Setting the Scene: The Cardinals face yet another new opponent as they prepare to compete for a third national championship and attempt to complete a second consecutive unbeaten campaign.
Series History: This is the first football meeting between the two institutions.
National Rankings: North Central was ranked No. 1 nationally at the end of the regular season by D3football.com and the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA). The Cardinals have been ranked first in both polls all season long.
Cortland was ranked No. 11 by D3football.com and No. 13 by the AFCA.
Scouting the Red Dragons: Cortland defeated Randolph-Macon (Virginia), 49-14, in the national semifinals to advance to its first championship game. The Red Dragons have won 11 straight contests since their only loss of the season, a 38-35 setback against Susquehanna (Pennsylvania) on Sept. 16.
Cortland scored the first 42 points of Saturday's game as quarterback Zac Boyes completed three touchdown passes to wide receiver Cole Burgess. The Red Dragons have played three of their four games this postseason on the road.
Cortland has used a balanced attack to gain its 509 yards per game, which ranks sixth-best in Division III, and the Dragons have a naton-leading 368 first downs to their credit.
Boyes is completing nearly 72 percent of pass attempts and ranks second nationally in passing yards (3,671), fourth in efficiency (197.1) and sixth in touchdowns (39). Burgess and JJ Leap each have more than 1,200 receiving yards and have combined for 27 touchdown catches.
Jaden Alfano-St. John is the Dragons' leading rusher with 1,378 yards and 17 scores, while Ashton Capone has scored 13 times on the ground.
The Cortland defense has forced at least one turnover in every game this season and ranks ninth nationally with 29 turnovers gained in 2023. Linebacker Jack Winey has a team-high 134 tackles, while defensive end Nick Lardaro leads the team with 11.5 tackles for loss and defensive back Luke Winslow has made five of the Dragons' 17 interceptions.
This Week for the Cardinals: North Central advanced to its fourth straight title game by prevailing, 34-27, in a back-and-forth battle at No. 3-ranked Wartburg which was in doubt until the game's final play.
Facing their first deficit of the season at 27-26 midway through the fourth quarter, the Cardinals stopped the hosts on their final three possessions and scored the game-winning touchdown on a four-yard run by Joe Sacco with 5:40 to play. Zack Orr intercepted a pass and the defense stood tall on fourth-and-goal at its own five-yard line before Orr stepped up again to end the game with a fourth-down tackle in the final minute of play.
Sacco ran for 126 yards and two scores on a career-high 28 carries, while Joey Lombardi caught four passes for a career-best 161 yards and two TDs. Julian Bell and Angelo Cusumano paced the defense with eight tackles each while Orr and Jahron Williams each totaled seven.
The Cardinals have a 4-1 all-time record in national semifinals, four of which took place away from Naperville, and have played three top-five ranked teams in consecutive games in the same postseason for the first time.
North Central has scored touchdowns on 77 of 86 first-half possessions and its outscoring opponents, 560-77, in the first two periods of play.
North Central won its first national title in 2019 and finished as the national runner-up in 2021 before claiming the trophy again in 2022. The Cardinals first qualified for the national quarterfinals in 2010 and the semifinals in 2013.
National Scoring Records in Jeopardy: The Cardinals have scored a school-record 842 points this season, an average of 60.1 points per contest.
The national Division III and all-divisions record for points in a single season is 878, set by the University of Mount Union in 2014. The record for points per game is 61.5, set by Saint John's University in 1993.
Gagliardi Finalists Announced: North Centrl quarterback Luke Lehnen was named as one of five finalists for the Gagliardi Trophy, the premier individual award in Division III Football, last week by the Saint John's University J-Club.
The Cardinals have had a finalist each of the last five seasons and seven times overall since 2008.
North Central's Ethan Greenfield (2022) and Broc Rutter (2019) are previous winners of the Gagliardi Trophy.
D3football .com All-Region Awards: North Central set a new program record with 11 selections to the D3football.com All-Region 5 Teams this week.
Heading the list was Lehnen, who was voted the Region's Offensive Player of the Year. Joining Lehnen on the Offensive First Team were Hardy, tackle Jeske Maples, guard Sam Pryor and center Jarod Thornton.
Defensive First Team picks were Adamchik, Bell, defensive end Martin Egbo and cornerback Antwain Walker. Sacco made the Offensive Second Team at running back and Lombardi was selected to the Third Team as a return specialist.
North Central tied Aurora for the largest number of All-Region 5 selections and has had its regional Offensive Player of the Year in four of the past five seasons.
AFCA All-America Awards: North Central established a new program standard with four selections to the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Coaches' All-America Teams.
Lehnen was the lone quarterback selected to the All-America First Team while wide receiver DeAngelo Hardy, offensive tackle Jeske Maples and defensive end Martin Egbo made the Second Team.
D3football.com All-Region Teams: North Central set a new program record with 11 selections to the D3football.com All-Region 5 Teams this week.
Heading the list was Lehnen, who was voted the Region's Offensive Player of the Year. Joining Lehnen on the Offensive First Team were Hardy, tackle Jeske Maples, guard Sam Pryor and center Jarod Thornton.
Defensive First Team picks were Adamchik, Bell, defensive end Martin Egbo and cornerback Antwain Walker. Sacco made the Offensive Second Team at running back and Lombardi was selected to the Third Team as a return specialist.
North Central tied Aurora for the largest number of All-Region 5 selections and has had its regional Offensive Player of the Year in four of the past five seasons.
All-CCIW Awards: North Central claimed a conference-best 17 All-CCIW selections this season, including all of the major individual awards.
Lehnen was voted the CCIW Offensive Student-Athlete of the Year while Egbo received Defensive Student-Athlete of the Year honors and Maples repeated as Offensive Lineman of the Year.
Head coach Brad Spencer was voted the Bob Reade Coach of the Year for the second straight season, giving North Central the award for the eighth time.
Other First Team All-CCIW selections were Sacco, Hardy, linbacker BJ Adamchik, Bell, tight end Bobby Behmer, offensive linemen Sam Pryor and Jarod Thornton, defensive lineman Will Kettlekamp, and defensive back Antwain Walker.
Lombardi received First Team status as a return specialist and was named to the Second Team as a receiver. Also receiving Second Team honors were Cusumano, Orr and offensive lineman Zach Fortier.
CCIW Elite 26: Behmer and wide receiver Joey Dugo shared the CCIW Elite 26 Award, presented to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade-point average from the first- or second-place team in the conference standings.
Behmer was also an Elite 26 recipient in 2022.
National Statistical Rankings: North Central leads all Division III teams in total offense (566.4 yards per game), scoring offense (60.1 points per game) and completion percentage (.739).
The Cardinals rank second nationally in rushing offense (324.9 ypg) and turnover margin (+1.86 per game), fifth in interceptions (21), 16th in rushing defense (74.9 ypg), 25th in scoring defense (15.6 ppg) and 28th in total defense (267.3 ypg).
Lehnen is the national all-divisions leader in passing efficiency (270.2) while also leading Division III in yards per completion (19.93) and ranking second nationally in passing touchdowns (46). Sacco ranks second in rushing yards per attempt (9.66) and rushing yards (1,661) while ranking sixth in rushing touchdowns (19), while Hardy sits third in touchdown receptions (19) and sixth in total touchdowns (22) and Lombardi ranks second in yards per reception (26.06).
North Central Career Rankings: Hardy tied the North Central career record for touchdown receptions (57) Saturday and ranks second in program history in receptions (241), receiving yards (4,107), total touchdowns (65) and points scored (392) while also sitting third in all-purpose yards (5,021).
Lehnen sits second in the Cardinals' history in passing touchdowns (117) while ranking third in passing yards (9,221) and completions (547). Lehnen currently sits first in passing efficiency (212.4) and completion percentage (.695).
Lehnen has also joined North Central's all-time leaders in rushing. He currently sits fourth in yards per rushing attempt (6.98), sixth in career rushing touchdowns (34) and ninth in rushing yards (2,233).
Sacco ranks sixth in North Central history in career rushing yards (2,601) and ninth in touchdowns (27). Sacco is the program's current career leader in yards per rushing attempt (9.09).
Bell is tied for third all-time in passes defended (38) and ranks fourth in pass breakups (30).
National Career Rankings: Lehnen ranks first among all active players in college football in career passing efficiency. Among Division III players, Lehnen ranks second in touchdown
passes and seventh in passing yards.
Hardy ranks second nationwide among all divisions in career touchdown receptions and third in receiving yards while sitting 13th in receptions.