Photo by Steve Woltmann for North Central athletics

By Joe Sager
D3sports.com

North Central’s offense receives a lot of accolades – and rightfully so.

The Cardinals rank first nationally in scoring (57.1 points per game) and second in total offense (589.6 yards per game).

However, don’t overlook the team’s defense. While the unit may not get as many headlines, it ranks fourth in points allowed per game (7.7) and 12th in total defense (224.7 yards per game) for top-ranked North Central.

It was a similar situation in 2019 during team’s national championship march, with a high-powered offense lighting up the scoreboard and a stout defense limiting opponents. Unlike two seasons ago, though, the defense is loaded with even more experience.

“For us, defensively, we’re a very, very veteran group. We have guys with a lot of game experience that have been in a lot of games and key situations,” North Central defensive coordinator Shane Dierking said. “In 2018, seven of our 11 starters were freshmen and sophomores. Now, those guys are true seniors or fifth-year seniors and multi-year starters.”

The Cardinals know that experience is paying off.

“Coach Dierking is in his fourth year as defensive coordinator and we have nothing but juniors and seniors starting for us on defense who have been in that system. There’s a lot of value there in that,” North Central coach Jeff Thorne said. “It’s the most experience we’ve had on that side of the ball in 10 years. They are really, really good players, too. We have a lot of speed on that side of the ball. Coach Dierking and Coach (Tim) Janecek have done a great job designing a defense to fit our personnel. I am really pleased.”

Coming off the 2019 Stagg Bowl victory, the team was ready to make another championship run. However, COVID-19 determined otherwise. Since there was no national tournament last fall or this spring, the team did not compete in games. Instead, it geared up for another drive this fall.

“We made a pretty important decision to opt ottut of games for a multitude of reasons,” Thorne said. “We were going to have so many fifth-year seniors who really halted their lives to come back and play. We didn’t want to take a chance on getting them injured.”

On the defensive side, starting linebackers Ben Wong and Storm Simmons, nose tackle Cameron Martin, cornerback Jake Beesley and safety Dakota Cremeens opted to come back for a fifth year.

“All of us had little bit of a different situation. We had to figure out the school part of it or if we wanted to start our lives,” Cremeens said. “I think we were all on the same page. Knowing we’d all come back and what we had as a team, it’d be something special. I am glad we did come back. We are off to great start. I can’t wait to see what happens.”

Even though the Cardinals missed out on game competition last fall and this spring, they still put in a lot of valuable work. After all, the defense had to go toe-to-toe with the country’s most-explosive offense each time the squad took the field.

“That’s something that’s really fun in practice. Whenever we get to cross over with the offense, it’s very competitive,” Beesley said. “It’s just two units that really want to push each other and don’t want to lose, no matter what we do. We’re always trying to compete with them. We know how good they are and they will make us better. Going against some of the best guys in the country at various positions, I think that helped us in the long run.”

Having gone through a championship season, North Central’s defense realizes the importance of selflessness. The Cardinals just want to win and they don’t care how they do it or who is responsible.

“When you look at the stat sheet, there’s not one guy racking up a ton of tackles or sacks. It’s all about selflessness and trust and knowing the guys to the right and to the left are going to do their job. When it’s your opportunity to make a play, you make it,” Dierking said. “That’s the most satisfying thing. They don’t care who gets the credit, which is why it’s a special group.”

“We all respect each other so much,” Beesley said. “We’re so close and connected. If someone else makes a play, we’re so excited for him. Everybody is cheering for each other. It’s a good group that wants each other to succeed.”

The trust has been built up over the years.

“Play to play, some guys may not be asked to make the play but do things that make it easier for another guy to make a play. Everybody understands this and is not concerned with stats, but just making sure they do their part to make sure the team succeeds,” Wong said. “It’s really awesome. Not that we’ve been selfish in years past, but with all the experience, the level of trust is really high. I trust that we have no weaknesses on defense. In close games, I haven’t been concerned. I know I can trust the guys on the field on offense and defense.”

Everything has clicked for the Cardinals (7-0). They’ve outscored their foes, 400-54, and have yielded double figures in scoring (13) once so far. Still, though, they know they need to improve if they want to get back to the Stagg Bowl.

“You see the scores on Saturdays, but it’s not all roses and rainbows on Sundays. We’re very critical. We make a lot of mistakes, even though the scores don’t show it. We’re not there yet,” Cremeens said. “The coaches let us know that and they create that sense of urgency for us and make practices hard for us. They know that, if we want to do it again and go where we want to go, we’re always going to have to keep getting better.

“A lot goes on behind the scenes that no one appreciates. You’ll never see a statistic for a majority of things that go into winning a national championship. That’s what makes it so exciting and rewarding because everyone on the team knows what went into it.”

And, the Cardinals have learned to live with a huge target on their backs.

“We like it. Every week of every year, we go out there trying to play our brand of football, no matter the competition. The No. 1 ranking gives us a little kick in the butt to make sure we’re improving on a week to week basis,” Wong said. “It’s pressure, but a good sense of pressure. We know teams embrace the opportunity to see how they stack up against the No. 1 team. It’s been a lot of fun, so far.”