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Setting the Scene:  Having made themselves at home the two previous visits, the Cardinals look to claim a win in St. Louis for a third straight season as they take on the unbeaten WashU Bears.

Series History: This is the ninth football meeting between the institutions and the fourth since WashU joined the CCIW as an associate member in 2018. North Central has won seven of the previous eight encounters, including  each of the last four.

The Cardinals' trip to Francis Olympic Field last season saw them score the first 49 points on the way to a 59-20 victory. Luke Lehnen ran for two touchdowns and threw two more to Andrew Kamienski and DeAngelo Hardy, while Ethan Greenfield ran for two scores as well.

Kamienski also returned a punt 77 yards  to the end zone, while Ben Wong (7) and Myron Lewis (6) were North Central's leading tacklers.

National Rankings: North Central is ranked No. 1 by D3football.com and the first American Football Coaches Association (AFCA). WashU is ranked No. 21 by the AFCA and No. 23 by D3football.com.

Scouting the Bears: WashU improved to 6-0 Saturday by scoring the final three touchdowns to pull away from host Augustana for a 49-28 win.

WashU owned a 21-7 advantage after one period but the Vikings forced a 28-28 stalemate with 9:11 left in the third quarter. The Bears took the ensuing possession 59 yards in eight plays to get the go-ahead touchdown on an eight-yard run by Kenneth Hamilton.

WashU ranks fourth nationally in scoring offense (52.4 points per game) and ninth in total offense (513.3 yards per game). Quarterback Matt Rush has completed 70 percent of his passes and thrown for 22 touchdowns with just three interceptions. Rush has thrown seven scoring passes to Colin Goldberg, while Hamilton is the team's top rusher with 583 yards and 11 touchdowns.

The Bears' defense, which intercepted passes on two of Augustana's four fourth-quarter drives, ranks second to North Central in the CCIW in points(15.5) and yards allowed (267.0). Linebacker Gus Christensen is WashU's leader in tackles (39) and tackles for loss (4.5).

This Week for the Cardinals: North Central made history with its 65-0 victory over Millikin, setting new single-game program records and 2022 NCAA Division III season highs in rushing yards (597) and total yards (776).

The Cardinals have held two straight opponents scoreless for the first time since 2003. North Central scored touchdowns on its first eight possessions.

Jacob Paradee caught three touchdown passes, part of a career day which saw him make six catches for 95 yards to far surpass his previous career highs. All three TD passes came from Luke Lehnen, who also ran 20 yards for a touchdown.

Terrence Hill ran for two touchdowns while Greenfield, Joe Sacco and Darius Byrd each scored one. Greenfield gained 174 yards on 15 carries, while Sacco (125 yards) and Byrd (95) set new career highs.

Dan Lester recorded three quarterback sacks while Zack Orr and Jahron Williams each contributed interceptions. Williams' pick ended Millikin's best drive of the day deep in Cardinal territory.

D3football.com Team of the Week: The Cardinals' starting offensive line of Jeske Maples, Alex Knaperek, Jarod Thornton, Sam Pryor and Will Ebert was named to the D3football.com Team of the Week following the win over Millikin.  

Lester was also the lone defensive tackle named to the Team of the Week, doing so for a second straight game.

CCIW Student-Athletes of the Week: Lester was chosen as the CCIW's Defensive Student-Athlete of the Week for his efforts against the Big Blue while kicker Tanner Rains was named the Special Teams  Student-Athlete of the Week.

NCAA All-Time Active Leaders:  Greenfield is the second-leading active rusher in all of college football and ranks 15th all-time in Division III history with a North Central-record 5,526 yards.

Greenfield also ranks second among active players in career all-purpose yards (6,400) and points scored (474). He ranks 11th in Division III history in scoring and 25th in all-purpose yards.

Greenfield is the highest-ranked non-kicker among all returning players and is the current active career leader in points per game (11.0).

National Statistical Rankings: Greenfield is the Division III national leader in yards per rush attempt (8.7) this season while ranking second in rushing yards per game (140.7), fourth in rushing touchdowns (12) and fifth in points (72).

Rains ranks 14th nationally in scoring and is tied for the highest point total in the nation by a kicker (61)  and Lester ranks seventh in tackles for loss per game (2.2).

As a team, North Central leads all of Division III in scoring (60.3 ppg), total yards (617.5 ypg), third-down conversion percentage (63.9%) and defensive third-down percentage (16.7%).

North Central Career Rankings:  Hardy ranks fourth in school history in touchdown receptions (24), fifth in receiving yards (2,186) and sixth in total receptions (127).  

Terrence Hill is sixth all-time in total touchdowns (38), seventh in rushing touchdowns (30) and 14th in rushing yards (1,722).  Hill is 240 yards away from moving into the career top 10.

Lehnen ranks fifth in North Central history in passing touchdowns (48) and passing yards (4,557) and sixth in completions (280).

Around the CCIW: North Central and WashU are the only unbeaten teams remaining in conference play while Wheaton is one game behind.

Wheaton hosts Carroll this week, while Millikin hosts Elmhurst, Carthage travels to Illinois Wesleyan and Augustana visits North Park.

'Red Zone' Returns in 2022: 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 14th 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.