Late LFC touchdown sends Blueboys to first loss
Lake Forest College scored a go-ahead touchdown with 1:12 remaining and the hosts held on for a 35-28 victory, sending the Illinois College football team to its first loss of the 2012 season on Saturday afternoon in Lake Forest.
"Today's game was an absolute battle and I'm proud of how our kids performed," said Illinois College head football coach Garrett Campbell. "It was a great college football game. We just came out on the wrong end, unfortunately."
Illinois College quarterback Michael Bates played sparingly after suffering an apparent injury on the Blueboys' first drive of the game. Bates returned in the third quarter, however, and finished the game with 147 passing yards and one touchdown pass. Kendall Gibson, playing in Bates' stead, threw for 92 yards and a touchdown. Neither threw an interception.
The Blueboys were limited to a total of 100 rushing yards, with Cecil Brimmage's 36 yards and one touchdown leading a pack of five rushers. Dakota Lammy also scored a rushing touchdown for the Blueboys.
Kevin Fuller was on the receiving end of touchdown passes from both Bates and Gibson on Saturday. He finished with three catches for 53 yards.
Kurt Frischman, Robert Lopez and Dylan DeFauw made nine tackles each for IC. Joe Gaines made two interceptions.
Lake Forest scored first Saturday, but IC tied things up with Brimmage's touchdown run, a 1-yard plunge. A 7-yard touchdown pass from Gibson to Fuller put the Blueboys up 14-0 at the end of the first quarter.
The hosts knotted things up in the second quarter, and then promptly answered answered Illinois College's next two touchdowns: a 20-yard run from Lammy at the end of the first half and a 29-yard pass from Bates to Fuller on Bates' first play back after re-entering the game late in the third quarter.
A 3-yard run from Lake Forest's Al Mitchell with 1:12 left put the hosts ahead for good. The Blueboys got the ball back with more than a minute left, and drove the ball 40 yards into Lake Forest territory, but turned the ball over on downs.
IC fell to 4-1 overall and 3-1 in the Midwest Conference with the loss. The Blueboys host Beloit College next Saturday at 1 p.m.
