EUREKA, Ill. – Charles Kobe (So.-Glendale, Wis.) tied an NCAA Division III record with three blocked punts, Larry Rivers (Sr.-Dearborn Heights, Mich.) rushed for three more touchdowns and Lakeland University made splash plays in all three phases of the game to defeat Eureka College 45-16 Saturday afternoon at McKinzie Field.
The Muskies won their third straight game to improve to 7-1 overall and 5-1 in the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference, and set up a showdown with Aurora University next week. Lakeland will get its shot to take down the first-place Spartans and create a tie at the top of the NACC standings next week at Taylor Field on Senior Day.
The Muskies never trailed against the Red Devils (2-7 overall, 2-5 NACC) on Saturday, getting another big offensive performance in the first half to go with outstanding defense and special teams throughout.
Lakeland scored on its first two possessions to take a quick 14-0 lead as Rivers scored touchdowns from 21 and 5 yards out, and the Muskies would score 31 points in the first half in taking a 31-16 lead into the halftime break.
The Lakeland offense would actually sputter in the second half, gaining just 30 yards on its final nine drives, but it didn't matter as the defense was even more stingy. The Muskies limited Eureka to just one yard and three first downs (one via penalty) in holding the hosts scoreless in the final 30 minutes.
Lakeland's defense held Eureka to 252 yards in the game, including 60 yards on 46 rushing attempts (average of 1.3 yards per attempt). The Muskies finished with 16 tackles for loss-including 4.5 for Chris Daniels (So.-Cedar Grove, Wis.)-and six quarterback sacks, including two by Andrew Cardiel (Sr.-Needville, Texas). The Red Devils also converted just 3 of 19 third downs, and Cardiel, Jayson Wilder (Jr.-Milwaukee, Wis.) and Matt Glogowski (Fr.-San Diego, Calif.) all intercepted passes to bring the Muskies' season total to 19 picks.
The Muskies also got a special performance on special teams from Kobe, who blocked three punts to tie an NCAA Division III record for punt blocks in a game. A reserve linebacker, Kobe's first career punt block came in the first quarter shortly after Lakeland had built a 14-0 lead, and Trevion Smith (Sr.-Griffin, Ga.) returned the free ball 30 yards for a touchdown, only for the return to be called back due to an inadvertent whistle.
Kobe added two more blocks in the third quarter, and the first of those two did result in points, after he smothered a punt in the end zone and Karlis Ozols (So.-Fond du Lac, Wis.) recovered for a touchdown and a 38-16 lead. Kobe busted through for another block on a punt at the end of the Red Devils' next drive, and with it he tied a mark held by five other players, first set by Jim Perryman of Millikin (Ill.) University in 1980 and tied most recently by Matt Sheridan of Moravian (Pa.) College in 2005.
Lakeland won even with an offensive performance not quite up to the lofty standards the unit has cranked at most of the season. The Muskies gained 429 yards, a respectable number for any team but nearly 90 yards below the team's average of 519.3 yards per game entering the contest. In addition to their second half struggles, Lakeland also converted just 1 of 11 third downs, completed less than 50 percent of its passes and committed three turnovers.
What the offense lacked in efficiency, it made up for with big plays, especially early. Charl'Tez Nunnery (Sr.-Liberty, Miss.) completed 14 of 30 passes but for 290 yards, with seven of those completions going for 23 yards or more.
Brice Kensey (Sr.-New Orleans, La.) caught eight passes for 155 yards and Mason Prunick (Sr.-Sheboygan, Wis.) added three catches for 90 yards, and both caught 47-yard passes from Nunnery in the first half. Devin Martin (Fr.-Conyers, Ga.) also caught a 23-yard touchdown from Nunnery early in the second quarter to give Lakeland a 21-9 lead, and the Muskies answered another Eureka score when Nunnery hit Kensey for 40 yards and then Prunick for a 35-yard score to cap a lightning-quick, two-play, 75-yard drive for a 28-16 lead.
The Muskies also finished the first half with one more deep ball just after an interception by Wilder with just seconds remaining in the half. Taking over at the Red Devils' 47 with just 10 seconds left on the clock, Nunnery hit Jaylen Rido (Sr.-Houston, Texas) for 39 yards down to the Eureka 8, and Peyton Domangue (So.-Thibodaux, La.) hit a 25-yard field goal as time expired for a 31-16 halftime lead.
The bread-and-butter of the offense was supplied by Rivers, who carried 19 times for 107 yards and three touchdowns. The senior, already a 1,000-yard rusher this year coming in after just seven games, topped the 100-yard mark for the eighth straight game and upped his season and Division III-leading touchdown total to 20, just one shy of the long-standing Muskies record for TDs in a season set by Pat Curran in 1967 and again in 1968.
Shazon Crutcher (Sr.-Lansing, Mich.) finished with a team-high 10 tackles including three tackles for loss. Daniels added nine tackles and Cardiel and Ezekiel Combs (Sr.-East Point, Ga.) added seven tackles each.
Lakeland hosts Aurora next Saturday for a 1 p.m. kickoff at Taylor Field. The Muskies enter one game behind the Spartans in the NACC standings and tied for second with Benedictine University, but with a win would tie Aurora for first in the conference.
Kobe ties D-III blocked punts record, Lakeland handles Eureka to move to 7-1
/seasons/2021/boxscores/20211030_of3r.xml
2021
Lakeland
45
Eureka
16
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lakeland (6-1) | 14 | 17 | 14 | 0 | 45 |
| Eureka (2-6) | 7 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 16 |
Oct 30, 2021