North Central Scores Homecoming Win over Illinois Wesleyan
It took some time for the North Central College football team to
begin firing on all cylinders during its Homecoming clash with
Illinois Wesleyan University on Saturday, but a series of big plays
in all three phases of the game helped the Cardinals break open a
close game and pull away from the Titans for a 30-7 victory at
Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium.
The win was the 17th straight regular-season home victory for the
sixth-ranked Cardinals (7-0, 4-0 College Conference of Illinois
& Wisconsin), who avenged their only in-conference loss from
last season.
The Cardinals' offense struggled out of the gate, as their first
two possessions resulted in turnovers. IWU linebacker Dan Rogers
intercepted a Brad
Crackel pass on the first play from scrimmage, giving the
visitors possession at their own 45-yard line. The Titans drove to
the North Central 34, where a fourth-down conversion attempt was
unsuccessful. Quarterback Brian Rooney attemped to run for the
first down, but was stuffed by Matt
Wenger and Derek
Sulo.
Three plays later, however, the turnover bug struck again, as the
Titans' Michael Whittington snared his team's second interception
of the first period. IWU, however, went three plays and out as the
North Central defense stood tall once again. The Cardinals' offense
put together an eight-play, 46-yard drive late in the first period
to set up a 32-yard field goal attempt by Nick
Dace, but the kick was off the mark as the game remained
scoreless.
The hosts broke the scoreless deadlock midway through the second
period. A 36-yard punt return by Joe
Antonacci allowed the Cardinals to take possession at the
Titans' 27-yard line. After a 14-yard run by Jordan
Tassio, Crackel dropped back and fired a touchdown pass
to Antonacci, giving North Central a lead it would not relinquish
with 7:25 left in the first half. The Cardinals threatened to score
once again before the intermission, covering 51 yards in 10 plays
in just under two minutes, but a fourth-down conversion
attempt was unsuccessful with 11 seconds on the clock.
Illinois Wesleyan's first possession of the second half resulted
in a turnover, as Josh
McLeod picked off his fourth pass of the season at the
Cardinals' 49-yard line. Just one play later, North Central was in
the end zone again as Crackel, scrambling to his right to avoid the
Titans' pass rush, threw to Manny
Juarez for a 51-yard score. Juarez now has two TD
receptions in the past three games, both of which have covered at
least 50 yards.
A short Illinois Wesleyan punt allowed the Cardinals to start
their next scoring drive at the Titans' 45. Tassio ran the ball on
six straight plays, covering 48 yards, and played the pivotal role
in setting up a 22-yard field goal attempt for Dace. The freshman
split the uprights, extending North Central's lead to 17-0 with
1:28 left in the third period.
The North Central defense followed with its second touchdown of
the year on the following possession. Rooney, seeking to make a
play on third down, attempted to lateral to running back Bo Lanter,
but the ball hit the turf, resulting in a fumble. Matt
Wenger scooped up the ball and rambled 21 yards to the
goal line on the final play of the third period, giving the
Cardinals a 23-0 advantage as the fourth quarter beckoned.
The Cardinals forced yet another turnover on the ensuing drive, as
Tharryn
Wright intercepted Rooney's pass at the IWU 44 and
returned it 31 yards to the 13-yard line. Three plays later,
Crackel lofted the ball to the left corner of the end zone,
dropping it into the hands of Andy
Stuursma for a nine-yard TD pass.
The Titans (5-2, 2-2 CCIW) secured their lone touchdown on the
next drive, as a seven-play, 67-yard drive was capped off by
Rooney's five-yard scoring strike to Joey Driver.
Tassio finished with a game-high 116 rushing yards on 16 carries,
while Crackel was 9 of 17 passing for 128 yards. Stuursma caught a
team-best four passes for 40 yards. Wenger paced North Central's
defense with a season-high 14 tackles, while Peter
Bulandr established a new career high with seven total
stops. Joe
Schneiderbauer also intercepted a pass for the
Cardinals.
Eli Williams was IWU's top ground gainer with 78 yards on 18
carries. Rooney completed 14 of 30 passes for 116 yards and ran for
44 yards on 18 attempts. Driver was the team's top receiver with 10
catches for 72 yards, and linebacker Ryan Gresko totaled team highs
of 11 tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss.
The Cardinals travel to Elmhurst College on Saturday. Kickoff at
Langhorst Field is scheduled for 1 p.m.
