Football

Football National Championship Preview

Ethan Greenfield
Ethan Greenfield

Complete Game Notes (PDF)

Live Video/Audio/Stats

Setting the Scene: The Cardinals take on another of Division III's stalwart programs as they look to claim a second straight national championship.

Series History: This is the first meeting between the two institutions in any team sport.

National Rankings: Mary Hardin-Baylor was ranked No. 2 in both polls.

Scouting the Crusaders: A run of 17 straight points midway through the second quarter was enough to keep Mary Hardin-Baylor clear of Wisconsin-Whitewater in Saturday's semifinal at Perkins Stadium, as the Crusaders improved to 14-0 with a 24-7 win over the Warhawks.

Quarterback Kyle King opened the scoring with a pair of nine-yard touchdown passes to Brandon Jordan, which were part of Jordan's 11-reception, 164-yard performance.

The Crusaders rank third nationally in scoring offense (48.3 points per game) as well as scoring defense (9.0 points allowed).Of UMHB's 471 average offensive yards, 249 have come through the air, and it has allowed just 234 total yards per game.

King has completed 64 percent of his passes and thrown for 32 touchdowns with just two interceptions. Jordan has caught 51 passes for a team-high 971 yards and 16 TDs, while Alshonso Thomas owns team-best rushing totals of 1,063 yards and 12 scores. King has proven a viable running threat with 11 rushing touchdowns of his own.

Defensively, the Crusaders rank third nationally in tackles for loss (125). Defensive end E'Monte Smith has totaled 8.5 quarterback sacks and cornerback Keith Gibson has intercepted five passes.

This Week for the Cardinals: North Central eliminated Mount Union from the postseason on the Purple Raiders' home field for the second straight season Saturday, steadily pulling away for a 26-13 victory at Mount Union Stadium.

After yielding a touchdown on the game's first drive, the Cardinals did not allow another until they had scored 26 unanswered points. Luke Lehnen threw touchdown passes to Matt Robinson and DeAngelo Hardy before running for a score of his own.

Kicker Tanner Rains, operating in rain and winds in excess of 30 miles per hour, successfully kicked field goals of 42 and 31 yards.

Ethan Greenfield ran for 190 yards on 31 carries as the Cardinals finished with 293 total yards on the ground. It is the largest rushing total allowed by a Mount Union team since 2007.

North Central's 24-game winning streak remains the longest in all divisions of college football.

North Central in the NCAA Playoffs:  The Cardinals own a 23-11 overall record in the Division III Football Championship, including victories in heir last 12 first-round games.

North Central reached the national quarterfinals in 2010 and the national semifinals in 2013 before winning the national title in 2019.

The winner of this week’s game will take on either Wisconsin-Whitewater or Mary Hardin-Baylor (Texas) in the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl in Canton, Ohio Friday.

AFCA All-America Teams Announced: Andrew Kamienski and Sharmore Clarke were both named to the  American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) All-America Teams for the second straight season Tuesday.

Kamienski was selected to the First Team, while Clarke made the Second Team.

North Central players have won 57 total All-America awards, including 14 from the AFCA which ranks 17th among all Division III programs.

Jarod Thornton
Jarod Thornton
Sam Taviani
Sam Taviani

Gagliardi Trophy Finalists Named: North Central wide receiver Andrew Kamienski and Mary Hardin-Baylor defensive back/punter Jefferson Fritz are two of the five finalists for the Gagliardi Trophy, the premier individual award in NCAA Division III football.
Other finalists are quarterbacks Gavin Zimbelman of Aurora, Blaine Hawkins of Central (Iowa) and Wyatt Smith of Linfield (Oregon).

Finalists for this year's award will be announced Dec. 9. The Cardinals' Broc Rutter won the 2019 Gagliardi Trophy.

Academic All-District: North Central's Jake Beesley and Ben Wong were voted to the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-Distric Team last week. It was the third such award for Wong and the second for Beesley. 
Both are eligible for the CoSIDA Academic All-America Teams, which will be announced in December. Wong is a two-time honoree and Beesley was so recognized last year.

Thisyear's CoSIDA Academic All-America Teams will be announced Thursday.

 

National Statistical Rankings: The Cardinals rank first among all NCAA Division III programs in scoring offense (54.8 points per game) and second in total offense (559.2 yards per game) while ranking eighth in scoring defense (11.2 ppg) and 10th in total defense (235.0 ypg).

Lehnen is the Division III national leader in passing efficiency (196.5) and yards per pass attempt (11.5) while ranking fifth in yards per completion (17.3) and 12th in passing touchdowns (32).

Greenfield ranks second nationally in total touchdowns (24) and rushing yards (1,672) and third in rushing touchdowns (23) and yards per carry (7.60).

NCAA Career Rankings: Kamienski's North Central-record reception total (329) ranks him eighth in NCAA Division III history. The career record of 463 is held by Michael Zweifel, who played for Wisconsin-La Crosse and Dubuque from 2007-2011.
With 4,904 career receiving yards, Kamienski ranks fourth all-time. The record of 6,108 yards was set by Scott Pingel of Westminster (Missouri) from 1996-99.

Team Single-Season Records: The Cardinals have rushed for 4,019 rushing yards, easily surpassing the previous program record of 3,448 set by the 2019 championship team.

North Central has also established new single-season standards for rushing touchdowns (65) and pass breakups (72).

North Central Career Rankings:  Kamienski is the program's all-time leader in career receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns (58) while ranking third in points scored (348), Beesley sits second in passes defended (44) and pass breakups (36), and Ben Wong ranks ninth all-time in tackles (231).

Greenfield now also ranks first all-time in rushing touchdowns (60), rushing yards (4,558) and all-purpose yards (5,327) and sits  second in points scored (390). Greenfield is just two points shy of matching kicker Nick Dace (392 points from 2010-2013) for the Cardinals' career scoring record.

Hardy and Williams rank eighth (1,672) and 14th (1,113) in career receiving yards, respectively, while Hardy also sits eighth in touchdown receptions (18) and 13th in receptions (96).

Terrence Hill is ninth all-time in total touchdowns (29), 10th in rushing touchdowns (24) and 15th in rushing yards (1,494). Lehnen, in his first season of collegiate play, already ranks sixth in North Central history in passing touchdowns and passing yards (3,082) and eighth in completions (178).