FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Clark Teuscher, Sports Information Director, 630-637-5302

Nov. 15: North Central College Cardinals (7-2, 5-1 CCIW) at Elmhurst College Bluejays (5-4, 4-2 CCIW)

Kickoff: 1 p.m., Langhorst Field
Video: new.livestream.com/elmhurstcollege
Radio: 89.1-FM WONC
Live Stats: www.sidearmstats.com/elmhurst/football
Game Updates: www.twitter.com/NCC_Athletics
Series History: 52-21-1, North Central

Setting the Scene: After a successful Senior Day defense of Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium, the Cardinals are targeting a 16th straight win over Elmhurst to keep their hopes for an at-large playoff bid alive and give head coach John Thorne a win in his final regular-season game.

Series History: This is the 75th football meeting between the two schools. North Central owns a 52-21-1 advantage in the all-time series and has won the teams' annual matchup the last 15 straight years.

The Cardinals traveled to Elmhurst on Oct. 5 of last season and broke open a 14-14 game with 17 unanswered second-half points to prevail, 31-14. The Bluejays tied the score just before halftime on Stephen Ritter's 47-yard fumble return. After halftime was extended due to a lengthy lightning delay, North Central quarterback Spencer Stanek fired a seven-yard touchdown pass to Peter Sorenson for a go-ahead score. The Cardinals' Shane Dierking returned an interception to the Elmhurst 16-yard line on the next drive, and Stanek hit Ryne Rezac for a score on the next play.

North Central outgained the Bluejays, 412-205, limiting Elmhurst to just 27 passing yards. Dierking totaled two interceptions in the game, while Nick Slezak made three tackles for loss.

National Rankings: North Central is ranked No. 18 in the latest Top 25 Poll conducted by the American Football Coaches Association and No. 19 in the most recent D3football.com National Top 25 poll.

Scouting the Bluejays: After putting together four straight wins midway through the season, Elmhurst lost for the second straight week on Saturday, dropping a 21-14 decision at Millikin.

The Bluejays enjoyed more than a 12-minute advantage in time of possession and allowed Millikin to gain just 295 yards, but were hamstrung by eight penalties, including a pair of personal fouls which took place on the Big Blue's first two scoring drives. Elmhurst tailback Josh Williams, the CCIW's leading rusher, gained 135 yards on 32 carries while quarterback Joe Camiliere completed 12 of 18 passes for 141 yards and both of the Bluejays' touchdowns.

Williams has rushed for 1,190 yards and nine touchdowns this season, while Camiliere has run for eight scores in addition to 12 passing touchdowns. Elmhurst leads the CCIW in time of possession (36:17 per game) and, despite having recorded just four quarterback sacks and 25 tackles for loss, leads the conference in total defense (332.9 yards allowed per game) and fewest opponents' first downs (144).

Last Week for the Cardinals: North Central rolled to a decisive win in Thorne's final regular-season home game, scoring the first 26 points of the contest and defeating Augustana, 43-14, on Saturday.

Quarterback Dylan Warden threw five touchdown passes, one shy of the North Central single-game record, throwing three times to Peter Sorenson and twice to Ryan Kuhl, whose six catches and 129 yards are high-water marks for his young career. Oshayne Brown hit the 100-yard mark rushing for the third straight week with 127 yards on 20 carries, while freshman linebacker Tom Sora made a career-high 12 tackles in his second collegiate start.

The Cardinals limited Augustana to 79 yards passing, the lowest by any North Central opponent this season, and rushed for at least 200 yards for the sixth straight contest.

North Central Career Rankings: Sorenson holds the Cardinals' career record for receiving touchdowns (33) and currently ranks third all-time in receiving yards (2,276) and receptions (149) and fifth in total touchdowns (33).

Ryan Kent, meanwhile, ranks fourth in rushing yards (2,324), fifth in all-purpose yards (2,864) and seventh in rushing touchdowns (24). Dylan Warden andTyler Dicken rank sixth (22) and 10th (16) in touchdown passes, respectively, while Dicken is also ninth in completed passes (120) and passing yards (1,760).

John Skokna has moved into sixth place all-time in punt return attempts (31) and seventh in punt return yards (291), and Jordan Dean ranks eighth in kickoff return yards (633). In his first season at North Central, kicker Dom Zavaglia already ranks fifth in the Cardinals' history in field goals made (12) and seventh in extra points made (43).

Single-Season Records in Jeopardy: Zavaglia's 12 field goals made this season puts him within one of the North Central single-season record. Warden enters the regular-season finale with a quarterback efficiency rating of 185.0, within range of the Cardinals' record of 190.6 set by Aaron Fanthorpe '10 in 2009.

CCIW Rankings: North Central leads the CCIW in scoring offense (42.6 points per game), kickoff return average (23.2 yards per return), turnover margin (+1.11 per game), rushing offense (227.1 yards per game), rushing defense (114.4 ypg), total offense (430.4 ypg), passing efficiency (170.1), red-zone offense (95.3%) and field goals made (12) heading into this week's game.

Warden is the CCIW's leader in passing efficiency (185.0), Zavaglia leads in field goals (12) and points scored by kicking (79).
 
Around the CCIW: Wheaton wraps up the regular season at Carthage having already clinched the CCIW's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Football Championship. North Park travels to Illinois Wesleyan and Millikin plays at Augustana.

CCIW Players of the Week:  Warden and Sora were named the CCIW Players of the Week on offense and defense, respectively, while Millikin's Grant Shreve was the Player of the Week on special teams.

Shreve punted six times for 226 yards (37.7 yard average) against Elmhurst on Saturday, including a long of 62 yards. He helped Millikin win the field position battle as he had two punts inside the Elmhurst 20-yard line including one downed at the Bluejays' one-yard line.

North Central has had seven CCIW Player of the Week winners this season. Kent and Sorenson have been recognized on offense, while Michael Monterrubio was last week's winner on defense and Zavaglia has been honored twice on special teams.