Lakeland College

Lakeland Muskies at Concordia, Wis., Falcons Football Preview

Athletics - posted on 10/11/2005

Where: Concordia University, Mequon, Wis., Century Stadium

Kickoff: 1 p.m., Saturday

Records: Lakeland 4-2, 3-0 IBFC; Concordia 4-2, 3-0 IBFC.

Who to watch: Lakeland will need a strong game from senior quarterback Ryan Maiuri to be successful. Maiuri has rushed for as many touchdowns (7) as he has thrown this season. Freshman Brandon Erdman has stepped up and is currently second on the team in rushing with 53.4 yards a game. Lakeland's rushing game will face perhaps the biggest defensive line in the IBFC outside of its own. Lakeland's rushing defense is second in the conference and it will be tested as Concordia has lived and died with the running game all season. Concordia will have to find a way to avoid senior Ryan Van De Loo, who leads the Muskie defense in tackles (37.5), tackles for a loss (14.5), sacks (5) and interceptions (4). Another standout on the defensive end of the ball has been freshman John Wagner. The Kewaunee native is currently second in tackles with 31.5.

Immanuel Mills is Concordia's leading rusher averaging over 108 yards per game. The Falcons also rely on Mike Steinmetz (67.6 ypg) and Aaron Gillespie (48.8 ypg) among others when it comes to their rushing game. The team as a whole rushes for 293.7 yards a game and has racked up 1,762 yards on the season, good for first place in the IBFC in rushing yards. The Falcons also sport a solid defense ranked second in the league behind Lakeland. The Falcons have proven their ability to stop teams behind the line of scrimmage as they have registered 49 tackles for a loss on the season, led by Bobby Langston (10) and Adam Kloskey (9).

What's at stake: There is no question that the stakes are high for this match-up; it is a battle of the two teams leading nearly every statistical category in the league. Not only is it Concordia's homecoming and the "Cheese Bowl" trophy on the line, both teams are coming into this game as the only remaining undefeated IBFC teams, sporting 3-0 records. The winner controls their own destiny for the IBFC championship and the league's automatic berth in the NCAA D-III playoffs.

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