Complete Game Notes (PDF)

Live Video/Audio/Stats

Setting the Scene:  The Cardinals prepare to host a national quarterfinal for the fourth time, seeking to land the program’s third straight semifinal berth.

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

National Rankings: North Central was ranked No. 1 by D3football. com and the first American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) at the close of the regular season.

Ithaca was ranked No. 9 by the AFCA and No. 10 by D3football.com.

Scouting the Bombers: Ithaca opened the postseason with a 63-20 home victory over UMass-Dartmouth and advanced to today’s game with a 31-20 win over Springfield (Massachusetts) in Saturday’s second round.

The Bombers trailed, 10-0, Saturday after Springfield returned an interception for a touchdown and converted a field goal. Ithaca held a 21-20 lead at halftime and shut the Pride down the rest of the way, clinching the victory with a 46-yard touchdown pass from  wide receiver Billy Tedeschi to running back Jalen Leonard-Osbourne and a 19-yard field goal by Nicholas Bahamonde.

Quarterback A.J. Wingfield threw for 168 yards and ran for a team-high 88. For the season, Wingfield is completing 70.4 percent of passes for 18 touchdowns with five interceptions. Running back Jake Williams has a team-high 12 rushing touchdowns while the Bombers’ 25 touchdown passes have been spread among 11 targets.

Ithaca’s defense, which has forced 31 turnovers, is led by linebacker Matt DeSimpliciis’ 81 tackles and 5.5 quarterback sacks. The Bombers rank sixth nationally in turnovers gained and seventh in defensive passing efficiency (86.9). 

This Week for the Cardinals: North Central advanced to its fifth national quarterfinal Saturday with a 28-7 conquest of Carnegie Mellon.

The Cardinals trailed, 7-0, after one quarter but limited the Tartans to just 74 yards of offense the final three periods. Carnegie Mellon’s 146 total yards are the third-lowest gained by a North Central opponent in 2022.
Luke Lehnen rushed for a career-high 127 yards, including a 72-yard touchdown run, and completed 13 of 17 passes for 121 yards and a two-yard TD pass to DeAngelo Hardy.

Ethan Greenfield ran for 135 yards and two scores on 21 carries. Greenfield is the Division III national leader in rushing yards (1,636), looking to finish a third straight season atop the list. 
Greenfield also ranks second nationally in rushing touchdowns (21) and third in total touchdowns (23).

Tyler Rich recorded two quarterback sacks Saturday to give him 10 for the season, ranking Rich seventh on the Cardinals’ all-time single-season list. The single-season record of 14 was set by Ben Hare in 2004.

Gagliardi Trophy Semifinalists Announced: Ethan Greenfield was named one of 15 finalists for the Gagliardi Trophy last week. The Gagliardi Trophy is the premier individual award in NCAA Division III football and will be presented this year for the 29th time.

Quarterback Broc Rutter won North Central's first Gagliardi Trophy in 2019. The Cardinals have had a semifinalist each of the past five seasons.

North Central in the NCAA Playoffs: The Cardinals own a 25-12 overall record in the Division III Football Championship, including victories in their last 13 first-round games.

NorthCentral won its first national title in2019 and finished as the national runner-up in 2021. The Cardinals first qualified for the national quarterfinals in 2010 and the semifinals in 2013.

The Cardinals in the Quarterfinals: North Central first advanced to the quarterfinal round in 2010, losing a 20-10 decision to Wisconsin-Whitewater.

The Cardinals defeated Bethel, 41-17, on the Royals' home field in 2013 for their first quarterfinal victory. North Central topped Delaware Valley, 31-14, in 2019 and RPI, 55-6, in 2021.

NCAA All-Time Active Leaders: Greenfield is the second-leading active rusher in all of college football and ranks sixth all-time in Division III history with a North Central-record 6,318 yards.

Greenfield also ranks second among active players in career all-purpose yards (7,258) and points scored (534). He ranks fifth in Division III history in scoring and 14th in all-purpose yards.

National Statistical Rankings: Lehnen sits fourth nationally in passing efficiency (189.5), sixth in yards per pass attempt (9.93) and 15th in passing touchdowns (28).

Greenfield is the Division III national leader in rushing yards (1,636) for the third straight season while ranking second in yards per rush (7.98) and rushing touchdowns (21) , third in all-purpose yards (1,780) and fourth in total touchdowns (23).

Hardy currently sits fourth nationwide in receiving touchdowns (14) while Rains sits 13th in scoring (106) and Dan Lester ranks seventh in fumble recoveries (3).

As a team, North Central ranks first nationally in scoring offense (55.1 points per game), scoring defense (4.8 ppg), total offense (558.1 yards per game), rushing offense (368.3 ypg) and red-zone defense (41.2%).

The Cardinals rank second nationwide in fewest tackles for loss allowed per game (3.00) and third in first downs (309) , third-down conversion percentage (56.2%) and defensive third-down percentage (23.6%).

North Central Career Rankings: Hardy ranks second in school history in receiving yards (2,616) while ranking third in touchdown catches (32) and fourth in total receptions (155).  

Terrence Hill is sixth all-time in total touchdowns (42), fifth in rushing touchdowns (34) and ninth in rushing yards (2,099).  
Lehnen ranks fifth in North Central history in passing touchdowns (61), passing yards (5,478) and completions (350).

Dan Gilroy now ranks fourth on the Cardinals' all-time list for career quarterback sacks (21.5) while Rich ranks seventh (20). Gilroy also ranks sixth all-time in tackles for loss (39.5).

Elsewhere in the Championship: The winner of today's game will  play the winner of the quarterfinal game between Bethel (Minnesota) and Mary Hardin-Baylor (Texas) in next week's national semifinals. Semifinal host sites will be announced Sunday.

Other quarterfinal matchups:
Aurora at Wartburg (Iowa)

Mount Union (Ohio) at Delaware Valley (Pennsylvania)
 

'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.