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

Complete Game Notes (PDF)

Nov. 5: North Central College Cardinals (8-0, 6-0 CCIW) at Carthage College Red Men (6-2, 4-2 CCIW)

Kickoff: 1 p.m., Art Keller Field
Video: www.carthage.edu/library/webcast
Radio: 89.1-FM WONC
Live Stats: sidearmstats.com/carthage/football
Game Updates: @NCC_Athletics
Series History: North Central leads, 32-26-3

Setting the Scene: With the chance to clinch at least a share of the program's 12th CCIW championship, the Cardinals make the season's lone trek to Wisconsin looking to complete a perfect 5-0 slate in regular-season road games.

Series History: This is the 62nd football meeting between the two institutions. North Central owns a 32-26-3 record in the all-time series and has won each of the last 11 meetings.

Last year's game took place in Kenosha as well, with the Cardinals making use of several big plays to post a 41-17 victory. Austin Breunig scored on touchdown runs of 21, 33 and 50 yards, while Dylan Warden completed TD passes of 72 yards to Cory Hartema, 24 yards to Nolan Brannick and 38 yards to Alex Ulmer. Richard Zirngibl added a 43-yard interception return as well.

North Central is averaging 45.6 points per game in its current 11-year winning streak against the Red Men.

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 once again this week.

Scouting the Red Men: Carthage eclipsed its win total from last season on Saturday, breaking open a close game with four unanswered touchdowns and defeating Millikin, 50-28.

Leading, 23-21, late in the first half, the Red Men scored with 38 seconds on the clock on fullback Nick Anzelmo's two-yard run. Carthage followed up with 21 unanswered points after play resumed, with wideout James Cobbs scoring twice on a 10-yard run and a 50-yard reception.

The Red Men's offense, which averages 396 yards and just under 34 points per game, has operated with two quarterbacks for the past five games. 

Sophomore Kyle Friberg, Carthage's starter at Millikin, has completed 68.9 percent of his passes for 574 yards with six touchdowns and only one interception. He completed 13 of 18 passes for 179 yards and two scores last week. Cobbs is the team's leading receiver with 31 catches for 622 yards and six scores.

Carthage's defense has allowed just 290 yards per game to opponents this season. Defensive end Pete Laughlin has recorded a team-high 12.5 tackles for loss.

This Week for the Cardinals: North Central improved to 8-0 this season and won its 11th straight regular-season game with little drama on Saturday, racing to a 56-0 halftime lead and celebrating Homecoming with a 62-7 victory over Carroll.

Broc Rutter threw four touchdown passes and Will Konneck ran for three scores in a first half which saw the Cardinals score on eight of nine possessions. North Central's defensive unit allowed a season-low 141 yards, just 39 of which came in the decisive first half.

The Cardinals have made a regular theme of establishing dominance in the first half this season, outscoring opponents, 226-31, in the first two quarters of play.

North Central can clinch at least a share of the CCIW championship and the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Football Championship with a win over the Red Men. The Cardinals won or shared eight straight CCIW titles from 2006 to 2013.

CCIW Player of the Week: Rutter earned his second CCIW Offensive Player of the Week Award of the season on Monday. He completed 17 of 20 passes for 180 yards, matching the fifth-best single-game passing accuracy in North Central's history.

CCIW Statistical Leaders: North Central leads the CCIW in scoring offense (40.4 points per game), turnover margin (+1.12 per game), punt return average (14.4 yards per return), passing efficiency (176.4), defensive passing efficiency (105.4), first downs (173), third-down conversions (46.5%), third-down defense (24.8%) and red-zone defense (57.1%).

Rutter leads the conference in passing yards (253.5 per game), passing touchdowns (26) and passing efficiency (181.4) while Alex Ulmer is the CCIW leader in receptions (6.00 per game). 

Jeremy Niklos shares the conference lead in interceptions (4) and passes defended (12), while Liam Crotty is first in points scored by kicking (55).

NCAA Statistical Leaders: Through eight games, North Central is ranked sixth nationally among 244 Division III programs in quarterback sacks (3.88 per game), ninth in passing efficiency (176.4) and pass completion percentage (67.9), 10th in third-down defense, 11th in red-zone defense and 19th in third-down conversions and rushing defense (78.0 yards per game).

Rutter ranks fourth nationally in passing efficiency, seventh in completion percentage (68.6) and ninth in passing touchdowns, while Pat Cravens is eighth in punt return average (16.2) and Billy Douds is 19th in quarterback sacks per game (1.06).

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

North Central Career Rankings:  Breunig and Oshayne Brown currently rank 11th (1,712) and 12th (1,613), respectively, in the Cardinals' history in career rushing yards.

Breunig also ranks eighth in rushing touchdowns (22), 10th in total touchdowns (23) and 11th in all-purpose yards (2,166), while Brown ranks 13th in rushing touchdowns (17).

In his first season with the Cardinals, Rutter is now sixth in North Central history in touchdown passes while ranking eighth in completions (151) and passing yards (2,028).

Ulmer ranks sixth all-time in receiving yards (1,502), eighth in receptions (97) and ninth in receiving touchdowns (13),  while Ryan Kuhl sits seventh in receiving touchdowns (16), 12th in receiving yards (1,037) and 14th in receptions (77) and Crotty is eighth in extra-point kicks made (40). 

Niklos currently ranks 10th all-time in pass breakups (20) while Justin Stuursma ranks 12th in tackles for loss (23) and 14th in tackles (164), Douds sits 13th in quarterback sacks (10.5) and Brandon Kibby ranks 14th all-time in interceptions (6).

'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.