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Setting the Scene:  Coming off a physical battle in their quarterfinal win, the Cardinals travel to face a third straight top-five program in their quest for a fourth Stagg Bowl bid.

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

National Rankings: North Central was ranked No. 1 nationally at the end of the regular season by D3football.com and the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA). The Cardinals have been ranked first in both polls all season long.

Wartburg was ranked No. 3 in both polls.

Scouting the Knights: Wartburg is in the semifinals for the second straight year, opening its postseason with  victories over Illinois College (49-14) and Whitworth (42-20) before last week's 31-28 quarterfinal win over Wisconsin-Whitewater.

Trailing, 28-24, late in the contest, the Knights drove 78 yards in 11 plays and scored the game-winning touchdown on Nile McLaughlin's seven-yard pass to running back Hunter Clasen with 54 seconds on the clock.

The Knights have limited opponents to a nation-low 39.8 rushing yards per game while ranking second nationally in defensive touchdowns (5) and third in interceptions (22) and are tied with North Central for fifth in turnovers gained (31). Linebacker Owen Grover has a team-best 102 tackles while defensive end Jordan Downing has made 10 quarterback sacks  while safety Parker Rochford is tied for the Division III national lead in interceptions (7).

Wartburg is scoring 42.5 points per game, gaining 196.8 rushing yards and 262.5 passing yards per game.  Clasen has accounted for the bulk of the Knights' ground game, rushing for 22 touchdowns (second-most nationwide) and 1,523 yards (fourth-most).

McLaughlin is completing 62.3 percent of pass attempts for 3,243 yards and 36 touchdowns with nine interceptions. Receivers Carter Henry, Drake George and Thor Maakestad and tight end Thomas Butters have caught a combined 26 touchdown passes.   

This Week for the Cardinals: North Central led throughout its 55-42 quarterfinal win at Wisconsin-La Crosse, winning its 28th consecutive game and advancing to the national semifinals for the fourth straight year.

The Cardinals ran for 323 of their 509 yards and owned a 35-14 lead at halftime. After La Crosse rallied to close the gap to 41-35, North Central responded with an 11-play, 63-yard possession which ended with Luke Lehnen's four-yard touchdown run with 5:02 to play.  Following another Eagle touchdown in the final minute, DeAngelo Hardy sealed the win by returning an onside kick 45 yards to the end zone.

Hardy finished the game with nine receptions for 87 yards while also throwing a 21-yard touchdown pass to Joey Lombardi and intercepting a pass in addition to the kickoff return.
Joe Sacco rushed for a career-high 187 yards and Lehnen gained 86 yards on 11 carries while completing 12 of 15 passes for 165 yards and two scores.

North Central's defense, which forced three turnovers, was led by BJ Adamchik's 10 tackles and Julian Bell's eight stops. Bell forced a fumble on the Cardinals' goal line  in the first quarter, which was immediately followed by an 80-yard touchdown run (the longest postseason rush in North Central history) by Sacco.  

North Central has scored touchdowns on 73 of 81 first-half possessions and its outscoring opponents, 534-64, in the first two periods of play.

North Central in the NCAA Playoffs:  The Cardinals own a 29-12 overall record in the Division III Football Championship, including a 4-1 record in quarterfinal games.

North Central won its first national title in 2019 and finished as the national runner-up in 2021 before claiming the trophy again in 2022. The Cardinals first qualified for the national quarterfinals in 2010 and the semifinals in 2013.

Gagliardi Semifinalists Announced:  Lehnen was  named as one of 20 semifinalists for the Gagliardi Trophy, the premier individual award in Division III Football, by the Saint John's University J-Club.

The finalists for this year's award will be announced Dec. 7.

North Central's Ethan Greenfield  (2022) and Broc Rutter (2019) are previous winners of the Gagliardi Trophy.

D3football .com All-Region Awards: North Central set a new program record with 11 selections to the D3football.com All-Region 5 Teams this week.

Heading the list was Lehnen, who was voted the Region's Offensive Player of the Year. Joining Lehnen on the Offensive First Team were Hardy, tackle Jeske Maples, guard Sam Pryor and center Jarod Thornton.

Defensive First Team picks were Adamchik, Bell, defensive end Martin Egbo and cornerback Antwain Walker. Sacco made the Offensive Second Team at running back and Lombardi was selected to the Third Team as a return specialist.

North Central tied Aurora for the largest number of All-Region 5 selections and has had its regional Offensive Player of the Year in four of the past five seasons.
 

All-CCIW Awards: North Central claimed a conference-best 17 All-CCIW selections this season, including all of the major individual awards.

Lehnen was voted the CCIW Offensive Student-Athlete of the Year while defensive end Martin Egbo received Defensive Student-Athlete of the Year honors and Jeske Maples repeated as  Offensive Lineman of the Year.

Head coach Brad Spencer was voted the Bob Reade Coach of the Year for the second straight season, giving North Central the award for the eighth time.

Other First Team All-CCIW selections were  Sacco, Hardy, tight end Bobby Behmer, offensive linemen Sam Pryor and Jarod Thornton, defensive lineman Will Kettlekamp, linebacker BJ Adamchik and defensive backs Julian Bell and Antwain Walker.

Lombardi received First Team status as a return specialist and was named to the Second Team as a receiver. Also receiving Second Team honors were offensive lineman Zach Fortier, linebacker Angelo Cusumano and defensive back Zack Orr.

CCIW Elite 26: Behmer and wide receiver Joey Dugo shared the CCIW Elite 26 Award, presented to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade-point average from the first- or second-place team in the conference standings.

Behmer was also an Elite 26 recipient in 2022.

National Statistical Rankings: North Central leads all Division III teams in total offense (579.8 yards per game), scoring offense (62.2 points per game), turnover margin (+2.0 per game) and completion percentage (.748) while sharing the national lead for fewest turnovers (5).

The Cardinals rank second nationally in rushing offense (336.8 ypg), eighth in interceptions (20), 11th in rushing defense (70.8 ypg), 18th in scoring defense (14.7 ppg) and 24th in total defense (260.0 ypg).

Lehnen is the national all-divisions leader in passing efficiency (276.7) while also leading Division III in yards per completion (20.04) and ranking fourth nationally in passing touchdowns (43).  Sacco ranks second in rushing yards per attempt (10.66), third in rushing yards (1,535) and ninth in rushing touchdowns (17), while Hardy sits third in touchdown receptions (19) and fifth in total touchdowns (22) and Lombardi ranks fourth in yards per reception (24.28).

North Central Career Rankings:  Hardy tied the North Central career record for touchdown receptions (57) Saturday and ranks  second in program history in receptions (237), receiving yards (4,079) and total touchdowns (65) and third in points scored (390) and all-purpose yards (4,992).

Lehnen sits second in the Cardinals' history in passing touchdowns (114) while ranking fourth in passing yards (8,999) and completions (535). Lehnen currently sits first in passing efficiency (212.7) and completion percentage (.697).

Lehnen is also poised to join North Central's all-time leaders in rushing. He currently sits fourth in yards per rushing attempt (7.23), sixth in career rushing touchdowns (34) and 10th in rushing yards (2,212).

Sacco ranks sixth in North Central history in career rushing yards (2,475) and ninth in touchdowns (25). Sacco is the program's current career leader in yards per rushing attempt (9.59).

Bell is tied for third  all-time in passes defended (38) and ranks fourth in pass breakups (30).

National Career Rankings: Lehnen ranks first among all active players in college football in career passing efficiency. Among Division III players, Lehnen ranks second in touchdown passes and eighth in passing yards.

Hardy ranks second nationwide among all divisions in career touchdown receptions and third  in receiving yards  while sitting 14th in receptions.

Around the Bracket: The winner of today's game will face the winner of the semifinal matchup between Cortland State (New York) and Randolph-Macon (Virginia) Friday in Stagg Bowl 50.

This year's  national championship will be played at Salem Stadium in Salem, Virginia, which hosted the game annually from 1993 to 2017. 

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