Sep 10, 2016
Enjoying precision in its passing game and keeping constant pressure on the opposing offense, the North Central College football team improved to 2-0 at Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium on Saturday, breaking a close game open in the third period and defeating the Webber International University (Florida) Warriors, 38-21.
For the second straight game, Cardinal quarterback Broc Rutter stepped to the forefront and delivered a pivotal performance, completing 22 of 26 passes for 284 yards. He posted the sixth-highest single-game passing percentage in the program's history (84.6 percent) and fired three touchdown passes in succession during a 28-0 third-quarter run which put the contest out of contention.
"I think we're really clicking for this early in the season," Rutter said. "I think that just shows how much hard work we put in during the offseason. I give a ton of credit to our guys for going out and making a ton of plays for us."
After forcing five turnovers in its debut at Robert Morris University-Chicago, the North Central defense bounced back to turn in 11 tackles for loss, including seven quarterback sacks which were one short of the Cardinals' single-game record. Webber International punted nine times and lost two fumbles before scoring on its final three drives after the North Central regulars left the game.
"These were two really good football teams here today," said the Cardinals' head coach, Jeff Thorne. "The score got to where it did, but there are a lot of really good athletes on that team. Our guys played really hard, but in general, we're not where we want to be yet. We've got a lot of work to do, but this is a good way to start our season."
The Cardinals took some time to get untracked on offense, as their first two possessions resulted in a punt and a turnover on downs. North Central's first scoring drive began at its own 10-yard line, and after moving into Warrior territory on Rutter's 27-yard pass to Ryan Kuhl, Oshayne Brown gained 32 yards on three straight carries and scored the day's first touchdown from six yards out. This was Brown's first action of the season after sitting out the 2015 campaign due to injury.
The Cardinals' only turnover of the day came early in the second period, as they lost a fumble just three yards from the goal line. Webber (0-1) threatened to turn the miscue into its first score before also fumbling in the red zone, and North Central's Andrew Kray came up with the recovery at the Cardinals' 17-yard line. A 14-play, 69-yard drive ensued which culminated in a 32-yard field goal by Liam Crotty, and the hosts headed into halftime with a 10-0 advantage.
Taking possession on the first drive of the second half, the Cardinals drove 77 yards in just six plays and increased their lead to 17-0 after Rutter found Cory Hartema for a 41-yard touchdown pass. A 26-yard punt return by Dylan Warden gave North Central a short field for its next possesssion and the hosts scored just three plays later with Rutter hitting Alex Ulmer for a 26-yard score. Taking over after another Warrior punt at his own 42, Rutter went 5 for 5 passing on the ensuing drive and connected with Ryan Kuhl on a 22-yard TD pass.
"At halftime, we said we had to just keep doing what we do, we just needed to execute a little better," Rutter said. "We came out a little flat, but we got on a roll in the second half and made some really good plays."
Webber fumbled the ball on the following kickoff, as DJ Warkenthien knocked the ball loose, and Noah Boardman recovered to secure possession for the home team at the Warriors' 28. North Central tacked on what would be its final score of the day on Jack Dibble's one-yard plunge with 1:26 on the third-quarter clock.
With the North Central regulars on the sidelines for the final minutes, Webber got on the board with a 12-yard touchdown run by quarterback Garry Chouloute then recovered two straight onside kicks which resulted in a pair of 35-yard touchdown passes for Chouloute to Luke Fusiek and Jeremiah Harris.
The Cardinals outgained Webber, 456-282, allowing the visitors just 109 yards with their starters on the field. Austin Breunig gained 62 rushing yards on 16 carries and caught a career-high seven passes for 48 yards. Warkenthien led North Central with eight total tackles and two sacks, while Billy Doudscontributed six tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and two sacks.
The Cardinals open College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) play next week at Illinois Wesleyan University, with kickoff at Tucci Stadium scheduled for 6:00 p.m. The Titans (1-0) opened the season on Saturday with a 17-13 victory at Nebraska Wesleyan University.