ITHACA, N.Y. – The nationally ranked No. 9/10 Ithaca College football team will head to the Midwest this Saturday, December 3, to take on No. 1 North Central College in Naperville, Ill. in the NCAA Division III Quarterfinals. Both teams are 12-0 on the season and will battle for the trip to the national semifinals.

GAME COVERAGE

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GAME NOTES (ITHACA) | GAME NOTES (NORTH CENTRAL)

TICKET INFORMATION

$10 – Adults
$5 – Seniors, Students and Children

ALL-TIME SERIES/SATURDAY'S GAME: Saturday's NCAA Quarterfinal matchup between Ithaca and North Central will be the first-ever meeting between the two schools.

TRADITION OF ITHACA AND NORTH CENTRAL: Followers of Division III football know that Ithaca College is one of the most storied programs with three national titles and seven trips to the Stagg Bowl. North Central has burst onto the scene over the past 15 years with 10 seasons of 10 or more wins, which includes the 2019 national championship and the 2021 national runner-up.

NCAA SECOND ROUND RECAP: The Bombers and Cardinals both faced tough tests in the second round of the tournament last Saturday. IC posted a 31-20 win over Springfield, while North Central defeated Carnegie Mellon, 28-7.

IC trailed Springfield, 10-0, early in the first quarter after a pick-six and field goal, but the Bombers would outscore the Pride, 31-10, over the final 51 minutes of action. That included a shutout of Springfield in the second half.

Jalen Leonard-Osbourne scored three touchdowns for the Bombers and had 101 yards receiving. The IC defense forced four turnovers and logged 10 tackles for loss in the win.

North Central, despite outgaining Carnegie Mellon by most than 200 yards, was in a one-score battle heading into intermission, 14-7. The Cardinals also pitched a shutout in the second half and scored twice to account for the 28-7 final.

Ethan Greenfield and Luke Lehnen combined for 262 yards and three touchdowns on the ground.

TO BE THE BEST, YOU GOTTA BEAT THE BEST: North Central is the unanimous No. 1 team in Division III for a reason. The Cardinals possess the top scoring offense at 55.1 points per game and the best defense, which allows just 4.8 points a contest. North Central also ranks first in rushing offense at 368.3 yards per game and total offense at 558.1. NCC has produced five shutouts on the year as well.

TURNOVER MACHINES: In two playoff games, Ithaca has forced 10 turnovers (seven fumbles, three interceptions) and has scored 52 points off those takeaways.

BEEN A LONG TIME: Despite the success of the Ithaca program, IC has not been in this position since 2003. That season, the Bombers defeated Brockport and Montclair State to set up a matchup against RPI in the quarterfinals.

STORYBOOK SEASON: Ithaca has been playing football since 1930, only three other seasons have produced 12 or more wins – 1980, 1988 and 1991.

THE NCAA QUARTERFINAL ROUND: Four games take place this Saturday for trip to the national semifinals next Saturday, December 10, which will be aired on ESPN+. After Ithaca and North Central, No. 2 Mount Union travels to No. 14 Delaware Valley, No. 13 Bethel heads to No. 3 Mary Hardin-Baylor and Aurora takes on No. 12 Wartburg.

GAGLIARDI TROPHY SEMIFINALISTS: Saturday's contest features two of the 15 Gagliardi Trophy semifinalists, which was announced on November 22. For Ithaca, it's A.J. Wingfield and North Central's honoree is Ethan Greenfield, who were selected as two of the best players in Division III. The finalists will be announced on December 7.

INSIDE LOOK AT THE BOMBERS: Ithaca averages nearly 40 points a game and allows just over 11 per contest. IC has been of the top defenses and special teams units in all of Division III throughout the 2022 season.

The Bombers currently rank sixth in takeaways (31), seventh in passing efficiency defense (86.9), seventh in fumbles recovered (14), eighth in turnover margin (1.58), 11th in defensive touchdowns (4), 13th in scoring defense (11.6), 16th in passing yards allowed (141.5) and 19th in interceptions (17). Special teams is third in kick returns (25.35) and fourth in field goals made per game (1.17).

The IC offense is right up there as well among the nation's best. Ithaca is first overall in fourth down conversions (.800), ninth in completion percentage (.702), 15th in first downs (268) and 16th in interceptions throw (6).

THE SCOOP ON NORTH CENTRAL: Outside of the No. 1 rankings mentioned above, North Central also ranks within the top 10 nationally in 14 different categories. Over their 12-game season, the Cardinals have only trailed for 10:42 and have led by more than one touchdown at the half in 11 of 12 games.

After Week 2, the Cardinals had not allowed a first half touchdown until Carnegie Mellon scored with 2:35 left in the first quarter last Saturday. The Cardinals have also only allowed one rushing touchdown all season.

The aforementioned Greenfield is the focal point of the North Central offense, as he has rushed for 1636 yards and 21 touchdowns. Lehnen has scored 11 times on the ground with 653 yards, while Terrence Hill has 603 yards on 10 scores.

Through the air, Lehnen has thrown for 2194 yards and 28 touchdowns. A majority of those yards and touchdowns belong to DeAngelo Hardy, who has 914 yards and 14 touchdowns on the year.

Defensively, BJ Adamchik leads the way with 73 total tackles, while Dan Lester is a menace in the offensive backfield with 19 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks. Tyler Rich also disrupts opposing offenses with 13.5 tackles for loss and 10 sacks.

WHAT'S NEXT?: The winner of this contest moves onto the national semifinals, where they will take on the winner of Mary Hardin-Baylor and Bethel.