LISLE, IL - The Benedictine University football team scored 28 points in the third quarter including 21 straight to help complete a 54-40 comeback win in a shootout with Lakeland.

Lakeland needed just 1:43 to take the lead, marching 75 yards after receiving the opening kickoff to grab a 6-0 lead. The extra point attempt was blocked by Blake Davis and scooped up by Cyrus Taylor, who returned the ball all the way back for a two-point conversion to make the score 6-2. Benedictine fumbled the ensuing kickoff and Lakeland took advantage to open a 12-2 lead with 11:58 to go in the opening quarter.

The teams traded possessions before Benedictine utilized a 13-play drive to score their first touchdown when Tyler Jarnagin connected with Anthony Senerchia on a four-yard score to make the score 12-9 with just over two minutes left in the first. The opening quarter took nearly an hour as Lakeland responded with a quick five-play drive covering 85 yards to stretch the lead to 19-9 in the final minute of the first. A penalty set up Benedictine with a short field and Tanner Mateus booted a 24-yard field goal to pull Benedictine within 19-12 with 13:06 remaining in the half. Lakeland needed just two plays to answer, grabbing a 26-12 edge with 12:34 left in the half.

Benedictine scored the final 14 points of the half. Deandre Holliday caught a 28-yard touchdown pass with 9:05 left to make the score 26-19 and after Jordan Wilkins recovered a fumble in the Benedictine redzone, Nick Shelton caught a 13-yard touchdown with :37 left to tie the game. Lakeland drove all the way down to the one-yardline in the closing second of the half but passed on a field goal and were stopped as time expired in the first.

Storming out of the gates to begin the third, Benedictine tallied 21 straight points to notch 35 in a row in the contest. Jarnagin scampered in from six yards out on the opening drive of the half  to put Benedictine ahead for the first time at 33-26 with 12:41 remaining in the third. Chris Williams intercepted a pass and returned it 31 yards for a touchdown to extend the lead to 40-26 with 11:54 to go in the third. After stopping Lakeland on fourth down, Jarnagin hit Sami Ayash for a 40-yard touchdown to push the lead to 47-26 with 10:39 left in the third.

Lakeland marched 75 yards on the next drive to score and draw within 47-33 before a 71-yard drive was finished with Ayash reeling in a four-yard touchdown to make the score 54-33 late in the third. Lakeland scored on the enusing possession to finish the scoring in the contest. Benedictine was able to grind out the win by using a 19-play drive in the fourth that spanned nearly 10 minutes.

Both teams piled up over 500 yards of offense with Benedictine accumulating 523 while holding the ball for 41:41 of the game. The offense notched 378 yards through the air and 145 on the ground. Jarnagin completed 29 passes to seven different receivers, throwing five touchdowns to four receivers and adding a rushing touchdown after running for 37 yards. Shelton caught nine passes for 121 yards and a touchdown with Ayash nabbing seven for 108 with two scores. Gregory Hoard rushed 19 times for 89 yards. Ahmad Washington again led the defense, finishing with 12 tackles and a forced fumble. Joel Nanni notched 11 tackles with Denzel Simmon adding 10. Williams and Taylor both recorded interceptions.

Benedictine (5-1, 4-0 NACC) is off next week before hosting Rockford on October 23.