Lafayette McGary scored the go-ahead touchdown for Carthage College with 35 seconds left and the Lakeland College football team suffered a heartbreaking 29-28 loss Saturday afternoon on Homecoming at Taylor Field.
The Muskies finished a few feet from victory after a potential winning field goal attempt came up just shy as time expired. Lakeland led for almost the entire second half and could taste its first win over Carthage in years, but instead it was the Red Men winning the battle of streaks, winning for the 12th straight time in the series between the schools while also ending the Muskies' nine-game winning streak on Homecoming.
Lakeland (1-2 overall) used the passing game and a terrific disruptive defensive performance from Josh Schneider (Sr.-Green Bay, Wis.) to take the lead in the final seconds of the second quarter and led for all but three minutes of the second half.
Muskies quarterback Michael Whitley (So.-Vidalia, La.) passed for 367 yards and three touchdowns, including an 18-yard pass to a leaping Michael Esiobu (Sr.-Chicago, Ill.) in the corner of the end zone to give Lakeland a 20-14 lead with just seven seconds left in the first half. Whitley also rushed for an 11-yard touchdown with 7:29 left in the third quarter to answer a Carthage touchdown early in the second half and give the Muskies a 28-21 lead they would hold until the final minutes.
The game turned for the Red Men (1-2 overall) immediately after a play that actually was a win for Lakeland. The Muskies took over at the Carthage one-yard line after stopping the visitors on downs, but on the following offensive play Whitley was tackled in the end zone by K.J. Simpson for a safety to make the score 28-23.
The Red Men then took over near midfield after the free kick and one play later were on the doorstep of the red zone after Bobby Suchecki found James Cobbs for 27 yards. Carthage hammered ahead the next five plays all on the ground, and McGary's touchdown put his team ahead, though Schneider stopped him on a run attempt for two points to keep the score at 29-28.
Lakeland took over from its own 23 with 30 seconds left and made good use of its limited time. Whitley found Michael Wynn (Jr.-Detroit, Mich.) for 11 yards and then hit Kezlow Smith (Sr.-Pontiac, Mich.) for 34 yards over the middle to put the Muskies in Carthage territory with 16 seconds left. Lakeland gained another 10 yards after a holding penalty to set up a 40-yard field goal attempt with three seconds remaining, and the kick by Osman Saenz (Fr.-Houston, Texas) was right on target but just short of the crossbar.
Smith had another outstanding game that leaves him on the door step of setting a major school record. He caught 12 passes for 188 yards, including a 31-yard score from Whitley in the first quarter to tie the game at 7-7. Smith went over the 2,000-yard mark receiving for his career and leaped into third on Lakeland's all-time career receiving list. With 2,184 yards, he is now just 70 yards from tying the school mark of 2,254 yards held by MacArthur White (2004-07).
The Muskies defense was led by Schneider, who made residence in the Carthage backfield all day. The senior defensive end finished with a game-high 12 tackles, with six going for losses totaling 24 yards, including two sacks.
Lakeland surrendered 427 yards of offense but stiffened after the Red Men took a 14-7 lead early in the second quarter after a 59-yard touchdown run by London Townsend. Up until the final minutes, the Muskies held Carthage to just the single third quarter score, and benefitting from interceptions by Christopher Dickson (Jr.-Griffin, Ga.) and Shawn Byrd(Fr.-Detroit, Mich.).
Donte Rowell (So.-Chicago, Ill.) also had 11 tackles, including 2.5 tackles for loss. Romain Johnson (Sr.-Pontiac, Mich.) also added 2.5 tackles for loss among his six tackles.
Whitley completed 28 of 43 passes, while Esiobu finished with seven catches for 79 yards, while Dezmen Morse (So.-Wisconsin Dells, Wis.) also caught four passes for 51 yards, including a 36-yard touchdown pass from Whitley in the second quarter that tied the game at 14-14.
The Muskies had not lost on Homecoming since a 30-18 loss to Concordia University Wisconsin Oct. 21, 2006. Carthage now leads the all-time series 19-7 and has not lost to Lakeland since the Muskies scored a 17-16 win Sept. 13, 2003.
Lakeland now gets ready to open Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference play next Saturday when it travels to face Wisconsin Lutheran College at 1 p.m. in Milwaukee.
Carthage scores in final minute to nip Lakeland in Homecoming game
/seasons/2015/boxscores/20150926_ipi3.xml
2015
Carthage
29
Lakeland
28
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carthage (1-2) | 7 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 29 |
| Lakeland (1-2) | 7 | 13 | 8 | 0 | 28 |
Sep 26, 2015