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Box Score

CRAWFORDSVILLE, Ind. (Nov. 26, 2011) - In a game eerily reminiscent of its only other loss of the 2011 season, the North Central College football team saw a second-half lead evaporate and its tenure in the NCAA Division III Football Championship come to a close, as the Cardinals lost a 29-28 heartbreaker to the Wabash College Little Giants at Hollett Little Giant Stadium.

The Cardinals (10-2) owned a 21-0 advantage at halftime and held a 28-7 lead in the third period, but a prolific passing effort fueled a furious comeback for Wabash, which scored 22 fourth-quarter points.

"Wabash played a terrific game," said North Central head coach John Thorne. "We wish them a lot of luck as they move forward in the playoffs."

North Central punted away the game's first possession, but Shane Dierking picked off a Wabash pass on the next drive to set the Cardinals up at the Little Giants' 42-yard line. A defensive holding penalty on fourth down kept the North Central offense on the field, and Tyler Dicken completed a 24-yard pass to Kyle Fiedorowicz to put the visitors on the one-yard line. Jordan Tassio ran across the goal line on the next play, giving the Cardinals a 7-0 lead.

The second North Central scoring drive began on the Wabash 36, following a 47-yard punt return by Joe Antonacci. The Cardinals needed 10 plays to cover the distance to the end zone, as Nick Kukuc ran 10 yards to paydirt and doubled the lead to 14-0 with 12:28 to go in the second period.

The Cardinals put themselves further in front with their final drive of the first half, taking over at their own 24 and running the ball 10 straight times in eating up nearly six minutes of time. A 46-yard run by Kukuc got North Central into the red zone, and a one-yard Tassio run on fourth down and goal made it a 21-0 game.

Wabash (12-0) took its first second-half possession down the field for its initial score, as Tyler Burke capped off a nine-play, 80-yard drive with a 20-yard pass to receiver Wes Chamblee. The Cardinals responded in kind, covering 62 yards in nine plays and getting a 19-yard TD run from Kukuc to boost North Central's advantage to 28-7 with 6:15 on the third-quarter clock.

The Little Giants opened their fourth-quarter rally with 12:37 to play, primarily sticking to the passing game. Burke completed 4 of 6 attempts on a 85-yard, seven play drive, throwing a 33-yard scoring strike to Chamblee on fourth-and-8. North Central looked to grind the clock down with the running game, but Wabash forced a fumble by Tassio and recovered the ball at the Little Giants' 30. Burke completed 5 of 8 passes, including a 14-yard completion on fourth-and-12, to guide the hosts down the field once again and threw a 23-yard TD pass to Jonathon Horn. The score narrowed the gap to 28-21 with 6:09 left.

"They were able to convert several long third- and fourth-down plays, and those are hard to do," Thorne said. "They got it done, and kind of got us on our heels. We had a chance to put the game away, but it was just not meant to be."

The Cardinals were forced to punt after three plays on the ensuing possession, and Wabash faced a fourth-and-14 on its own 29. Burke, however, sidestepped the North Central pass rush and ran 16 yards to move the sticks. On fourth-and-4 at the Cardinals' 24, a North Central encroachment penalty yielded another Wabash first down and an 18-yard pass from Burke to Jonathan Horn left the Little Giants knocking on the door at the one-yard line. Burke threw to Jeff Bell for the score on the next play. Burke threw for the two-point conversion and the ball was tipped in the air before landing in the hands of Wabash's Brady Young.

"They made some adjustments in the second half, keeping a tight end and a fullback in to block," said North Central defensive tackle Peter Bulandr. "We got a few good shots on (Burke) in the second half, but I give him all the credit in the world. He played a great game."

The Cardinals had 51 seconds to attempt a comeback, and Dicken fired first-down passes to Chad O'Kane and Nick Slezak before Wabash's Austin Hodges came up with an interception with just eight seconds remaining.

North Central finished with 335 total yards, 208 of which came on the ground. Kukuc gained a game-high 118 rushing yards on 18 carries, establishing a new single-season school record for rushing yardage (1,206). Tassio added 51 yards on 13 attempts, and O'Kane was the team's top receiver with 41 yards on three catches. Dicken completed 10 of 22 passes for 127 yards.

The Cardinals' defense was paced by Joey Michals, who recorded a career-high 17 tackles, while Dierking made eight stops and Valente Garza added seven. Josh McLeod also intercepted a pass. 

Wabash put up 403 yards, 311 of which came from the passing game. Burke completed 24 of 49 passes, throwing 13 times to Horn for 152 yards, while Chamblee made nine catches for 147. Vann Hunt was the Little Giants' top rusher with 44 yards on 12 carries and C.J. Gum led the Wabash defense with 15 total tackles.