Another stellar defensive performance and a massive advantage in
the running game led to another decisive victory for the North
Central College football team on Saturday, as the 10th-ranked
Cardinals ravaged the Carthage College Red Men, 43-8, at
Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium.
In the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin opener for
both teams, North Central (4-0, 1-0 CCIW) was never threatened,
scoring the first 20 points of the game and never allowing the Red
Men's pass-heavy offense to get untracked.
The Cardinals limited a fourth straight opponent to single-digit
scoring and were in the Carthage backfield all evening long, tying
a school single-game record with eight quarterback sacks and
establishing a new record for fewest rushing yards allowed, holding
the visitors to a net loss of 36 yards.
North Central's first score came on its second possession of the
contest, which began at the 50-yard line following a Carthage punt.
A 40-yard pass from Brad
Crackel to Jeff
Grunwald got the Cardinals to the five-yard line, and
Jordan
Tassio covered the remaining distance on the next play
for a touchdown. The extra-point attempt sailed wide, leaving North
Central with a 6-0 advantage with 7:00 left in the first
period.
After another Red Men punt, North Central took over on its own 10
and marched 90 yards in 10 plays for another score, as Tassio ran
seven yards to the end zone with 34 seconds remaining in the
opening quarter. A 66-yard punt return by Joe
Antonacci set up a third unanswered Cardinal touchdown
early in the second period, as Crackel capped off a four-play,
nine-yard drive with a one-yard TD run to give the hosts a 20-0
advantage with 12:17 left in the first half.
Midway through the second quarter, Carthage finally began to move
the ball on offense after six straight punts. A 49-yard pass from
quarterback Evan Jones to receiver Pete Djurickovic got the Red Men
into North Central territory, but the drive came to an end when the
Cardinals' Josh
McLeod stepped in front of another pass by Jones at the
Cardinals' five-yard line and intercepted the ball. Carthage's
first score came on the next play, however, as an errant snap from
center led to the Cardinals conceding a safety with 3:46 to go in
the half.
Carthage went three and out on the ensuing drive and punted for a
seventh time, giving the Cardinals one more scoring opportunity. A
15-play, 75-yard drive ran the clock all the way down, and Nick
Dace kicked a 22-yard field goal with time running out to
send the hosts into halftime ahead, 23-2.
The Red Men (3-1, 0-1 CCIW) opened the second half by ending a
North Central drive with an interception by defensive back Wayne
Bolden, but wound up turning the ball over on downs near midfield.
The Cardinals needed three plays to secure their first score of the
second half, as Tassio rambled 61 yards for his third TD of the
night and a 30-2 advantage. Late in the third quarter, a Carthage
punt was blocked by Nick
Kukuc, and Tom
McGinnis recovered the ball at the Carthage 48-yard line
to start the Cardinals on their next scoring drive, which
culminated in a 27-yard field goal by Dace with 14:49 left in the
fourth period.
Carthage picked up its lone touchdown of the game on the next play
from scrimmage, as Jones found Chris Schulz for a 72-yard touchdown
pass. The Red Men's two-point conversion attempt was unsuccessful,
leaving the guests with a 33-8 deficit with 14:29 to play. Carthage
forced the Cardinals to punt on their next drive and looked to put
another score on the board, but Valente
Garza broke through the Carthage line to sack Jones on
fourth down to end the threat. North Central scored three plays
later, as Crackel threw a 31-yard touchdown pass to Steve
Hlavac.
Carthage's 10th punt of the night led to the final scoring drive
of the contest. After driving to the Red Men 32, Dace lined up for
a 49-yard field goal and hammered the ball through the uprights,
connecting on the second-longest made field goal in school
history.
The Cardinals outgained Carthage, 476-251, in total offense,
gaining 272 yards on the ground. Tassio gained 123 yards on 19
carries, while Denzel
Thompson finished with 56 yards on 11 attempts. Crackel
completed 9 of 23 passes for 188 yards, as Hlavac hauled in seven
passes for 125 yards.
Matt
Wenger finished with a team-high eight tackles for North
Central, while Willie
Hayes contributed 2.5 of the team's eight quarterback
sacks. In addition to his interception, McLeod broke up five
passes.
Jones completed 23 of 43 passes for Carthage, gaining 265 yards,
while running back Jake Smith ran seven times for 22 yards and
caught eight passes for 54 yards. Bolden finished with 11 tackles
for the Red Men.
North Central travels to Augustana College (3-1, 1-0) on Saturday.
Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.
North Central Rolls in CCIW Opener
Oct 02, 2010