Pairing a smothering defensive effort with an afternoon full of long-distance plays on offense, the North Central College football team encountered little resistance in its encounter with North Park University Saturday. The Cardinals subdued the Vikings, 56-0, at the Holmgren Athletic Complex to record their second shutout win of 2023.

No. 1-ranked North Central (8-0, 7-0 College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin) prevailed for the 34th straight time in regular-season play, including 31 straight games in CCIW competition. The Cardinals have gone three games without allowing a touchdown.

For just the second time this season, North Central's first offensive drive of the game did not result in a score, as the Vikings pounced on a fumble on their own six-yard line. North Park (4-4, 3-4 CCIW), however, was forced to punt as defensive end Martin Egbo sacked Viking quarterback Matt Eck for a seven-yard loss on third down. Nic Rummell's 27-yard punt return set the visitors up at the North Park 22, and Luke Lehnen raced to the left corner of the end zone from three yards out to score the first touchdown of the day with 9:16 on the first-quarter clock.

Taking over following a second NPU punt, Lehnen moved the Cardinals down the field with a 47-yard completion to Joey Lombardi before connecting with Joe Sacco for a 15-yard touchdown pass to double the lead to 14-0 with 6:38 on the clock. The Vikings put together a 16-play, 70-yard drive which consumed more than nine minutes of game time and advanced to the Cardinals' four-yard line. Facing fourth down-and-goal, Eck fired a pass in the direction of Jakob Dreksler, but North Central's Julian Bell intercepted the ball to put an end to the hosts' scoring opportunity.

The ensuing drive lasted just four plays, as Lehnen called his own number for a 59-yard touchdown run with 9:46 left in the half. The Cardinals' next two scoring possessions each lasted a single play, as Sacco ran 55 yards to the end zone and Lehnen fed a shovel pass to Charles Coleman for a 61-yard scoring completion. North Central went into halftime with a 35-0 advantage on the scoreboard and a 396-95 edge in total offensive yards.

North Park took possession to start the second half, but a fumble on the opening kickoff was recovered by the Cardinals' Gunnar Lobdell at the Vikings' 28. Just three plays later, Lehnen lofted a four-yard scoring pass to DeAngelo Hardy to boost the lead to 42-0 after just one minute of second-half play had elapsed. A 35-yard punt return by Jacob Paradee gave the guests a short field at the North Park 22, and Lehnen followed with a 12-yard touchdown run, his third of the game and 31st of his career, for a 49-0 lead with 10:10 still left in the third quarter.

The Cardinals' final scoring drive of the afternoon was their longest, as a 14-play, 66-yard trek was capped off by Darius Byrd's one-yard touchdown run with 1:16 to play. North Central finished with 632 total yards and gained 372 through its running game, marking the sixth time in the last seven games the Cardinals have compiled at least 300 yards on the ground. Lehnen completed 11 of 16 passes for 225 yards, finding Lombardi four times for 93 yards and Hardy five times for 56, while running for 84 yards on eight carries. Sacco rushed for a game-high 137 yards on nine attempts.

North Park finished with 128 total yards, just 33 of which came after halftime, as the Cardinals recorded 12 tackles for loss and five quarterback sacks. Egbo was North Central's leading tackler with nine total stops, including six tackles for loss and three sacks, each of which match the third-highest single-game total in the program's history. Will Kettelkamp finished with six tackles (two for loss) and Alex Gil intercepted a pass on North Park's final offensive play.

The Cardinals host Illinois Wesleyan University Saturday at Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium as they look to clinch at least a share of their third straight CCIW championship. The Titans are 2-6 (2-5 CCIW) following a 44-14 loss to Augustana College. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 p.m., with Senior Day festivities to be observed prior to game time.