Complete Game Notes (PDF)

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Setting the Scene:  The Cardinals migrate south to Decatur in the quest for an eighth consecutive victory at Frank M. Lindsay Field.

Series History: This is the 75th football meeting between the two institutions. Millikin owns a slim 37-36-1 advantage in the all-time series, though the Cardinals have won the last 15 contests dating back to 2005.

North Central won the most recent meeting, 59-32, at Millikin Nov. 16, 2019. Jumpstarted by an 89-yard touchdown return on the opening kickoff by DeAngelo Hardy, the Cardinals separated themselves from the Big Blue early and prevailed, 59-32.

Hardy also caught a 27-yard touchdown pass at the end of the first period to give North Central a 24-7 advantage, and a run of three straight touchdowns late in the game put  the victory on ice.  

Ethan Greenfield ran for three TDs and 199 yards on just 14 carries while Andrew Kamienski made seven catches for 182 yards and a pair of scores. Dakota Cremeens and Ben Wong shared the team lead in tackles (11) .

National Rankings: North Central remains in the No. 1 spot in the D3football.com Top 25 Poll this week, receiving 17 of 25 first-place votes.

The Cardinals are also ranked No. 1 by the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA), receiving 40 of 47 first-place votes.

This is the fourth straight week North Central has been No. 1 in both polls.

Scouting the Big Blue: Millikin opened conference play with two straight victories but comes into this week's matchup on a four-game losing streak. The Big Blue suffered a 55-13 loss at home to WashU Saturday.

Millikin was hampered by five turnovers as well as 116 yards in penalties against the Bears, who scored on all five trips to the red zone.

The Big Blue have averaged 276 of their 404 yards per game via the pass. Quarterback Cal Pohrte has thrown for 1,751 yards and nine TDs this season but has also thrown 13 interceptions.  Colton Lockwood is Millikin's top receiver with 38 catches for 721 yards and eight scores, while Marion McGhee paces the running game with 492 yards and eight touchdowns.

The Big Blue have yielded 349 yards and 34 points per game on defense. Elisha Williams is the team's leading tackler (43) while Quinton Miller owns team-high totals in tackles for loss (9.5) and quarterback sacks (3.5).

This Week for the Cardinals: North Central blew open a close game with overwhelming force in the second half of Saturday's game with Illinois Wesleyan, pulling away for a 55-7 victory to push its current winning streak to 18 games.

The Cardinals owned a 13-7 edge at halftime before scoring on all six second-half possessions while  allowing the Titans to gain only 69 yards and six first downs.  Terrence Hill ran for three touchdowns in the third and fourth periods, while Luke Lehnen ran for one score and threw to Hardy for another and Jake Johnson capped the scoring with a 28-yard TD run.

North Central owned a 598-202 advantage in total yards. Kamienski caught 10 passes for 154 yards and scored both of the Cardinals' first-half touchdowns, setting a new program career record for all-purpose yards (4,943).

Greenfield ran for 199 yards on 21 attempts and Hill finished with a career-high 127 rushing yards on just nine carries. Lehnen completed 15 of 24 passes for 229 yards and Sam Taviani collected a game-high 10 tackles.
 

This Day in Cardinal Football History:  2010 vs. Elmhurst – The Cardinals opened a run of 37 unanswered points early in the second period against the Bluejays as quarterback Brad Crackel completed the longest pass in the program’s history, an 88-yard touchdown strike down the middle of the field to Joe Antonacci, and North Central claimed a 47-13 win at Elmhurst’s Langhorst Field.

Antonacci returned a punt 55 yards to the end zone less than two minutes later and Nick Kukuc also scored twice on a four-yard run and a 48-yard pass from Spencer Stanek. Jim Clendenning recorded four of the Cardinals’ 13 tackles for loss while Derek Sulo recovered a fumble and returned an interception 30 yards.

The win was the eighth of the season en route to the program’s second perfect 10-0 regular season and its first second-round playoff victory, a 28-9 conquest of Ohio Northern.

'Red Zone' Returns in 2021: 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 13th 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.