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Complete Game Notes (PDF)

Dec. 7 (NCAA Division III National Quarterfinal):
North Central College Cardinals (12-0) at Bethel University Royals (12-0)

Kickoff: 12 p.m., Royal Stadium (click here for location and here for parking information)
Live Video: Provided by Bethel at client.stretchinternet.com/client/bethel.portal#.
Radio: 89.1-FM WONC.
Live Stats: Links will be available at www.ncaa.com/scoreboard/football/d3/2013/15.
Game Updates: www.twitter.com/NCC_Athletics
Series History: First meeting

Setting the Scene: Into the national quarterfinals for just the second time in their history, the Cardinals travel to take on a new opponent in an effort to make their first-ever semifinal contest.

(also check out previews of this week's game from the Daily Herald and D3football.com)

Series History: This is the first football meeting between the two schools.

North Central's last game against a MIAC opponent was a 64-26 win over Augsburg in 2005, while Bethel's most recent encounter with a CCIW representative resulted in a 15-10 second-round playoff win over Wheaton in 2010.

National Rankings: North Central is ranked No. 4 in the most recent national top 25 polls released by D3football.com and the American Football Coaches Association. Bethel is ranked No. 6 in both polls.

Scouting the Royals: Bethel survived a wild fourth quarter in Saturday's second round, advancing to this week's game with a 34-27 victory over Wartburg.

Entering the final period tied, 14-14, the teams exchanged the lead three times. Bethel secured what turned out to be the game-winning score on a 24-yard pass from backup quarterback Tom Keefe to running back Brandon Marquardt with 1:18 to play.

The Royals had to defend until the final whistle, as Wartburg advanced to the Bethel 13-yard line before running out of time.

Keefe, who entered the game at the start of the fourth quarter as an injury replacement for starter Erik Peterson, completed 9 of 12 passes for 148 yards and two touchdowns to help lead Bethel to the win.

Senior receiver Jared Schultz caught four passes for 193 yards and two TDs, including an 80-yard score in the first half.

Bethel's offense, which has averaged 465 yards and 42 points per game, has committed just 11 turnovers this season, the 10th-lowest total in Division III. The Royals rank sixth nationally in turnover margin (+1.7 per game) and sixth in passing efficiency (174.2).

Peterson, who is considered a game-time decision, has completed 70.2 percent of his passes for 3,034 yards and 24 touchdowns with seven interceptions. Keefe had completed 7 of 12 passes for 54 yards and a score before last week's game.

Senior Mitch Hallstrom leads Bethel's receiving corps with 87 catches for 1,264 yards and nine TDs, while Marquardt is the Royals' top rusher with 1,141 yards (7.1 per carry) and 17 scores.

The Bethel defense has permitted 308 yards and 15.5 points per contest and ranks ninth nationally in passes intercepted (20).

Senior inside linebacker Seth Mathis leads the team in tackles (124) and interceptions (5) and has also blocked two kicks. Senior defensive end Luke Buttenhoff owns a team-high 11.5 tackles for loss and has recovered a pair of fumbles.

Last Week for the Cardinals: North Central improved to 6-3 in home playoff games on Saturday, winning a second-round game for just the second time by defeating Wisconsin-Platteville, 52-24.

The Cardinals owned a 21-3 lead by the end of the first quarter and never looked back, scoring on eight of their 10 possessions and hitting the 50-point mark for the third straight time and fifth time in eight weeks.

North Central got a career-best rushing performance from Ryan Kent, who rolled up 257 yards and four touchdowns on 27 carries. He tied the Cardinals' single-game record for rushing touchdowns and missed the rushing yardage record by just three yards. His efforts propelled him over 1,000 rushing yards for the season, giving the Cardinals a 1,000-yard rusher for the eighth time.

The Cardinals also got a career-high effort from receiver Chad O'Kane, who caught seven passes for 132 yards and all three touchdowns from Spencer Stanek.  

Defensive ends Alex Tripp and John Focosi split five quarterback sacks, while Jason Callahan intercepted a first-quarter pass in the end zone and Shane Dierking broke up a career-high four passes.

After posting their highest point total in a postseason game in the first round against Albion, the Cardinals put up an all-time playoff-high 596 yards against Platteville. North Central is now 8-7 all-time in the playoffs.

Century Club: The Cardinals' Sept. 28 win over UW-Stevens Point was the 100th for head coach John Thorne, making him the first Cardinal coach to reach triple digits in the win column.

Thorne is the second-fastest CCIW coach to reach 100 wins, trailing only Augustana coach Bob Reade, who won four national titles in a career which stretched from 1979-1994.

Thorne's 70 victories in CCIW play rank seventh in the history of the conference and his .833 winning percentage against conference opponents is the third-best all-time.

All-CCIW Teams: North Central had a total of 16 players honored with selections to this year's All-CCIW Teams, setting a school record with 12 selections to the First Team.

North Central claimed two of the CCIW's major individual awards, as Stanek was named the Offensive Player of the Year and Dierking was voted the Defensive Player of the Year.

Stanek was joined on the Offensive First Team by Sorenson, tight end A.J. Thomas and offensive linemen Jace Werkheiser and Greg Whalen.

Dierking made the Defensive First Team along with Slezak, defensive back Connor Douglas and defensive linemen Josh Fick, John Focosi and Alex Tripp. Kicker Nick Dace made the First Team as well.

Defensive back Trey Hartema made the Second Team, as did O'Kane, running back Ryan Kent and offensive lineman Eric Knaperek.

Dierking and Werkheiser are three-time All-CCIW honorees, while Sorenson, Whalen, Douglas, Fick, Tripp and O'Kane were all selected for the second straight season. North Central's 16 selections matched Illinois Wesleyan for the most in the CCIW.

National Rankings: North Central currently ranks fifth in the nation in total offense (515.1 ypg) and 14th in total defense (269.2 ypg). The Cardinals lead the nation in passing efficiency (192.12) while ranking second in completion percentage (.737) and blocked punts (6), third in fewest passes intercepted (3), fifth in first downs (305) and fewest tackles for loss allowed (4.00 per game), sixth in scoring offense (46.5 ppg) and ninth in third-down conversion percentage (.486).

Stanek is the Division III national leader in passing efficiency (198.9) and also ranks second in completion percentage (.747) and third in touchdown passes (39). Peter Sorenson ranks fifth nationally in touchdown receptions (14).

Stanek has thrown 208 straight passes without an interception. The Division III record is 305. The national record for fewest passes intercepted per attempt is one in 345. Stanek currently has just one interception in 308 attempts.

North Central Career Rankings: Dace is North Central's all-time leader in scoring (383), field goals (49) and extra points (236). He also owns five of the six longest field goals in the program's history and is currently the Division III active leader in extra points. Dace ranks third in Division III history in points scored by a kicker and fourth in field goals made.

Stanek ranks second at North Central in completions (512) and passing yards (7,102) while ranking third in touchdown passes (71). Dierking is tied for first in interceptions (15) and ranks 10th in pass breakups (20), while Alex Tripp and John Focosi rank fourth (21) and eighth (15.5), respectively, in quarterback sacks and Tripp also sits ninth in tackles for loss (32). Ryan Kent now ranks 10th in rushing yards (1,618).
Chad O'Kane ranks sixth all-time in career receptions (99), while Ryne Rezac is seventh (93) and Peter Sorenson is eighth (91). O'Kane and Sorenson are sixth (1,411) and seventh (1,285), respectively, in receiving yards, while Sorenson is fourth (19) and O'Kane is seventh (13) in receiving touchdowns.

Single-Season Record Watch: North Central has set single-season team school records for total offense (6,181 yards), total touchdowns (76), passing touchdowns (40) and points scored (558). The Cardinals are 108 yards short of the record for passing yards (3,218) and 312 yards shy of the record for rushing yards (3,383). North Central needs eight pass breakups to match the current record of 64 and 11 tackles for loss to tie the record of 105.

Individual single-season school records have already by set by Stanek (39 TD passes) and Dace (69 extra-point kicks made). Stanek can establish new single-season records with 15 more completions and 139 more passing yards, and Dace can establish a new single-season scoring record with 10 more points.

Shane Dierking is one interception shy of tying the single-season record (8), and Sorenson is one touchdown reception shy of the record of 15.

Stanek is also on pace to establish new North Central single-season records for completion percentage (.747) and passing efficiency (198.9). Nick Slezak needs five tackles for loss to match the single-season record of 22.

Next Week: The winner of today's game will face the winner of the Wesley-Mount Union game in next Saturday's national semifinals. The site and time of the game will be determined after the quarterfinal contests have been completed.

Wesley defeated Ithaca, 23-15, and Mount Union beat Wittenberg, 56-21, in the second round.