LAKE FOREST, Ill. – The Lake Forest College football team scored two touchdowns in the final 6:42 to pull away and post a 35-14 Midwest Conference victory over Lawrence University on Saturday at Farwell Field.
The Foresters led 21-14 when Kevin Davis caught a 59-yard touchdown pass from Pete Scaffidi. Ed Dobernig then returned an interception 39 yards for a touchdown to seal the win for Lake Forest (1-7, 1-6 MWC).
Scaffidi was 14 of 22 passing and got more than one-third of his 155 passing yards on one pass to Davis. Brock Stenberg ran 19 times for 75 yards to pace Lake Forest’s ground game.
Lawrence (1-7, 1-6) played nearly the entire game without starting quarterback Luke Barthelmess, who was injured on the second play of the game and did not return. Freshman Sam Kossow came on in relief and was 26 of 52 passing for 279 yards and two touchdowns. Kossow also ran 18 times for 45 yards.
Lake Forest jumped out to a 21-0 lead at the half, but the Vikings rallied in the third quarter.
Kossow finished a six-play, 63-yard drive with a 3-yard touchdown pass to Jon Bruehl with 12:52 left in the third quarter to trim the margin to 21-7. The big play on the drive was Kossow’s 50-yard completion to Jeremiah Johnson to give the Vikings a first down at the Lake Forest 8-yard line.
Lawrence’s next scoring drive was set up when Sam Wagner intercepted a Scaffidi pass at the Lake Forest 28. After a penalty, Kossow then hit Mason Garcia with a 23-yard pass to the Lake Forest 10. Kossow then connected with Johnson for a touchdown on the next play to cut the margin to 21-14. Johnson caught eight passes for 100 yards to pace the Lawrence receivers.
Lawrence then drove to the Lake Forest 14, but a fumble was recovered by Lake Forest’s Jordan Cruz to snuff out that drive. The Vikings were driving early in the fourth quarter, but Dobernig intercepted Kossow at the Lake Forest 19 to stop that threat.
Scaffidi then connected with Davis on the 59-yard scoring pass for a 28-14 lead.
Dobernig then intercepted Kossow at the Lawrence 39 and returned it for a score with just 1:22 left in the contest to complete the scoring.
Lawrence returns to the Banta Bowl next Saturday to face Beloit College.