On Saturday, the Benedictine University football team will take the field for the final home game this season at the Village of Lisle/Benedictine University Sports Complex. Kick-off is set for 1:00 p.m. against the Muskies of Lakeland College, and the game could very well decide who represents the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference in the NCAA Division III Tournament.
 
Heading into Saturday's contest, Lakeland (6-3, 5-0) sits in first place, followed by Wisconsin Lutheran (6-3, 4-1) and BenU (5-4, 4-1). A victory over Lakeland on Saturday is a must for Benedictine to earn at least a share of the NACC Championship and give themselves a chance to qualify for the NCAA Division III Tournament. The Eagles would advance with a victory plus a Concordia University Wisconsin (5-4, 3-2) win over Wisconsin Lutheran, but if Wisconsin Lutheran manages to defeat CUW, a three-way tie would be created. In this case, the determining tie-breaker would be point-differential, and the Eagles need to defeat Lakeland by at least 15 points to earn the automatic bid.
 
The Eagles appear to be heating up at the right time, having won four consecutive contests (all NACC games) and scoring 112 points over that span. BenU has outgained opponents by an average of 430-193 in the four victories, led by the emergence of quarterback Ryan Keener and wide receiver Greg German. Keener has completed 65 of 96 passes (67%) for 956 yards, 13 touchdowns, and one interception on the winning streak, with 18 receptions, 421 yards, and seven of the touchdowns courtesy of German. Each one has earned an NACC Player of the Week honor over the time of the streak, along with Rodney Nichols on defense and Artie Monaco on special teams.
 
Much like BenU, Lakeland is also on a roll, having won six straight games since starting the season 0-3. The Muskies have used a dominant defense to control the conference, allowing just 31 points in the five conference wins. On offense, quarterback A.J. Veloz is second in the NACC in both passing yards (207.1 per game) and passing touchdowns (17), while wide receiver Kezlow Smith is second in receiving yards (838) and third in receiving touchdowns (seven).
 
The story of this matchup could come down to the defenses, as the Eagles and Muskies boast the NACC's top two units. Lakeland leads the conference in total defense, passing defense, rushing defense, sacks, and takeaways, while BenU ranks second in total defense, passing defense, sacks, and takeaways. Both teams also have controlled the clock, as the Muskies (first) and Eagles (second) lead the conference in time of possession.
 
Last season's matchup against Lakeland was a defensive struggle as well, with the Muskies defeating BenU in Lisle 15-12. Prior to last year, the Eagles had won three consecutive matchups over Lakeland. The Eagles are 18-23 all-time in the series.
 
Live audio, video, and statistics will be available for Saturday's game at http://portal.stretchinternet.com/benu/#.