LAKE FOREST, Ill. — Lawrence University fell to Lake Forest College 72-0 on Saturday at Farwell Field, with the Foresters scoring on every red zone opportunity.
The first quarter began with Lawrence kicking off to Lake Forest, who won the toss. The Vikings' defense made a significant impact early when
Tucker Holmes forced a fumble recovered by
Wyatt Walters at the Foresters' 49-yard line, but the following drive was unable to capitalize on this turnover.
RJ Connell's passing attempts were largely unsuccessful, and the team was forced to punt.
Despite Lawrence's defensive efforts, the Foresters managed to score a touchdown with 3:01 remaining in the quarter. This score was followed by a successful extra point, giving Lake Forest a 7-0 lead as the quarter concluded.
Lawrence faced challenges in the second quarter as the Foresters extended their lead. Early in the quarter,
Boris Christensen's pass was intercepted by Jackson Sander, setting up Lake Forest at the Vikings' 12-yard line. This turnover led to a touchdown by Ethan Springer, which contributed to Lake Forest's 17-0 lead.
Later, Lawrence struggled to gain momentum, with
RJ Connell's fumble recovered by Lake Forest's Preston Mosher at the 14-yard line. Lake Forest capitalized on this with another touchdown, and by the end of the second quarter, Lake Forest led 38-0. The half concluded with this score, marking a decisive victory for Lake Forest.
The third quarter began with Lawrence attempting to gain momentum, receiving a fresh set of downs after the Foresters committed a roughing the kicker penalty. However, Lawrence struggled to capitalize on this opportunity, with subsequent plays resulting in negative yardage from both rushing and penalties. Lake Forest's defense held strong, and Lawrence was unable to advance significantly on their drives.
Lake Forest capitalized on their possession with effective plays, including a 14-yard pass from Ethan Springer to Luka Nikolich and a 38-yard rushing touchdown by Brayden Long. The Vikings managed a 15-yard pass completion from
RJ Connell to
Dane Torrence, but further progress was halted. The quarter ended with Lake Forest extending its lead, and the game concluded with a final score of Lake Forest 59, Lawrence 0.
Lawrence's defense stood strong early in the fourth quarter with
Brady Dilworth and
Rex Pearson combining on a tackle, which contributed to stalling Lake Forest's drive following a missed field goal attempt. Offensively,
RJ Connell connected with
Parker Wittmayer for a 9-yard gain, and
Micah Hinton secured a first down with a 4-yard rush during a drive that ultimately ended in a punt. Despite the effort, Lake Forest extended their lead with a touchdown drive that included a short pass from Robert Knorr to James Jordan. Lawrence's
RJ Connell later engineered a drive aided by penalties, but it concluded with a turnover on downs. The game concluded with Lake Forest maintaining their advantage, ending with a final score of 72-0.
Jon Pasquarello led the Vikings' defense with 14 total tackles.
Brady Dilworth followed closely, contributing eight tackles from the cornerback position.
Tucker Holmes added seven tackles and forced a fumble.
Wyatt Walters made a notable impact by recovering a fumble in the game.
