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Contact: Clark Teuscher, Sports Information Director, 630-637-5302

Box Score

ELMHURST, Ill. (Oct. 30, 2010) - The North Central College football team negated an early deficit with 37 unanswered points Saturday, improving to a perfect 8-0 for the season with a 47-13 conquest of Elmhurst College at Langhorst Field.

With their 12th consecutive win over Elmhurst, the fifth-ranked Cardinals improved to 5-0 in College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin play and can clinch a share of their fifth sraight CCIW title with a win next Saturday at Wheaton College.

After both teams punted at the start of the contest, North Central put together the first scoring series, Quarterback Brad Crackel gained 27 yards on four rushing attempts and Nick Hicks took a pair of option pitches to gain 33 yards before the Bluejays' defense stiffened and halted the drive at the two-yard line. Nick Dace came on to kick a 19-yard field goal to get the visitors on the board.

Elmhurst (5-3, 2-3 CCIW) countered the Cardinals' running game with an aerial attack, as quarterback Joe Furco completed five of six passes in guiding the hosts to the North Central two-yard line before running back Scottie Williams ran in for the score. The Bluejays led, 7-3, with 4:49 left in the opening period.

The home team threatened to score again early in the second period, advancing to the North Central 18, before a tackle for loss by Jim Clendenning, a false start and a quarterback sack by Kane Thompson and Chris Staton moved the Bluejays back to the 32, forcing Elmhurst to punt. The Cardinals needed just two plays to move back in front, as Crackel fired an 88-yard touchdown pass to Joe Antonacci, completing the longest passing play in North Central history with 11:05 remaining in the first half.

Antonacci gave the Cardinals a boost on special teams following the next Elmhurst possession. The Bluejays punted deep in their own territory, and Antonacci fielded the kick at the North Central 45 before weaving his way through the Bluejays' coverage for a 55-yard touchdown return. The Cardinals tacked on a third touchdown just prior to halftime, taking over following another short punt at the Elmhurst 43. Spencer Stanek entered the game at quarterback and engineered a 10-play scoring drive, culminating in a one-yard TD run by Jordan Tassio with 21 seconds to go in the second period. The Cardinals went into halftime in possession of a 23-7 advantage.

The Bluejays had the ball first in the second half, but Furco's second pass of the drive was picked off by Derek Sulo. The senior safety returned the ball 30 yards, setting North Central up with possession at the Elmhurst 26. The Cardinals picked up a first down before bringing Dace on for a 30-yard field goal with 10:17 on the third-quarter clock.

Antonacci delivered a second big return late in the third period to lead to another North Central score. Collecting a punt at his own 32-yard line, Antonacci raced up the left sideline and nearly scored before being brought down at the four-yard line for a 64-yard gain. Nick Kukuc covered the remaining distance on the next play, putting the Cardinals up, 33-7, with nine seconds left in the third quarter.

A quarterback sack by Willie Hayes left the Bluejays buried in the shadow of their own goalpost on the next possession, and Shane Dierking's punt return started North Central's next drive att the Elmhurst 44. Stanek jumpstarted the possession with a 29-yard pass to Kyle Fiedorowicz, then finished it off with a 12-yard scoring toss to Andy Stuursma.

The Bluejays stopped the bleeding with a 10-play, 77-yard drive to the end zone. Furco completed six of 10 passes in the series, the last of which was a three-yard strike to Rodney Payton with 6:43 to play. North Central responded with the final scoring drive of the day, a six-play, 80-yard jaunt which was capped off by a 48-yard TD pass from Stanek to Kukuc.

The Cardinals wound up outgaining Elmhurst, 367-257, and owning a 32:49-27:11 advantage in time of possession. The Bluejays were held to a net loss of 34 yards rushing, which is the second-lowest total ever by a North Central opponent. Williams, who ranked second in the CCIW in rushing prior to the game, carried the ball 10 times for zero yards, and the Bluejays called no running plays in the second half.

Tassio gained 88 yards on 17 rushing attempts for the Cardinals. Stanek was a perfect 7 of 7 passing for 127 yards, while Antonacci gained 107 yards on three pass receptions. Stewart Charles had a team-high seven tackles and two pass breakups for North Central's defense. Clendenning and Hayes each finished with six tackles. Clendenning turned in four tackles for loss, a quarterback sack and a forced fumble, while Hayes had 2.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks.

Furco completed 27 of 49 passes for 291 yards for the Bluejays. Bobby Vavlas caught eight passes for 75 yards and Payton caught six balls for 129 yards. Linebacker Randy Wright totaled nine tackles, three tackles for loss and two sacks.