APPLETON, Wis. -- The Lawrence University football team rallied in the fourth quarter Saturday but came up one point short in a 35-34 Midwest Conference loss to Knox College on Ron Roberts Field at the Banta Bowl.
    Lawrence scored with 30 seconds left to trim the lead to a single point, but the Vikings failed on a two-point conversion when a pass was tipped away by a Knox defender in the end zone.
    Lawrence quarterback Aidan Williams went 22-for-36 for 314 yards and five touchdowns, which ties for the second-most in a game in school history. Wide receiver Alex Lippert grabbed eight passes for 127 yards and three touchdowns for the Vikings. Jackson Barbour caught eight passes for 91 yards and a touchdown, and Dane Torrence grabbed three passes for 53 yards and a touchdown.
    Linebacker Jon Pasquarello made 12 tackles, including eight solos, to pace the Lawrence defense. Rex Pearson had eight stops, including 2.0 tackles for loss, for the Vikings. 
    Lawrence (1-8, 1-7 MWC) carved out a 14-7 lead at the half as Barbour caught a 46-yard scoring pass and Lippert grabbed a 36-yard touchdown pass.
    Knox (3-6, 2-6) rallied behind backup quarterback Clay McClelland, who came into the game when the Vikings knocked Will Vines out of the contest. Knox scored 21 straight points in the third quarter to grab a 28-14 lead. 
    The Vikings took the first possession of the fourth quarter and moved right down the field. The key play was Hunter Carlson romping for 34 yards on a screen pass to the Knox 41-yard line. Four plays later, Williams hit Torrence for a 22-yard touchdown pass to trim the lead to 28-21.
    Knox struck back when McClelland ran 50 yards for a touchdown to push the lead to 35-21. 
    The Prairie Fire opened the door for the Vikings when McClelland's pitch to a back was off-target. Lawrence's Chris Lozano recovered the fumble at the Knox 22. It was one of six Knox fumbles on the day, but the Prairie Fire was able to recover four of them. Williams hit Lippert for a touchdown on the next play, and that cut the lead to 35-28 with 8:15 remaining.
    Knox ran nearly six minutes off the clock on its next possession, but Carter Rivers stuffed McClelland on fourth down at the Lawrence 33 to end the threat with 2:19 remaining.
    Lawrence moved the ball briskly down the field with a mix of runs and passes and got a pass interference penalty for a first down at the Knox 11. The drive stalled and Lawrence was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct when Knox was tardy in allowing a Lawrence receiver to get off the ground. The Vikings were now facing fourth-and-20 at the Knox 26.
    Lippert started his route to the inside and then moved back outside where Williams found him for the touchdown to trim the lead to 35-34 with 30 seconds left. 
    The Vikings went for two and the win, but Williams fumbled the shotgun snap. He quickly recovered and found Kyle Zumdome in the back of the end zone, but a Knox defender was there to tip the ball away to secure the win.
    Lawrence wraps up its season next Saturday when it travels to Ripon College.