in the fourth quarter. Whitley scored on a quarterback sneak to make it 34-27, but Brandon Evans answered with a one-yard run to tie it again.
Lakeland regained the lead again when Whitley's nine-yard run made it 40-34, but the extra point missed. That looked like it could be a fatal mistake when the Spartans went 64 yards in 10 plays as time wound down, with Logiurato catching a 16-yard pass from Rogers with 37 seconds left, but Aurora's extra point attempt also missed, setting up overtime.
Despite the turnovers, Whitley again finished with gaudy statistics, completing 28 of 45 passes for 363 yards and three touchdowns while also rushing 26 times for 84 yards and four touchdowns. Even with the turnovers, the Muskies owned a 444-383 advantage in yardage.
Esiobu had his second straight big day, catching eight passes for 141 yards. Smith also caught seven passes for 56 yards and Wynn added five catches for 60 yards.
Derginer led the defense with nine tackles, while Fred Fielding (Sr.-Black Creek, Wis.) and Donte Rowell (So.-Chicago, Ill.) added eight tackles each. Romain Johnson (Sr.-Pontiac, Mich.) added seven tackles including three tackles for loss.
Rogers completed 18 of 42 passes for 255 yards and three touchdowns for Aurora, with Logiurato his main target with 10 catches for 173 yards and all three scores. Lakeland's defense did a solid job against the run, limiting the Spartans to 128 yards on 58 rushing attempts (2.2 average).
The double-overtime game was the first in school history, and is exceeded in length only by a 26-23 loss at UW-Oshkosh in four overtimes Sept. 20, 2003 and by a 22-16 win over Eureka (Ill.) College in three overtimes Oct. 2, 1982.
Lakeland is on the road again next week for its annual Cheese Bowl game when it travels to Concordia University Wisconsin in Mequon for a 1 p.m. kickoff.
Muskies withstand turnovers, stiff challenge from Aurora to prevail in 2 OTs
/seasons/2015/boxscores/20151024_woyy.xml
2015
Lakeland
47
Aurora
40
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lakeland (5-2) | 0 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 7 | 47 |
| Aurora (3-4) | 14 | 6 | 7 | 13 | 0 | 40 |
Oct 24, 2015