Football Preview: Normal University Pioneers vs. Lanphier Lions
Normal University has gone 6-1 against Lanphier recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Friday. The Normal University Pioneers will take on the Lanphier Lions at 7:00 p.m. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Normal University has three straight victories, Lanphier has 17 straight defeats), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
Normal University is headed into the matchup after thoroughly thrashing Springfield Southeast: they outscored them in every quarter. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that Normal University blew Springfield Southeast out of the water with a 51-6 final score. Considering the Pioneers have won six games by more than 19 points this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Normal University's win on Friday was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Alek Weiland, who threw for 350 yards and four touchdowns while completing 72.7% of his passes. Weiland is on a roll when it comes to passing touchdowns, as he's now passed for three or more in the last six games he's played dating back to last season. Normal University also got a significant boost from Rhett Lynch, who ran away from the competition to the tune of 131 yards.
Normal University didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off three passes before the game was over. Chenzo Cottone picked up that interception and then proceeded to rub salt in the wound by taking it back the other way for a touchdown. Another thorn in Springfield Southeast's side was Cole Matejka, who picked up 2.5 sacks, made four total tackles (3.0 for loss), and defended a pass.
Meanwhile, Lanphier scored the most points they've had all season on Friday, but it wasn't enough. They had to suffer through a 76-42 loss at the hands of Decatur Eisenhower. Even if the Lions couldn't come away with the win, the high-scoring effort was a great turnaround for their offense, which had struggled int the games prior.
Normal University pushed their record up to 6-2 with the victory, which was their tenth straight at home dating back to last season. As for Lanphier, their loss dropped their record down to 0-8.
Everything came up roses for Normal University against Lanphier in their previous matchup back in September of 2023, as the squad secured a 68-6 win. In that contest, Normal University amassed a halftime lead of 56-6, an impressive feat they'll look to repeat on Friday.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
