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

Complete Game Notes (PDF)

Oct. 22: North Central College Cardinals (6-0, 4-0 CCIW) at Augustana College Vikings (2-5, 1-4 CCIW)

Kickoff: 1 p.m., Lindberg Stadium
Video: portal.stretchinternet.com/augustana/
Radio: 89.1-FM WONC
Live Stats: www.augustana.edu/athletics/football/xlive.htm???????
Game Updates: @NCC_Athletics
Series History: Augustana leads, 55-29-1

Setting the Scene: Now in control of their own destiny within the CCIW, the Cardinals look to stay on task with a win over Augustana for the 11th straight year.

Series History: This is the 86th football meeting between the two institutions. Augustana owns a 55-29-1 advantage in the all-time series, though North Central has claimed each of the last 10 encounters.

The Cardinals won last year's meeting, also in Rock Island, by a 27-10 count. North Central held a 21-3 lead at halftime, getting touchdown runs of 38 yards by Austin Breunig and two yards by Justin Hunniford as well as an 11-yard TD pass from Hunniford to Kyle Brown.

Dylan Warden added a 10-yard scoring run in the fourth quarter, closing out a contest which saw the Cardinals achieve a 367-211 advantage in total yardage, including a 224-5 edge in rushing yards. North Central intercepted four passes, two of which came from Kevin Schroeder. 

National Rankings: North Central is ranked No. 5 in the American Football Coaches Association Top 25 Poll and No. 6 in the D3football.com Top 25 Poll this week.

Scouting the Vikings: Augustana lost for the fourth straight week Saturday, as Millikin built a large early lead and held on for a 43-35 victory.

Millikin led, 27-7, at halftime and held a 43-13 advantage early in the fourth period before the Vikings closed the game with three unanswered touchdowns.

Augustana lost despite a 363-yard passing effort split between two quarterbacks. Luke Bleyer drew the start and completed 19 of 31 passes for 219 yards and three scores, while Zachary Fuller, the Vikings' starter most of this season, came on for the final two drives and completed 11 of 16 passes for 144 yards and two TDs. 

Roughly two-thirds of Augustana's 323 average offensive yards per gam has come through the air. Sophomore Ryan Hennessy (39 catches, 376 yards) and senior Danny Lattner (32 catches, 598 yards) are the Vikings' top receivers. 

Augustana's defense has yielded 363.6 yards and 27.8 points per game. Linebacker Jack Asquini is the Vikings' leader in tackles (71), tackles for loss (9) and quarterback sacks (3). 

This Week for the Cardinals: North Central took over sole possession of first place in the CCIW standings Saturday with a 35-25 victory over Wheaton, reclaiming the Little Brass Bell after losing close games to the Thunder the past two seasons.

The Cardinals dominated play in the first half, carrying a 24-3 lead into halftime as Broc Rutter threw touchdown passes to Justin Shaw and Ryan Kuhl, Liam Crotty connected on a 29-yard field goal and Pat Cravens returned a punt 67 yards to the end zone just before time expired.
Wheaton rallied and narrowed the gap to 24-18 early in the fourth quarter, but North Central was able to put the game away with Dylan Warden's leaping 15-yard touchdown catch and Crotty's 25-yard field goal with 2:01 to play. 

Rutter completed 23 of 39 passes for 238 yards while also leading the Cardinals with 32 rushing yards. Alex Ulmer caught a team-high eight passes for 90 yards, Billy Douds recorded three of the team's five quarterback sacks and Jeremy Niklos intercepted his team-leading fourth pass of the season. Cravens also added a 15-yard fumble return in the first half to set up Kuhl's touchdown catch.

CCIW Player of the Week: Crotty became the sixth Cardinal to earn CCIW Player of the Week honors this season and the third on special teams. In addition to his two field goals against the Thunder, Crotty connected on 3 of 3 extra-point attempts to improve to a perfect 28 of 28 for the year.

CCIW Statistical Leaders: North Central leads the CCIW in scoring offense (36.5 points per game), scoring defense (15.8 points allowed per game), passing offense (284.3 ypg), passing defense (201.3 ypg),  turnover margin (+1.5 per game), punt return average (17.1 yards per return), passing efficiency (172.1) and red-zone defense (60%).

Rutter leads the conference in passing yards (277.5 per game) and passing touchdowns (19) while Ulmer is the CCIW leader in receptions (6.17 per game) and receiving yards (91.0 per game). 

Jeremy Niklos ranks first in interceptions (4) and passes defended (11), while Crotty is first in points scored by kicking (43) and punter Zane Lodico owns a CCIW-best 40.0-yard average.

NCAA Statistical Leaders: Through six games, North Central is ranked fourth nationally among 244 Division III programs in third-down defense (23.1%), ninth in quarterback sacks (3.83 per game), 10th in passing efficiency, 12th in punt return average, 16th in turnover margin and red-zone defense and 17th in pass completion percentage (66.8).

Rutter ranks eighth nationally in passing touchdowns, 10th in passing efficiency (172.7) and 17th in completion percentage (66.5), while Cravens is ninth in punt return average (16.5) and Niklos is 11th in passes defended per game (1.8) and 12th in interceptions per game (0.7).

Around the CCIW: Other conference games this week feature Millikin traveling to Carroll, Illinois Wesleyan heading to Carthage, and North Park playing at Wheaton. Elmhurst is idle this week.

North Central Career Rankings:  Brown and Breunig currently rank 11th (1,592) and 12th (1,553), respectively, in the Cardinals' history in career rushing yards.

Breunig also ranks ninth in rushing touchdowns (20), 11th in total touchdowns (21) and 16th in all-purpose yards (1,981), while Brown ranks 15th in rushing touchdowns (15).

In his first season with the Cardinals, Rutter is now 10th in North Central history in touchdown passes while ranking 10th in completions (123) and 12th in passing yards (1,665).

Ulmer ranks eighth all-time in receiving yards (1,372), 10th in receiving touchdowns (12), 11th in receptions (86) and 18th in all-purpose yards (1,738), while Ryan Kuhl sits eighth in receiving touchdowns (14), 16th in receptions (71) and 18th in receiving yards (965).
Niklos currently ranks 11th all-time in pass breakups (19) while Justin Stuursma ranks 12th in tackles for loss (22.5), Douds sits 17th in quarterback sacks (8) and Brandon Kibby ranks 20th all-time in interceptions (5).

'Red Zone' Returns in 2016: Once again, fans of North Central College football can get an insider's look at the Cardinals' football program, as 'The Red Zone' highlight show returns for its ninth season on Naperville Community Television, Channel 17.

The show airs each Thursday at 7:30 p.m. and midnight, Friday at 8:30 a.m., 2:30 p.m., 7:30 p.m., and 11:30 p.m., Saturday at 8:00 a.m., 3:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m., and Sunday at 3:00 p.m. It will feature interviews with coaches and players, highlights of the previous week's game, and a look ahead to the upcoming opponent.

Each show is viewable online at nctv17.com and is archived at youtube.com/northcentralsports as well as at northcentralcardinals.com.