In a game which featured more than 1,000 yards of total offense, the outcome of the annual Battle for the Little Brass Bell came down big-play execution at Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium Saturday evening, as the fifth-ranked North Central College football team absorbed its first loss of the season, 52-30, against 21st-ranked Wheaton College.
Just a week after posting their first shutout of the season, the Cardinals (3-1, 2-1 College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin) yielded 588 yards of offense as Wheaton scored on its first six possessions, including three scoring plays of at least 75 yards. North Central never led in the game and saw the Thunder close the door by outscoring the hosts, 21-7, after halftime.
After forcing a punt on the game's first drive, Wheaton (3-1, 2-1 CCIW) needed just three plays to get into the end zone, as Jaelin Goldsmith ran 75 yards for a score. The Cardinals countered with a 38-yard field goal by Derik Judka, but the Thunder extended their lead to 14-3 after Tae'Shawn Gibbs' one-yard touchdown run. Judka was called on to kick a 22-yard field goal, splitting the uprights to leave the score at 14-6 as the first quarter concluded. Wheaton got a 22-yard field goal from Griffin Bowes before Judka tacked on a third three-pointer, this time from 40 yards out, with 9:11 before halftime.
Thunder quarterback Curtis McWilliams dialed up Wheaton's second long-distance touchdown on the next play from scrimmage, firing deep to Carson Roberts for an 80-yard scoring pass. Broc Rutter put North Central in the end zone for the first time on the ensuing possession, completing five of six passes before eluding the Thunder's pass rush and scrambling for a five-yard TD run with 3:32 on the clock. Wheaton's next drive got a jumpstart by McWilliams' 37-yard pass to Phillip Nichols, and McWilliams ran for a three-yard score soon thereafter to boost the visitors' lead to 31-16 with just 30 seconds before the break.
The Cardinals turned out to have just enough time to score once more before the half ended, as Rutter whipped the ball downfield for a 64-yard touchdown pass to Michael Sfikas. North Central headed into halftime with a 31-23 deficit despite accumulating 337 yards of offense.
Wheaton seized any momentum gained by the late score soon after play resumed, as Jacob Cretin took the first play from scrimmage in the third period 77 yards to the end zone. The Thunder held North Central scoreless throughout the third quarter, then extended their lead to 45-23 when Luke Van Dyke ran for a three-yard score with 8:09 remaining. Rutter completed five straight passes for 69 yards on the next drive before handing off to Dominick Muoghalu for a one-yard touchdown with 6:13 left, and the Cardinals lined up for an onside kick, but Corey Kennedy recovered for Wheaton and the guests shutdown North Central's comeback attempt with a 16-yard TD pass rom McWilliams to Tyler Pace.
The Cardinals totaled 488 yards of offense, the bulk of which came through the air. Rutter completed 33 of 43 passes for a career-high 426 yards, just three short of the North Central single-game record of 429, as Andrew Kamienski hauled in a team-best nine receptions for 105 yards. Ethan Greenfield led the ground game with 41 yards on 14 rushing attempts while also catching eight passes for 76 yards.
DJ Warkenthien led North Central's defense with eight tackles, and his 2.5 tackles for loss give him 48 for his career, tying the career school record set by Ben Hare '06 from 2002 to 2005.
The Cardinals travel to face Augustana College (2-2, 1-2) on Saturday. Kickoff at Lindberg Stadium is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.