Withstanding a stout early challenge, the North Central College football team turned a close game into a rout in the second half Saturday, remaining unbeaten with a 55-7 victory over Illinois Wesleyan University at Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium.
The No. 1-ranked Cardinals (7-0, 6-0 College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin) took the Titans' best shots in the first half and led by just a 13-7 count at halftime before scoring 42 unanswered points in the final 30 minutes. North Central outgained IWU in the third and fourth periods, 350-69.
The Cardinals were forced to punt on their first possession of the game, but gained new life when the return was mishandled and Angelo Cusumano pounced on the ball at the Titans' 44-yard line. Three plays later, the hosts visited the end zone for the first time as Andrew Kamienski completed a 13-yard touchdown reception from Luke Lehnen with a leaping front flip over an IWU defender at the goal line.
The lead grew to 13-0 early in the second quarter when Kamienski broke free in the middle of the field and settled under Lehnen's pass for a 27-yard score. The Titans (2-5, 2-4 CCIW) enjoyed their best offensive possession on their final drive of the first half, traveling 80 yards in 11 plays. Facing fourth down-and-one, IWU running back Anthony Marre ran off right tackle and through the Cardinal defense for a 19-yard touchdown run. North Central's final first-half drive came up five yards short of the goal line as time expired.
Ethan Greenfield played the lead role in the Cardinals' first drive of the third quarter, gaining 69 yards on four rushing attempts (including a season-long 47-yarder) before Lehnen executed a fake handoff and trotted across the goal line from a yard out. A short Titan punt gave the hosts a short field at the IWU 38, and six plays later Terrence Hill ran 19 yards to the end zone to extend the lead to 27-7 with 6:51 still to play in the period.
The Titans' next drive ended with a turnover on downs, and Greenfield jumpstarted another scoring possession with 50 yards on three carries before Hill took over and eventually bounded over the pile for a one-yard TD. Nic Rummell's punt return set the Cardinals up at the IWU 40-yard line at the end of the period, and on the first play of the fourth quarter, Lehnen delivered a 40-yard touchdown pass to DeAngelo Hardy.
Hill scampered 54 yards for his third rushing touchdown of the day with 5:23 to go, and backup quarterback Jake Johnson closed the scoring with a 28-yard TD run on fourth down with 2:55 to play.
The victory is the Cardinals' 18th straight and their 11th consecutive win over the Titans. North Central gained 598 yards, including a season-high 369 rushing yards, while allowing just 202. Kamienski made 10 catches for 154 yards, establishing a new Cardinal career record for all-purpose yards (4,943).
Greenfield ran for a season-high 199 yards on 21 carries, while Hill gained a career-best 127 yards on just nine attempts. Lehnen finished 15 of 24 passing for 229 yards. Sam Taviani made a career-best 10 tackles, Dan Gilroy finished with five tackles for loss (matching the fourth-highest single-game total in program history) and three quarterback sacks and De'Angelo Roberson intercepted a pass for the second straight week.
The Cardinals travel to face Millikin University (2-5, 2-4) Saturday. Kickoff at Frank M. Lindsay Field is set for 6 p.m. Click HERE for live coverage options.