Setting the Scene: Packing a roster loaded with seasoned veterans, the Cardinals are off on a season-opening road trip to kick off a promising new season with a challenging opening contest against a new opponent.
Series History: This is the first meeting between the two institutions in any team sport.
National Rankings: North Central is ranked No. 5 nationally by D3football.com in its annual Top 25 Preseason Poll released Aug. 8.
The Cardinals were ranked seventh in the Lindy's Sports Annuals College Football Preview and eighth in the Street & Smith's College Football Yearbook, both of which hit newsstands nationwide in June.
Scouting the Captains: CNU is coming off a 7-2 season which included victories in each of its last four games. Both of the Captains' losses came in overtime.
The New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) Preseason Coaches' Poll predicted CNU to repeat its fourth-place conference finish from 2018.
The Captains' defensive unit enjoyed a stellar campaign a season ago, ranking fifth nationally in fewest first downs allowed (127) while ranking eighth in total defense (234.7 yards allowed per game), 14th in scoring defense (12.4 points allowed per game) and total passes intercepted (18).
Seniors Ben James and Conner Ryan combined to record 13 of CNU's 28 quarterback sacks in 2018, while defensive back Damian Jiggetts picked off six passes.
The Captains' offense relied primarily on its passing game in 2018. Senior quarterback Jack Anderson threw for 2,091 yards and 18 touchdowns with nine interceptions, and junior wideout Cole Blais (37 receptions, 519 yards, five TDs) is his top returning target. Senior running back Nehemiah Harris ran for a team-best 322 rushing yards last season.
This Season for the Cardinals: North Central takes the field this week in a quest for a seventh straight season-opening victory and its fifth straight win in a season opener on the road.
The Cardinals return eight starters from an offensive unit which ranked eighth nationally in scoring offense (43.7 points per game) and total offense (501.4 yards per game) whiele also sitting second in red-zone offense (95.7%) and third in first downs (314).
North Central's offensive line returns largely intact, featuring tackles Will Ebert and Colton Bauknecht, guards Sharmore Clarke and Ricky Strba and center Nathan Gray.
Sophomore running back Ethan Greenfield accounted for nearly 1,000 all-purpose yards as a freshman, including a team-best 717 rushing yards, while Andrew Kamienski (73 catches, 997 yards, 11 TDs) was the favorite passing target of quarterback Broc Rutter, who is set for his fourth season as the team's starting signal-caller.
The Cardinals' defense ranked 23rd nationwide in scoring defense (14.0 ppg) in 2018, coming in 19th in third-down conversion defense (28.6%) and ranking 25th against the run (84.8 ypg). Linebacker Ben Wong (55 tackles), defensive tackle Tommy Hyland (10 tackles for loss, 7.5 quarterback sacks) and defensive backs Zach Greenberg (48 tackles) and Jake Beesley (39 tackles, three interceptions) lead the defensive returnees.
Preseason All-America Honors: Clarke, Rutter, Kamienski and Hyland were named to the D3football.com Preseason All-America Teams, matching the largest representation the Cardinals have ever had.
Clarke was named to the First Team, while Rutter, Kamienski and Hyland were each selected to the Third Team.
Clarke and Hyland also appeared on the Lindy's Sports All-Division III Teams, and Clarke was also featured on Street & Smith's Preseason All-America Team.
2018 Postseason Honors:Clarke and Rutter both received a pair of All-America selections at the close of last season. Clarke was an Associated Press Little All-America First Team and D3football.com All-America Third Team honoree, while Rutter made the Little All-America Second Team and D3football.com Third Team.
Rutter was also named the D3football.com North Region Offensive Player of the Year and earned his second CCIW Art Keller Offensive Player of the Year award, while Clarke was the inaugural winner of the CCIW's Offensive Lineman of the Year award.
The pair are among six returning First Team All-CCIW selections from a season ago, joined by Kamienski, Hyland, Beesley and Strba. Kamienski and Hyland received All-North Region honors as well.
CCIW Preseason Poll:The Cardinals were predicted to finish first in the CCIW this season by the annual Preseason Coaches' Poll released in early August.
North Central received seven of the 10 first-place votes to sit atop the poll ahead of Wheaton, Illinois Wesleyan, Washington and Carthage.
The poll was rounded out by Millikin, Augustana, Elmhurst, Carroll and North Park.
The Cardinals shared the 2018 CCIW title, bringing the championship trophy to Naperville for the third straight year and the 11th time in the last 13 seasons.
North Central vs. the NJAC:This is only the second time that the Cardinals have faced a team from the New Jersey Athletic Conference.
North Central hosted Wesley (Delaware) on Sept. 26, 2015. The Wolverines scored and converted a two-point conversion with seven seconds on the clock to escape Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium with a 50-49 victory.
Austin Breunig and Matt Randolph each scored two touchdowns for the Cardinals, while Richard Zirngibl and Justin Stuursma totaled 11 tackles apiece.
Division III Active Career Rankings: Rutter enters his senior campaign as NCAA Division III's active career leader in passing yards (9,684) while ranking second in completions (707) and fourth in touchdown passes (89).
North Central Career Rankings:Rutter currently ranks second in the Cardinals' history in completions, yards, touchdowns, and pass attempts (1,068). He established new North Central single-season records for completions (269), attempts (385) and yards (3,539) in 2018.
Rutter needs just two TD passes to match the all-time record of 91 set by Kniss from 2003-2006. Kniss also holds the current career records for completions (707), attempts (1,260) and yards (10,226).
Kamienski sits fifth in receptions (129), seventh in receiving yards (1,738) and ninth in receiving touchdowns (15) and punt return yards (273), while Talha Ayhan ranks 15th in quarterback sacks (11.5).
This Day in Cardinal Football History: 1991 vs. Upper Iowa – A game which saw the teams combine for more than 1,000 yards of offense came down to the final play, as the Cardinals opened the season with a 42-35 win over the Peacocks.
Running back Joe Sobin '92, who gained 134 of North Central’s 346 rushing yards, scored the game-winning touchdown on a 15-yard run before the Cardinals forced a turnover on downs with under a minute to play.
'Red Zone' Returns in 2019: Once again, fans of North Central College football can get an insider's look at the Cardinals' football program, as 'The Red Zone' highlight show returns for its 11th season on Naperville Community Television, Channel 17.
The show airs each Thursday at 8 p.m., Friday at 12:30 a.m., 10:00 a.m., 3:30, 7:00 and 9:30 p.m., Saturday at 12:30 and 10:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. It will feature interviews with coaches and players, highlights of the previous week's game, and a look ahead to the upcoming opponent.
Each show is viewable online at nctv17.com and is archived at youtube.com/northcentralsports as well as at northcentralcardinals.com.
Download the free North Central Cardinals app, available for iOS and Android devices, to receive up-to-the-minute news, scores and updates on your favorite North Central teams. Click HERE for more information.
Credits:
Steve Woltmann, Rudi Ayasse