PLYMOUTH, Wis. – The Cheese Bowl trophy is staying in Mequon.
The Concordia Wisconsin football team ran wild on Saturday afternoon, controlling the clock, forcing five turnovers and dominating the line of scrimmage in a 49-28 victory at Lakeland. The Falcons improved to 4-0 overall and 2-0 in the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference with their fifth-straight Cheese Bowl victory.
Saturday marked the 35th battle for the Cheese Bowl trophy, which originated in 1992 as a traveling trophy between the two programs when they were the lone Wisconsin members of the Illini-Badger Football Conference. The Falcons now lead the Cheese Bowl series, 20-15, and the all-time series, 26-20.
The fifth-straight victory over Lakeland also ties the longest winning streak for the Falcons in the series since CUW claimed five consecutive meetings from 2000 through 2004.
The Birds battered the Muskies on the ground to the tune of 299 rushing yards on 61 attempts and four touchdowns. CUW finished with 458 yards of total offense, converted 13-of-17 third downs and possessed the football for an eye-popping 40:43. Lakeland held the ball for just 19:17. The Falcons also finished a perfect 6-for-6 in the red zone.
The Falcons wasted little time setting the tone.
Senior quarterback Roman Funk (Scottsdale, Ariz.) connected with junior Victor Watson Jr. (Cypress, Texas) for a 16-yard touchdown to cap an eight-play, 57-yard opening drive and give CUW a 7-0 lead.
Lakeland answered with one of its few sustained strikes of the afternoon, marching 93 yards in five plays to tie the contest at seven.
From there, the Falcons took control.
Senior Jacob Pugh (Atlanta, Ga.) capped an 11-play, 65-yard march with a one-yard touchdown to put the Falcons back in front, 14-7.
CUW continued to chew up both yards and clock on its next possession. Sophomore Jerome Hinton (Racine, Wis.) punched in a two-yard touchdown to finish a 13-play, 60-yard drive that consumed 6:21 and stretched the advantage to 21-7.
The Blue and White were not done.
After the defense quickly returned the football to the offense, CUW marched 71 yards on 11 plays and drained another 5:49 off the clock. Funk found Watson once again for a 10-yard touchdown on an incredible catch to give the Falcons a commanding 28-7 advantage.
Lakeland received a break on the final play of the half when Zelmarious Banks intercepted a pass and returned it 86 yards for a touchdown as time expired. The unusual play cut the CUW advantage to 28-14 despite the Falcons controlling the majority of the opening 30 minutes.
The Falcons quickly erased any thoughts of a momentum swing in the third quarter.
Funk connected with Watson for the second time on an 18-yard touchdown strike to cap an 84-yard drive and push the advantage to 35-14.
Lakeland put together its other sustained scoring drive midway through the third quarter, going 65 yards in 13 plays and scoring on a four-yard touchdown pass to trim the margin to 35-21.
CUW immediately answered.
Funk finished a five-play drive with a six-yard touchdown run with 1:09 remaining in the third quarter to restore the three-touchdown advantage at 42-21.
The Falcon defense then started taking the football away.
Sophomore Bayer White (Port Washington, Wis.) picked off Carson Glosny early in the fourth quarter for his second interception of the afternoon. White finished the victory with two of CUW's four interceptions. Senior Devin Glowicki (Commerce City, Colo.) and junior Khalil Hargrove-Collins (Katy, Texas) also intercepted passes for the Blue and White.
The Falcons turned back to the ground game to put the Cheese Bowl out of reach.
Freshman Alijah Bright (Baytown, Texas) broke free for a 32-yard touchdown with 8:37 remaining, finishing a nine-play, 73-yard drive that took another 5:44 off the clock. The touchdown pushed the lead to 49-21 and provided a fitting finish to a dominant afternoon on the ground.
Bright led the rushing attack with 128 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries, including a game-long 51-yard run. Pugh powered his way to 113 yards and a touchdown on 23 attempts, while Hinton added 54 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries. Freshman Sylvio Joseph Jr. (West Palm Beach, Fla.) added eight yards on six attempts. Funk rushed for six yards and a touchdown, while Bradley added an 11-yard carry.
The defense had one more takeaway waiting for the Muskies.
Lakeland drove into the CUW red zone late in the fourth quarter, but freshman Ty Moore (Lac Du Flambeau, Wis.) knocked the ball loose from Hassan Rivers. Sophomore Cam Aiken (Ocala, Fla.) recovered the fumble at the CUW 23 to end the threat and give the Falcons their fifth takeaway of the afternoon.
Lakeland added a touchdown with 47 seconds remaining to account for the final margin.
Funk finished 12-of-18 through the air for 159 yards and three touchdowns. Watson hauled in five passes for 84 yards and two scores, while Bradley added three catches for 31 yards and a touchdown.
The numbers told the story of the afternoon. CUW ran 79 offensive plays, piled up 458 yards, rushed for 299 yards and held the football for more than two-thirds of the contest. The Falcon defense added four interceptions and a fumble recovery while limiting Lakeland to 98 rushing yards.
More importantly, the Cheese Bowl is headed back to Mequon for a fifth-straight year.
The Falcons have now won five consecutive meetings against the Muskies after the previous three were decided by three points or in overtime. This time, there was no late-game drama.
The Birds ran away with it, and ran home with the Cheese Bowl.
