Making the best possible use of its time with an unblemished display of offensive efficiency, the North Central College football team won its 25th straight game in College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) play Saturday. The Cardinals scored on every single possession to emerge victorious over the Washington University in St. Louis Bears by a 49-3 count at Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium.
No. 1-ranked North Central (7-0, 6-0 CCIW) had the ball for less than 25 minutes of the 60-minute contest as the Bears attempted to keep the hosts' offense off the field. The Cardinals averaged 10.7 yards on 47 plays, reaching the end zone on each drive while keeping a second straight opponent from crossing the goal line.
WashU (5-2, 4-2) was held to 196 total yards, just under half of its season average, as the Cardinals registered 12 tackles for loss and a season-high seven quarterback sacks.
The Cardinals opened the afternoon with a 10-play, 80-yard drive which ended on a shovel pass from Luke Lehnen to Charles Coleman, resulting in a 19-yard touchdown pass which put the home team in front, 7-0, with 9:07 on the first-quarter clock. WashU's first possession advanced to the Cardinals' 40-yard line before Zack Orr and Rahmareon Roby registered sacks on consecutive plays to force a punt.
Starting the ensuing drive at its own six-yard line, North Central traveled 94 yards in 11 plays and extended its advantage to 14-0 after a five-yard touchdown run by Lehnen with 12:11 to go in the second period. The Bears' lone scoring possession of the day followed as a 19-play, 57-yard trek consumed an even ten minutes of game clock and advanced to the North Central eight-yard line before a third-down sack by BJ Adamchik forced the visitors to bring on kicker Chris Vartanian for a 35-yard field goal.
Taking possession with just 2:11 left before halftime, the Cardinals achieved their third score in just five plays as Lehnen fired a deep pass to Joey Lombardi, whose leaping, spinning grab completed a 39-yard touchdown pass and sent the hosts into halftime with a 21-3 lead.
After forcing a punt to open the second half, North Central jumpstarted its initial third-quarter possession by turning to DeAngelo Hardy, who took a direct snap 48 yards to the Bears' five-yard line. Sean Allen covered the remaining distance on the next play as the Cardinals increased their advantage to 28-3 with 11:29 left in the period. WashU covered 47 yards in 13 plays on its next trip down the field but turned the ball over on downs when Will Vernon broke up a fourth-quarter pass in Cardinal territory.
Lehnen opened the next drive with a 17-yard scramble, then hit Lombardi for a 16-yard completion before throwing over the top of the Bears' coverage to Jacob Paradee for a 28-yard scoring pass. Early in the fourth quarter, Hardy took the ball on a reverse and raced to the end zone for a 22-yard touchdown run, and Coleman closed out the scoring with a 41-yard run with 5:13 remaining.
The Cardinals finished with 503 total yards, of which 351 was gained in the running game. Allen gained a game-high 82 rushing yards on eight carries, while Hardy ran for 80 yards on just three attempts and Joe Sacco totaled 71 yards on 11 rushes. Lehnen completed 9 of 13 passes for 152 yards, finding Hardy four ties for 48 yards.
Julian Bell was North Central's leading tackler with 10 total stops while Orr made seven solo tackles and delivered three quarterback sacks, matching the third-highest single-game total in program history. Adamchik and James Hart each finished with six tackles.
Now winners of 33 straight regular-season games, including 30 straight CCIW contests, the Cardinals next travel to North Park University. The Vikings are 4-3 overall (3-3 CCIW) following a 42-28 loss to Augustana College. Saturday's kickoff at the Holmgren Athletic Complex is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.
North Central Stumps WashU in 49-3 Rout
/seasons/2023/boxscores/20231021_vhdz.xml
2023
Washington U.
3
North Central (Ill.)
49
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington U. (5-2) | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| No. 1 North Central (Ill.) (7-0) | 7 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 49 |
Oct 21, 2023