Unleashing a potent offensive barrage its fiercest rival was unable to slow down for a second straight year, the North Central College football team retained the Little Brass Bell for a fourth consecutive season Saturday as it led throughout a 55-27 victory over No. 18/23-ranked Wheaton College at McCully Stadium.

The No. 1-ranked Cardinals (4-0, 3-0 College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin) scored on eight of its 10 offensive possessions and led by as many as 34 points late in the game as they posted their largest margin of victory over Wheaton since a 53-0 win in 1934. North Central has won its last 40 regular-season games.

The visitors needed only two plays to establish a lead they would hold throughout the afternoon, as Luke Lehnen completed a 30-yard pass to Jack Rummell before running 35 yards for the game's first touchdown. After punting on their second possession, the Cardinals made it a 14-0 game when Lehnen, facing third down-and-seven at the Wheaton 14-yard line, found Joe Sacco on a swing pass that the running back took to the end zone.

The Thunder (2-2, 2-1 CCIW) got on the board on the ensuing drive, as quarterback Xaviere Jones directed an 11-play, 75-yard drive that ended with his nine-yard touchdown pass to Ben Bonga with 45 seconds left in the opening period. North Central responded quickly as Lehnen called his own number on third-and-seven at the Cardinals' 47, running 53 yards for a second score and establishing the team's longest running play of the season thus far. 

Wheaton narrowed the gap to 21-14 by traveling 90 yards in 13 plays and scoring on Giovanni Weeks' one-yard run with 6:55 to play before halftime. Lehnen kept the following Cardinal drive alive on third-and-nine with a 12-yard completion to Thomas Skokna, then completed an 11-yard pass to Bobby Behmer before handing off to Sacco for a 26-yard gain to the Thunder 28. Lehnen found Skokna again on the next play on a post route in the middle of the field for his second touchdown pass of the contest, giving North Central a 28-14 edge it would carry into the break.

The hosts were unable to move the ball on the first drive of the second half and lined up to punt, but the Cardinals' Kyler Green broke through the line to block the attempt and set North Central up at the Wheaton 15. Lehnen ran up the middle for a career high-tying third rushing touchdown, boosting the lead to 35-14 with 13:25 still to play in the third quarter. Safety Brayden Garrigan called an early end to the Thunder's next possession with an interception that was returned 36 yards to near midfield. The Cardinals ran seven straight running plays and extended their advantage to 41-14 as Sean Allen's dive for the right corner of the end zone capped an eight-yard touchdown run, Allen's first score of the campaign.

Wheaton attempted a fourth-down conversion in its own territory on the next drive, but Jones' pass was broken up by Jahmar Daniel to give the Cardinals possession at the hosts' 34. Six plays later, on the first play of the fourth period, Sacco scored on a six-yard run up the middle to leave the score at 48-14. Wheaton's Eli Reeves returned the ensuing kickoff 81 yards to the Cardinals' four-yard line, setting the table for a touchdown run by Deuce Scott on the next play. 

A Wheaton penalty on its next kickoff put the guests at the 50-yard line to begin their next possession, and a nine-play drive culminated in Charles Coleman's five-yard scoring run. North Central ran for 291 of its 433 total yards, converting 8 of 9 third downs.

Lehnen gained a game-high 146 rushing yards on 10 carries while completing 10 of 16 passes for 142 yards. Sacco ran 13 times for 73 yards, while Allen gained 44 yards on 10 attempts and Skokna was the Cardinals' leading receiver with five catches for 57 yards. Garrigan and BJ Adamchik shared the team lead with eight tackles each while Daniel and Rahmareon Roby each broke up two passes.

North Central travels to Decatur next Saturday to take on Millikin University (0-4, 0-3 CCIW). Kickoff at Frank M. Lindsay Field is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.