Setting the Scene: In their final regular-season road contest, the North Central College football team takes on Millikin University Saturday at noon, looking to improve to 8-1 on the year.
Series History: The Cardinals hold a 41-37-1 all-time mark in the series and are riding a 20-game winning streak over the Big Blue. North Central is 21-21 at Frank M. Lindsay Field.
North Central College delivered a dominant 59-10 victory over Millikin University Saturday night at Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium behind a record-setting performance from quarterback Garret Wilson and wide receiver Thomas Skokna. Wilson threw for 277 yards and six touchdowns, tying the program's single-game record, while Skokna caught five touchdown passes and totaled 206 receiving yards, setting a new school record for touchdown receptions in a game.
The Cardinals wasted little time taking control, scoring on their second offensive play as Wilson connected with Skokna for a 53-yard touchdown. After a 50-yard field goal by Aidan Ellison tied for the fourth-longest in program history, North Central continued to build its lead through the air. Skokna added touchdown receptions of 62, 34, 4, and 2 yards, while Grant McAtee also hauled in a scoring pass before halftime as the Cardinals took a 31-10 advantage into the break.
North Central's defense limited Millikin throughout the contest, recording three sacks and holding the Big Blue scoreless in the fourth quarter. The Cardinals capitalized on several Millikin mistakes and controlled the second half behind a balanced offensive attack. Demir Ashiru led the ground game with 92 rushing yards, including a 46-yard touchdown run, while Donovan McNeal added 86 yards on eight carries. Matt Janiak paced the defense with 11 tackles as North Central secured the convincing conference victory.
National Rankings: North Central is ranked No. 5 in the D3football.com poll and the American Football Coaches Association Division III Top 25. Wheaton College remains the top team in both polls with the University of Wisconsin-Platteville, St. John's University and UW-Whitewater ahead of the Cardinals. In the AFCA rankings, Hardin-Simmons University, Washington University in St. Louis, Hope College, Christopher Newport University and Endicott College round out the top 10 while the D3football.com poll has Hardin-Simmonds, Endicott, WashU, Hope and State University of New York at Cortland completing the top 10.
Threads: North Central is showcasing its ninth straight unique jersey combo vs. Millikin with a white helmet, white jersey and red pants.
Scouting the Firebirds: Millikin University enters the week with a 4-5 overall record and a 3-4 mark in CCIW play. The Big Blue opened the season with a loss at Olivet before earning a win over Luther College. After beginning conference play 1-3 with losses to Wheaton, Carroll, and Augustana, Millikin rebounded with a signature 42-35 victory over Illinois Wesleyan and most recently defeated Elmhurst, 42-21. The Big Blue average 29.8 points per game while allowing 35.9 points per contest.
Millikin averages 386.1 yards of total offense per game, including 196.9 passing yards and 189.2 rushing yards per contest. The Big Blue have forced 12 interceptions and recovered five fumbles while throwing nine interceptions and losing four fumbles.
Quarterback Sylas Gomez has completed 169 of 258 passes (65.5%) for 1,709 yards and eight touchdowns while adding 263 rushing yards.
Leading the rushing attack is AJ Lee, who has rushed for 987 yards and 16 touchdowns on 144 carries while adding 232 receiving yards. Joshua Ware has contributed 266 rushing yards and six touchdowns, while Gomez has added 263 rushing yards.
The Big Blue's leading receiver is Amir Nixon, who has totaled 36 receptions for 390 yards and four touchdowns. Justin White ranks second with 31 catches for 307 yards and one touchdown, while Kevin Louis has added 25 receptions for 254 yards.
Defensively, Bransen Peters leads Millikin with 58 tackles, while Keith Thompson has recorded 52 stops. The Big Blue have totaled 36 tackles for loss, 11 sacks, and 12 interceptions, led by Latrell Hannon's four picks. Opponents are averaging 358.3 yards of total offense per game against Millikin, including 123.8 rushing yards and 234.6 passing yards per contest.
On special teams, kicker Giovanni Natale is 8-for-12 on field-goal attempts and 32-for-33 on PATs. Tyreon Key leads the return game with averages of 23.2 yards per kickoff return and 9.4 yards per punt return.
Nov. 6, 1976 - North Central College earned one of its signature victories of the 1976 season on Nov. 8, defeating third-ranked Illinois Wesleyan, 16-14, at Kroehler Memorial Field. The Cardinals dominated statistically, outgaining the Titans 378-179 in total offense, including a 297-150 advantage on the ground. Despite two costly fumbles deep in Illinois Wesleyan territory, North Central controlled the game from start to finish against one of the NAIA's top-ranked teams. Fullback Bill Shupryt led the offensive attack, rushing for 149 yards on 35 carries and becoming the first player in program history to surpass 1,000 rushing yards in a season. He was joined by halfback Dean Schulatz, who added 67 yards on 12 carries, and quarterback Mike Spejcher, who contributed 55 rushing yards while directing the Cardinals' option offense. North Central's offensive line drew high praise for its performance against a Titan defense that had allowed just 106 rushing yards per game in conference play. The Cardinals repeatedly won the battle at the line of scrimmage, paving the way for nearly 300 rushing yards. Defensively, North Central delivered perhaps its best effort of the season, limiting Illinois Wesleyan to just 179 total yards. Freshman linebacker Jay Oberheide recorded 11 tackles, a sack, and two forced fumbles, while safety Tom Kordas added 13 tackles. The dominant defensive performance helped secure the Cardinals' 16-14 upset victory.
Around the CCIW: All four CCIW contests kick off at noon as Wheaton hosts Elmhurst, Augustana hosts Carthage and Illinois Wesleyan hosts North Park.
Looking around Division III: The lone top-25 matchup of the week is a big one. The No. 2 University of Wisconsin-Platteville welcomes No. 5 UW-Whitewater to Pioneer Stadium.
Nation's Best: North Central is highly ranked nationally in a number of statistical categories, both as a team, and individually:
- 1st in Red Zone Offense - 95.6%
- 4th in Defensive 3rd Down Conversion Percentage - 23.2%
- 5th in First Downs Allowed - 90
- 8th in Total Offense - 498.8 yards per game
- 9th in Scoring Defense - 10.4 points allowed per game
- 12th in Sacks Allowed - 0.63 per game
- 13th in Total Defense - 232.4 yards allowed per game
- 14th in First Downs Gained - 199
- 16th in Scoring Offense - 43.9 points scored per game
