Football

Football National Semifinal Preview: Muhlenberg

NCC Football

Complete Game Notes (PDF)

Live Video/Audio/Stats

Setting the Scene:  Headed to the semifinals for the second time, the Cardinals take on another new opponent as they look to earn a spot on Division III's biggest stage. 

Series History: This is the first football meeting between the two institutions.

National Rankings: North Central is ranked No. 5 in the most recent NCAA Division III National Top 25 Polls released by D3football.com and the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA). Muhlenberg was ranked No. 4 in both polls. 

Scouting the Mules: Muhlenberg traveled to sixth-ranked Salisbury for the quarterfinals last week and shut the Sea Gulls out for three quarters en route to a 24-8 victory to improve to 13-0 this season. The Mules are the only unbeaten team remaining in the postseason. 

Junior quarterback Michael Hnatkowsky completed 24 of 38 passes and threw for all three of the Mules' touchdowns, pushing his season total to 45 which ranks fourth nationally. Hnatkowsky also ranks sixth nationally in passing efficiency (183.1) and passing yards (3,363). 

Senior defensive end Frankie Feaster totaled 2.5 of Muhlenberg's five quarterback sacks in the victory, bringing his season total to 14. Feaster is tied for third nationally in sacks this season while ranking fourth in blocked kicks (4) as well. As a team, the Mules rank third nationally in scoring defense (9.6 points allowed per game) and ninth in total defense (243.4 yards allowed per game). 

Muhlenberg's offense has averaged 40.2 points and 425.3 yards (273.5 passing, 151.8 rushing) per game this season. Junior tailback James Diggs is the team's top rusher with 769 yards and seven TDs, while senior tight end Ryan Curtiss leads the receiving corps with 56 catches for 758 yards and 14 scores.

This Week for the Cardinals: North Central advanced to the second national semifinal in its history last week by defeating ninth-ranked Delaware Valley, 31-14, at Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium. 

The Cardinals limited the Aggies to 76 total yards in the first half and led, 17-0, by halftime. Delaware Valley scored twice early in the second half to get itself back into contention, but the Cardinals responded with a touchdown drive of their own soon thereafter and closed the door with a 12-play, 79-yard possession that ate up more than six minutes of game time and culminated in Ethan Greenfield's two-yard scoring run with 3:49 to play. 

Broc Rutter completed 23 of 33 passes for 263 yards and two touchdowns, hitting DeAngelo Hardy nine times for 132 yards and Andrew Kamienski seven times for 82 yards. Greenfield gained 93 yards on 28 rushing attempts. 

Ben Wong made a team-high nine tackles, while Dakota Cremeens intercepted a pass and Tim Mayerhofer recovered a fumble.
 

Raising the Stakes: Hardy notched his second straight 100-yard game after posting his first collegiate 100-yard effort at Mount Union. Hardy has totaled 326 receiving yards in the postseason after finishing the regular season with 363. 

No Looking Back: In 238 rushing attempts this season, Greenfield has only been tackled for loss six times for a total of eight yards.  

Greenfield has averaged 7.70 yards per carry this season, the fifth-best average in Division III and the second-best among players with at least 200 rushing attempts. 

Other Duties as Assigned: Rutter has taken on the Cardinals' punting duties this postseason as well. He has punted four times in the past two games for a 52.5-yard average.  

Rutter recorded a 65-yard punt against Delaware Valley and a 62-yarder at Mount Union which stand as North Central's two longest punts of the season.

North Central in the NCAA Playoffs: The Cardinals own a 16-11 overall record in the Division III Football Championship, including victories in each of their last 11 first-round games.  

North Central reached the national quarterfinals in 2010 and the national semifinals in 2013. 

The Cardinals’ 59 points at Mount Union matched their second-highest single-game total in the postseson. North Central scored 63 points in a first-round win over Albion in 2013. 

 

DeAngelo Hardy

National Statistical Rankings: The Cardinals currently rank second among 247 Division III programs in total offense (565.2 yards per game), scoring offense (53.2 points per game) and passing efficiency (196.73) while ranking third in red-zone offense (91.9%) and fourth in third-down conversion percentage (54.5%). 

Kamienski has 26 touchdown receptions this season, tying the Division III national single-season record, and also leads the nation in receiving yards (1,770) while ranking second in receptions (113). 

Rutter sits second in passing efficiency (202.6), passing yards (4,135) and passing touchdowns (49) and third in completion percentage (71.8%), while Greenfield is the national leader in total touchdowns (29) and all-purpose yards (2,207) and ranks second in rushing touchdowns (26) and rushing yards (1,832).

Ethan Greenfield

North Central Team Records: The Cardinals have already established new single-season school records for points scored (691), total offensive yards (7,348), total touchdowns (96), passing yards (4,366), passing touchdowns (52) and rushing touchdowns (41).  

North Central's 59-52 second-round victory at Mount Union produced new single-game program records for total yards (699) and passing yards (522), and the 111 total points scored matches the highest total in a game involving a North Central team since 1968. 
 

North Central Career Rankings: Rutter is the Cardinals' all-time leader in pass completions (982), passing attempts (1,451), passing yards (13,809) touchdown passes (138).  

Kamienski is the program's all-time leader in career receptions (242), receiving yards (3,508) and receiving touchdowns (41) while ranking fifth in all-purpose yards (3,835) and points scored (246), while Talha Ayhan ranks 10th in quarterback sacks (17.5) and 16th in tackles for loss (25.5). 

In just his second season of collegiate play, Greenfield ranks fourth all-time in rushing touchdowns (34), fifth in rushing yards (2,549) and sixth in all-purpose yards (3,144) and points scored (228).

 


 

The Rest of the Bracket: The winner of this week's game will take on the winner of the semifinal game between Saint John's (Minnesota) and Wisconsin-Whitewater in the Division III national championship game, the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl, on Dec. 20 at Woodforest Bank Stadium in Shenandoah, Texas.

'Red Zone' Returns in 2019: 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 12th season on Naperville Community Television, Channel 17. 

The show airs each Thursday at 8 p.m., Friday at 12:30 a.m., 10:00 a.m., 3:30, 7:00 and 9:30 p.m., Saturday at 12:30 and 10:00 a.m. and 1:00 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.