Saturday was a day for records for the Lakeland College football team, as one major team mark was broken and another tied in a 31-6 win over Rockford (Ill.) University at Taylor Field in the penultimate game of the regular season.
Quarterback Michael Whitley (So.-Vidalia, La.) set a new school record for total offense in a season while Kezlow Smith (Sr.-Pontiac, Mich.) tied the single-season mark for receiving touchdowns as the Muskies won their sixth straight game and improved to 7-2 overall. Lakeland also remained undefeated in the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference, improving to 5-0 and setting up a showdown next week at home against Benedictine (Ill.) University at noon for the conference title and an automatic berth in the NCAA Division III Playoffs.
Whitley passed for 277 yards and rushed for 87 yards, finishing with 364 yards of total offense to give him 3,306 yards for the season. He surpassed the previous school record of Mark Novara, who gained 3,250 yards rushing and passing in 1996.
Whitley also hooked up with Smith for three touchdown passes on Saturday, including a 44-yard score late in the fourth quarter to give the senior wide receiver 13 TD receptions for the season. Smith tied the school single-season record for touchdown receptions set by Matt Pawlyk in 2008.
In comparison to next week's winner-take-all matchup, this Saturday's game meant relatively little, as both Lakeland and Benedictine knew coming into the day that next week's game would be for the league title and playoff berth, regardless of this week's results. The Muskies and Eagles both ensured they would enter undefeated in league play, though, as Benedictine also moved to 5-0 in the NACC with a 32-24 comeback win over Aurora (Ill.) University on Saturday.
Lakeland had to earn everything it accomplished against Rockford (2-7 overall, 0-5 NACC), which entered with one of the top defenses in the conference. The Muskies were able to grind out 393 yards of offense but went through several frustrating stretches and were held below 41 points for the first time in five games.
Lakeland failed to gain a first down on eight drives and twice turned the ball over on fumbles. The Muskies also converted just 3 of 14 third down attempts, though they atoned for several missed third downs by going 4-for-5 on fourth down plays.
The Lakeland defense was up to the task, limiting the Regents to 173 yards of offense. That included six sacks of Rockford quarterback Adam O'Malley, as well as permitting just 38 yards rushing in 35 attempts.
The game started favorably as the Muskies scored on their first possession with Whitley's five-yard toss to Smith for a touchdown capping an eight-play, 76-yard drive. A two-point conversion pass by Peyton Petersen (So.-Farmington Hills, Mich.) to Hunter Van Straten (Sr.-Shiocton, Wis.) gave Lakeland an early 8-0 lead.
The Muskies scored again in the second quarter on an eight-yard pass from Whitley to Smith to cap a drive that included a pair of fourth down conversions. The score would stay at 15-0 for a while, though, as Lakeland would not score again until Conrad Foss (Fr.-Muskegon, Mich.) nailed a 23-yard field goal late in the third quarter.
Rockford took advantage of a Muskies turnover to get on the board early and make it 18-6 in the fourth quarter. Lakeland answered right back, though, as Petersen returned the ensuing kickoff past midfield and Whitley capped a 47-yard drive with a 1-yard sneak to make it 24-6.
Whitley completed 29 of 42 passes, while Smith caught 10 passes for 114 yards. Petersen made five grabs for 50 yards and Jody Harrison (So.-Pontiac, Mich.) added four catches for 60 yards. Marvin Warfield (Sr.-North Chicago, Ill.) also aided the rushing attack with a season-high eight rush attempts for 28 yards.
Romain Johnson (Sr.-Pontiac, Mich.) led the defense with nine tackles, two sacks and a forced fumble. Landon Derginer (Sr.-Marinette, Wis.) added eight tackles, including 1.5 tackles for loss, and Shawn Byrd (Fr.-Detroit, Mich.),Fred Fielding (Sr.-Black Creek, Wis.) and Vincent Stepney-Willis (Sr.-Madison, Wis.) all added full sacks, with Stepney-Willis also recovering a fumble.
Muskies by the numbers:
0.9 - Average yards per rush for Rockford on 38 rush attempts Saturday
1 of 13 - Rockford on third down conversions
4 - Fourth down conversions in five fourth down attempts for Lakeland
6 - Sacks by the Lakeland defense
8-0 - Lakeland's all-time record against Rockford
13 - Touchdown receptions this year for Kezlow Smith, tying Matt Pawlyk's school record for TD catches in a season
28 - Passing touchdowns this season by Michael Whitley, tied for the seccond-most in a season in school history
35 - Total rushing yards for Rockford
45.5 - Completion percentage of opposing quarterbacks over the Muskies' last seven games
60 - Yards receiving for Jody Harrison on Saturday, a season-high for the Muskies' wideout/third-string quarterback
3,306 - Yards of total offense for Whitley this season, a new school record, breaking Mark Novara's 19-year old record of 3,250 yards in 1996
Whitley, Smith write names in record books in Muskies’ 31-6 win over Rockford
/seasons/2015/boxscores/20151107_fa1w.xml
2015
Rockford
6
Lakeland
31
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rockford (2-7) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 6 |
| Lakeland (7-2) | 8 | 7 | 3 | 13 | 31 |
Nov 07, 2015