Operating with an efficiency scarcely seen in any season opener in the program's history, the North Central College football team kicked off its 2018 campaign Saturday with a 70-14 conquest of Lake Forest College at Farwell Field.
After finding its rhythm late in the first quarter, the Cardinals scored 56 unanswered points and put together a string of nine consecutive touchdown drives to put the contest out of reach early. North Central's point total was its highest in a season opener in more than 100 years (the 1915 team defeated Lewis Institute, 116-0, in its season opener) and its 637 yards of total offense ranks as the sixth-highest single-game total in school history.
The Cardinals covered 402 yards on the ground using nine different ball carriers, five of whom contributed at least one of the team's eight rushing touchdowns. The North Central defense, after yielding an 83-yard touchdown drive midway through the first quarter, allowed the Foresters (1-1) to gain just 81 yards over the final 49 minutes of the game and recovered two fumbles, both of which resulted in scores.
After being forced to punt on its opening possession, North Central forced a punt of its own before opening the scoring with a 10-play, 80-yard drive. On second down-and-goal from the four-yard line, quarterback Broc Rutter kept the ball on a read-option play and ran for the fifth touchdown of his collegiate career. The Foresters evened the score on the ensuing possession, traveling 83 yards in six plays and getting on the board with an eight-yard scoring run by Chase Allen wih 4:15 to go in the opening period.
Freshman running back Ethan Greenfield gave the Cardinals the lead for good on the next drive, covering the final 41 yards on two rushing attempts and scoring on a 20-yard carry with 1:38 left in the first quarter. The visitors followed with a 12-yard TD run by Dominick Muoghalu and a seven-yard scoring pass from Rutter to Andrew Kamienski before the North Central defense forced its first turnover of the new campaign. DJ Warkenthien dislodged the ball from Forester tailback Alex Adams, and Zach Butlerrecovered at the hosts' 36-yard line. Muoghalu raced up the middle of the field to the end zone on the next play. Rutter closed out the half by connecting with Michael Sfikas down the right sideline for a 33-yard score, sending the Cardinals into halftime with a gargantuan 42-7 advantage.
North Central called an early end to the Foresters' intiial possession of the second half, as Lane Brinkmanpounced on a fumble at the Lake Forest 20. Muoghalu tallied his third rushing touchdown of the day three plays later, this time from three yards out, and freshman running back Terrence Hill added scoring runs of three and eight yards before the third period concluded. The Cardinals' final score of the day came on a five-yard run by another freshman tailback, Jack Kegel, with under a minute to play.
Rutter completed 18 of 23 passes for 197 yards, while Muoghalu paced the ground game with 125 yards on just 11 carries. Cameron Moore made six catches for 44 yards in his North Central debut, while Kamienski collected four passes for 92 yards. Warkenthien and Ben Wong made nine tackles each to pace the Cardinals' defense, while kicker Derik Judka, also in his collegiate debut, converted all 10 of his extra-point attempts, one short of the single-game school record.
The Cardinals open the home portion of their schedule on Saturday, hosting Washington University in St. Louis (1-0) in the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) opener for both teams. Kickoff at Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.