Michael Whitley (Fr.-Vidalia, La.) came off the bench to rush for 117 yards and throw a touchdown pass in the fourth quarter and the Lakeland College defense was superb again in a 14-0 win over Aurora (Ill.) University Saturday afternoon at Taylor Field.
The Muskies won their fourth straight game to move to 4-3 and improved to 4-0 in the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference. Lakeland also shut out an opponent for the first time since 2011 by continuing to play the defense that has resulted in its ranking among the NCAA Division III leaders in a number of defensive categories.
The Muskies held Aurora (1-6 overall, 1-3 NACC) to 171 yards of offense and 10 first downs in the game. The Spartans converted just 2 of 16 third down tries and were 0-for-3 on fourth downs, while Yaphay Harvey (Sr.-Milwaukee, Wis.) and Trevor Tanck (Sr.-Baileys Harbor, Wis.) and supplied the big plays for Lakeland.
Harvey intercepted a pair of passes in the first half, pushing his team-leading total to five picks on the season. Tanck finished with three sacks, all in the fourth quarter as the Muskies shut down any last possible chances for the Spartans to score.
Lakeland also had a quiet day on offense, struggling to pass with a strong breeze filling the air. The Muskies finished with 289 yards, 186 of those yards on the ground and many of those coming in the second half.
A.J. Veloz (Fr.-Whiting, Ind.) hit Michael Esiobu (Jr.-Chicago, Ill.) over the middle for a 5-yard touchdown and a 7-0 lead in the first quarter, capping a 6-play, 33-yard drive in the first quarter following Harvey's first interception.
Veloz struggled after that, though, and Whitley took over in the third quarter and sparked the offense with his running. Among his 13 carries he broke off runs of 22, 25, and the big one of 46 yards on option plays, the latter playing a big role in the Muskies' second scoring drive.
On 2nd-and-4 from Lakeland's own 44 early in the fourth quarter, Whitley kept the ball and broke free for 46 yards down to the Aurora 10. The Muskies punched it in three plays later on 3rd-and-goal from the 12, as Whitley faked the run and tossed to Josh Hardy (Jr.-Logansport, Ind.) in the right flat, with Hardy scoring easily for his first collegiate touchdown.
The defense preserved the shutout the rest of the way, though not without an anxious moment. Following the second touchdown, the Spartans drove down deep into Lakeland territory, getting as far as the 9-yard line before the Muskies stiffened. Harvey tackled Aurora running back Jake Apple for a 5-yard loss, and two straight incompletions followed, the last on fourth down as Lakeland took over on downs.
Kendrick Burks (Sr.-Pontiac, Mich.) carried 17 times for 61 yards and moved into fifth on Lakeland's all-time rushing list with 2,141 career yards. Kezlow Smith (Jr.-Pontiac, Mich.) caught four passes for 45 yards, but on the day Muskie quarterbacks were just 8 of 25 for 103 yards.
Landon Derginer (Jr.-Marinette, Wis.) led the defense with seven tackles, with Harvey adding six, including two tackles for loss. Tanck and Dajuan Darling (Fr.-Detroit, Mich.) also had six tackles.
Apple came into the game as the NACC's leading rusher, but gained just 52 yards on 27 carries. Aurora gained just 72 yards rushing on 40 attempts (1.8 average per carry), and Spartan quarterbacks also completed just 7 of 24 passes for 99 yards.
The Muskies have now held their last four opponents to a combined 21 points, the best four-game stretch by a Lakeland defense in 31 years. The last time a Muskie defense held opponents to a lower total over four games was in 1983, when the team coached by Monte Cater held its first four opponents to a combined 14 points.
Lakeland steps out of conference play next week when it travels to Alma, Mich., to face Alma (Mich.) College at noon Central time. The Muskies also are on track now for a showdown for first place in the NACC in two weeks, when they'll host defending conference champion Concordia University Wisconsin (5-2 overall, 3-0 NACC) in the Cheese Bowl game.
Whitley sparks Lakeland, defense pitches shutout in 14-0 win over Aurora
/seasons/2014/boxscores/20141025_ff2y.xml
2014
Aurora
0
Lakeland
14
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aurora (1-6) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Lakeland (4-3) | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
Oct 25, 2014