Contact: Clark Teuscher, Sports Information Director, 630-637-5302
Box Score
Dec. 4, 2021 - Dauntless in its pursuit of a spot in next week's national semifinals, the North Central College football team ruthlessly seized control of Saturday's quarterfinal at Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium, mauling Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (New York), 55-6.
The No. 1-ranked Cardinals (12-0) maintained possession for a season-high 40 minutes and owned a 516-151 advantage in total yardage. North Central topped the 50-point mark for the ninth time this season and is in the semifinal round of the NCAA Division III Championship for the third time.
Running back
Ethan Greenfield carried out his customary duties in establishing the Cardinals' ground game with eight carries in a 10-play opening drive, including a two-yard touchdown run. RPI mishandled the ensuing kickoff and North Central's
Jordan Chisum recovered the ball at the Engineers' 34-yard line. After Greenfield kept the drive alive with a 10-yard reception on third down,
Terrence Hill left the visitors grasping in his wake on a 15-yard scoring run to double the lead to 14-0.
No. 18-ranked RPI (11-2) set up for a 32-yard field goal attempting on its next drive, but
Nic Rummell swept in from the right side to block the kick. Greenfield capped an eight-play, 92-yard scoring drive with a four-yard TD run early in the second period before the Engineers made their lone visit to the end zone as George Marinopoulos tossed a three-yard touchdown pass to Peter Lombardi. Once again, Rummell darted in to block the extra-point attempt, leaving the score at 21-6 with 4:49 left in the first half.
The Cardinals had just enough time for a final scoring opportunity before the break, as an RPI personal foul penalty wiped out a very long fourth-down situation and gave North Central a first down at the Engineer 17. On the next play,
Luke Lehnen lobbed a screen pass to
DeAngelo Hardy, who followed an armada of blockers into the end zone.
Lehnen also threw for North Central's first two scores of the second half, a 33-yarder to
Andrew Kamienski and a 34-yard strike to
Blake Williams. An interception at the line of scrimmage by
Tyler Rich gave the hosts a short field at the RPI 11, and Hill scored from 10 yards out two plays later.
The final score of the day came from the Cardinals' defensive unit, as
De'Angelo Roberson leapt in front of a screen pass and returned his team-leading fourth interception of the season 34 yards to the end zone. North Central limited the Engineers to 151 total yards, including a net loss of 12 yards on 17 rushing attempts.
Greenfield gained 143 of the Cardinals' 319 rushing yards on 20 carries, while
Joe Sacco came on late to gain 66 yards on 11 attempts. Lehnen completed 13 of 17 passes for 197 yards, gaining 83 yards on six completions to Hardy.
Sam Taviani was North Central's leading tackler (6) and
Jake Beesley recorded two pass breakups to give him a program-record 16 this season.
The Cardinals' opponent in the semifinals will be the fourth-ranked University of Mount Union (Ohio). The Purple Raiders (13-0) won their quarterfinal game in overtime, 36-29, over 11th-ranked Muhlenberg College (Pennsylvania). The game will be played Saturday at Mount Union, beginning at noon Eastern time, and will be televised live on ESPN+.
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