Game Leaders
Team Stats
Passing Yards
Rushing Yards
Turnovers
Time of Poss.
Summoning a champion's resolve after a stern stress test, the North Central football team advanced to its third straight NCAA Division III national quarterfinal Saturday with a 28-7 victory over No. 15/19 Carnegie Mellon at Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium.
The Cardinals (12-0) trailed after one quarter and did not fully gain the upper hand until the final minutes. In a matchup of stubborn, rock-ribbed defenses, North Central stood tallest by allowing only 146 total yards, the third-lowest by a Cardinal opponent this season.
The hosts' first scoring opportunity resulted in a blocked 44-yard field goal attempt. On the ensuing possession, Carnegie Mellon (11-1) quarterback Ben Mills connected with wide receiver Kris Hughes, who broke an open-field tackle and completed a 47-yard touchdown pass with 2:35 left in the first quarter. The touchdown was the first allowed by North Central since Oct. 1 against Wheaton College, a span of seven full games.
North Central leveled the score at 7-7 early in the second period, as Luke Lehnen broke free for runs of 23 and 13 yards before completing a two-yard touchdown pass to DeAngelo Hardy with 12:01 on the clock. The Cardinals' pass rush set up the final score of the half, as Tyler Rich sacked Mills deep in CMU territory. Dan Lester recovered the fumble at the Tartans' two-yard line. Three plays later, Ethan Greenfield scored from one yard away to give the Cardinals their first lead at 14-7.
North Central was forced to punt on its first three drives of the second period, but was gifted field position by Rich once again. The senior sacked Mills and once again forced a fumble, recovered for a 16-yard loss by Lester at the Tartan 41 with 2:19 left in the third quarter. Lehnen threw to Hardy for 10 yards and Greenfield for 18 to close the third period at the CMU eight-yard line.
On the first play of the fourth quarter, Greenfield ran off left tackle and broke three attempted tackles on his way to the end zone. Lehnen capped the scoring with 5:04 left in the game, calling his own number on the read option and outrunning the Tartans' coverage for a 72-yard touchdown run. Lehnen finished the game with a career-high 127 rushing yards on 12 attempts while also completing 13 of 17 passes for 121 yards.
Greenfield ran for 135 yards on 21 carries for his fourth straight 100-yard game and 10th of the season, while Hardy made a game-high seven receptions for 66 yards. BJ Adamchik recorded a team-best seven tackles while Dan Gilroy made six.
The Cardinals advance to next Saturday's quarterfinal round to take on Ithaca. The Bombers (12-0) defeated Springfield, 31-20, in their second-round game. Kickoff is scheduled for 12 noon.