Sophomore Alex Adams tied the score with 17.2 seconds remaining and junior Michael Bounds followed with a 35-yard extra point to give the Lake Forest College football team a 35-34 victory over visiting Lawrence University on Saturday.
The winning drive started at the Forester 21 with just 57 seconds remaining. After a holding penalty set the home team back 10 yards, senior quarterback Jagan Cleary completed four consecutive passes, the last to sophomore wide receiver John Rall, who carried the ball and multiple defenders to the Lawrence 8-yardline for a 51-yard gain. Cleary handed to Adams on the next play and he reached the end zone for the second time on the day. An unsportsmanlike conduct penalty after the touchdown moved the ball back to the 18 for the extra point but Bounds knocked it through the uprights anyway to put Lake Forest on top.
Bounds' kick was the third lead change of the final quarter and fourth of the game. Lake Forest got on the scoreboard first on a 36-yard run by Adams just 33 seconds into the contest. The Vikings' first drive ended with a field goal and the visitors added a blocked punt for a touchdown in the first quarter and reached the end zone again early in the second to take a 17-7 lead. Cleary connected with senior wideout Chris Edomwande for a 22-yard touchdown with 1:41 to play before halftime but Lawrence responded with another score with just 20 seconds to play and led 24-14 at halftime.
The only score of the third quarter was a Viking field goal. Trailing 27-14 in the fourth, Lake Forest scored back-to-back touchdowns on passes from Cleary, the first a 3-yarder to Edomwande and the second from eight yards out to Rall, giving the home team a 28-27 advantage with 4:37 to play. Lawrence then completed a 9-play, 60-yard drive, leaving the Foresters just one minute to come up with the winning score.
Cleary completed 28 of 45 passes for 372, the third-highest total in program history, and three touchdowns. Edomwande accounted for 11 of the receptions and 137 yards while Rall hauled in five passes for 98. Senior Chase Creviston caught a 47-yard pass while freshmen Andrew Siren and Cooper Tomlin chipped in with four receptions for 34 yards apiece.
Adams finished with 62 yards rushing and Cleary added 31.
The Forester defense was led by senior linebacker Charlie Timmerman's career-high-tying 16 tackles while junior linebacker Johnny Laponte also reached double figures with 10. Freshman linebacker Dom Johnson recorded 3.0 tackles for loss among his eight stops and sacks were turned in by junior Jordan McInerney and freshmen Jamari Tansmore and Jacob Fitch.
The victory improved Lake Forest's record on the season to 2-1 while Lawrence fell to 1-2. The Foresters will play their first road game of the year next Saturday at Macalester College with kickoff scheduled for 1:00 p.m.