FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Clark Teuscher, Sports Information Director, 630-637-5302
Box Score
ROCK ISLAND, Ill. (Nov. 7, 2009) – The North Central College football team bounced back from an overtime loss and returned to the win column Saturday, breaking open a close game in the second half and taking down the Augustana College Vikings, 45-26, at Ericson Field.
The Cardinals (7-2, 5-1 College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin) remain tied with Illinois Wesleyan University for first place in the CCIW standings heading into the final week of the regular season.
Augustana (5-4, 3-3 CCIW) capitalized on a turnover to score first on Saturday, recovering a fumble near midfield. The hosts drove 28 yards in eight plays and kicker Ryan Gibbons connected on a 37-yard field goal with 9:12 left in the first period. A 20-yard punt return by Viking running back Jake Parke gave Augustana a short field again later in the opening quarter, and Gibbons kicked a 47-yard field goal to double the home team's advantage to 6-0.
The Cardinals' initial scoring drive came on the following possession. Aaron Fanthorpe ran three times and completed four passes in an eight-play drive to get North Central on the scoreboard, throwing a 32-yard touchdown pass to Steve Hlavac with 12:54 remaining in the first half to put the guests ahead, 7-6. North Central's Josh McLeod intercepted a pass two plays later, returning the ball to the Augustana 10-yard line. After Fanthorpe was sacked for a four-yard loss, Phillip Rossberg ran 14 yards for a touchdown and a 14-6 advantage.
Augustana quarterback David Lee completed back-to-back first-down throws to Matt Downing to open the Vikings' next drive, which covered 68 yards in nine plays and culminated in Lee's two-yard touchdown run with 6:09 left before halftime. The extra-point attempt failed, leaving the Cardinals with a 14-12 lead.
Pat Malek returned a short kickoff 49 yards to the Augustana 28, and Morgan Sheridan kicked a 27-yard field goal to boost North Central's lead to 17-12. The Vikings punted away their next possession, but a North Central fumble on the return gave Augustana new life at the Cardinals' 20-yard line. Lee threw an eight-yard touchdown pass to Downing and ran for a two-point conversion, restoring the hosts' lead to 20-17 with just 36 seconds left before the break.
The Cardinals returned the ensuing kickoff to their own 40 and took to the air in an attempt for a last-second score. Fanthorpe threw to Hlavac for 14 yards, then found him again for a 40-yard score with just six seconds to play in the half, allowing North Central to head into the locker room with a 24-20 edge.
Fanthorpe took to the air once again late in the third period to move the Cardinals down the field, throwing for 14 yards to Hank Johnston, 23 yards to Andy Stuursma and 32 yards to Joe Antonacci before running in for a three-yard touchdown and increasing the Cardinals' advantage to 31-20.
The Cardinals' first possession of the fourth quarter provided them with even more breathing room. Taking over after an Augustana punt at its own 15, North Central's offense marched 85 yards in 11 plays, eating up five minutes of game clock. Fanthorpe, who completed 5 of 6 passes on the drive, threw a 13-yard pass to Jeff Grunwald on fourth down to keep the Cardinals moving, then threw a 16-yard TD pass to Kyle Fiedorowicz with 7:04 remaining.
Augustana countered with a 12-play, 83-yard jaunt of its own, scoring on a five-yard pass from Lee to Downing with 3:31 left, though Lee's two-point conversion pass was picked off by McLeod. The Vikings attempted an onside kick, but the Cardinals recovered at the home team's 44. Rossberg ran the ball on the next three plays, covering 43 yards, and Malek crossed the goal line from a yard away to account for the final margin.
North Central outgained the Vikings, 460 yards to 362, despite running 22 fewer plays. Fanthorpe completed 19 of 24 passes for 320 yards, as Hlavac caught seven passes for 166 yards and Johnston gained 59 yards on six receptions. Rossberg ran 16 times for 113 yards.
Joe Schneiderbauer led the Cardinals' defense with 11 tackles and three tackles for loss, while Patrick New made eight tackles.
Lee finished the day 28 of 40 passing for 257 yards. Downing made 11 grabs for 135 yards and Parke caught eight passes for 41 yards. Robert Wood led the Vikings' ground game with 47 yards on 13 carries. Andrew Rosset made seven tackles for Augustana.
The Cardinals close out the regular season Saturday, hosting Elmhurst College (4-5, 1-5 CCIW) at Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium. Action is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m., with Senior Day activities to be conducted prior to kickoff.
