APPLETON, Wis. -- The Lawrence University football team dropped a wild 38-37 Midwest Conference decision to Illinois College on Saturday on Ron Roberts Field at the Banta Bowl.
    The Vikings led 23-7 at the half and were still up 37-26 early in the fourth quarter, but Illinois College scored the final two touchdowns to pull out the improbable win.
    Lawrence quarterback D'Andre Weaver completed 21-of-46 passes for 293 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. Cameron Wicks grabbed six passes for 109 yards and a touchdown for the Vikings. Wicks also blocked a punt to force a safety.
    Logan Olson had six catches for 55 yards, and Jaidon Bond pulled in five passes for 64 yards and a score for Lawrence. The Vikings piled up 354 yards of offense, compared to 279 for the Blueboys.
    Lawrence linebacker Eder Bellegarde had another huge game as he made 15 tackles, 11 solo, and that included 4.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks. Donzell Andress also had a double-digit tackle game as he finished with 10 stops for the Vikings.
    The Vikings (1-5,0-5 MWC) played an inspired first half after getting down by a touchdown just three plays into the game after a fumble on the opening kickoff. Lawrence tied the game late in the first quarter when the Vikings moved 45 yards in eight plays for a touchdown. Olson, Bond and Wicks all caught passes on the drive, and Bond grabbed the 10-yard touchdown pass for a 7-7 tie with 1:43 left in the opening quarter.
    A short punt gave the Vikings good field position midway through the second quarter, and Lawrence moved the ball down the field. Completions to Olson and Tanner Morris moved the ball to the Illinois College 32-yard line, and Weaver then hit Morris with a 32-yard touchdown pass. Andre Mazur's extra point was blocked and Lawrence led 13-7.
    The Vikings then picked up a safety late in the first half. Zachary Spain was back to punt for the Blueboys in the end zone, and that punt was blocked by Wicks. The ball bounded out of the back of the end zone for a safety and Lawrence led 15-7.
    Lawrence then took the ensuing free kick and moved 55 yards in 10 plays for another touchdown. Bond had a key 23-yard catch to the Illinois College 19, and Nicholas Pastrone gave the Vikings a first-and-goal with a 12-yard reception. Lawrence scored three plays later as Weaver found Wicks on a two-yard pass, and a little trickery on the two-point conversion gave the Vikings a 23-7 edge.
    Lawrence limited Illinois College to just 64 yards in the first half. 
    The teams traded turnovers as Illinois College fumbled the second-half kickoff, and Lawrence fumbled it back on the next play. The Blueboys scored five plays later to trim the lead to 23-13. 
    Another special teams mistake by the Blueboys (1-5, 1-4) handed Lawrence another touchdown. The ball was snapped over head of Spain on a punt, and it ended up in a scrum in the end zone. Billy Wallisch came up with the ball for the Vikings, and the two-point conversion gave Lawrence a 31-13 lead.
    After the Lawrence defense came up with a stop, Cameron Jones picked off Weaver and returned it 31 yards for a touchdown to trim the lead to 31-19. Illinois College put together a 45-yard drive for a touchdown on its next possession to cut the margin to 31-26.
    An Illinois College penalty on the ensuing kickoff gave Lawrence the ball at its own 47, and the Vikings took advantage of the good field position. Wicks had a 27-yard catch on the drive, which ended with Mazur connecting on a 31-yard field goal and a 34-26 lead.
    Lawrence picked up three more points on its next drive as Wicks caught a Weaver pass and raced 45 yards to the Illinois College seven. The Vikings had to settle for Mazur's 21-yard field goal and a 37-26 lead with 13:32 left in the fourth quarter.
    Illinois College scored on its next play from scrimmage as quarterback Destin Chance hit Collin Brunstein with a 52-yard scoring pass to trim the lead 37-32. 
    Lawrence drove to the Illinois College 35 on its next drive before punting it away. The Vikings stopped the Blueboys on the next possession and then drove to the Illinois College 32. Facing a fourth-and-five, Weaver found Olson, but the officials ruled Olson had juggled the ball and called the pass incomplete.
    The Blueboys quickly got a 26-yard completion to Brunstein and a 24-yard completion to KJ Corley to move to the Lawrence eight. Facing third-and-goal from the three, Chance ran it in for a touchdown and a 38-37 lead with 1:34 left. 
    Lawrence had one final possession, but the Vikings faced fourth-and-17 at their own 23-ayrd line. Weaver hit Wicks, who came up two yards short of a first down to keep the drive alive.
    Lawrence returns to the Banta Bowl next Saturday when it hosts Beloit College.