2023 North Central Cardinals football team

Last updated

2023 North Central Cardinals football
CCIW champion
Stagg Bowl, L 37–38 vs. Cortland
Conference College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin
Record14–1 (9–0 CCIW)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorEric Stuedemann (2nd season)
Defensive coordinatorShane Dierking (5th season)
Home stadium Benedetti–Wehrli Stadium
Seasons
←  2022
2024 →
2023 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin football standings
ConfOverall
Team W L  W L 
No. 2 North Central (IL) $^  9 –0   14 –1  
No. 12 Wheaton (IL) ^  8 –1   10 –2  
Augustana (IL)  7 –2   8 –3  
Washington University  6 –3   7 –3  
Carroll (WI)  4 –5   5 –5  
North Park  4 –5   5 –5  
Carthage  3 –6   3 –7  
Elmhurst  2 –7   3 –7  
Illinois Wesleyan  2 –7   2 –8  
Millikin  0 –9   0 –10  
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant
Rankings from D3Football.com

The 2023 North Central Cardinals football team was an American football team that represented North Central College of Naperville, Illinois, as a member of the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) during the 2023 NCAA Division III football season. In their second year under head coach Brad Spencer, the Cardinals compiled a 14–1 record (9–0 against conference opponents), won the CCIW championship, and were ranked No. 1 in Division III at the end of the regular season.

Contents

The team advanced to the Division III playoffs where they defeated Belhaven (65–0) in the first round, [1] Trinity (TX) (71–28) in the second round, [2] Wisconsin–La Crosse (55–42) in the quarterfinals, and Wartburg (34–27) in the semifinals. The Cardinals were then defeated by Cortland, 38–37, in the Stagg Bowl, the Division III championship game. North Central scored with 1:20 remaining against Cortland but was stopped on an attempted two-point conversion.

Prior to the loss to Cortland, the Cardinals had won 29 consecutive games and appeared in four consecutive Division III championship games, winning national championships in 2019 and 2022. [3]

The team broke CCIW offensive records with 576 points and 5,504 total yards in nine conference games. [4] Through all 15 games, the Cardinals scored an NCAA record 879 points, an average of 58.6 points per game.

The team was led by quarterback Luke Lehnen, [5] who won the Gagliardi Trophy as the Division III player of the year. [6] Other key players included running back Joe Sacco, [7] wide receiver DeAngelo Hardy, [8] and linebacker BJ Adamchik.

Schedule

DateTimeOpponentRankSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 21:00 p.m.at Roosevelt *No. 1
W 41–71,132
September 161:00 p.m. Carthage No. 1
W 70–01,100
September 232:00 p.m.at Elmhurst No. 1
  • Langhorst Field
  • Elmhurst, IL
W 59–62,400
September 301:00 p.m.at No. 8 Wheaton (IL) No. 1
  • McCully Stadium
  • Wheaton, IL (Battle for the Little Brass Bell)
W 54–355,102
October 76:00 p.m. Carroll (WI) Dagger-14-plain.pngNo. 1
  • Benedetti–Wehrli Stadium
  • Naperville, IL
W 69–244,000
October 141:00 p.m.at Millikin No. 1
  • Frank M. Lindsay Field
  • Decatur, IL
W 75–3800
October 211:00 p.m. Washington University No. 1
  • Benedetti–Wehrli Stadium
  • Naperville, IL
W 49–32,700
October 281:00 p.m.at North Park No. 1
  • Holmgren Athletic Complex
  • Chicago, IL
W 56–0445
November 41:00 p.m. Illinois Wesleyan No. 1
  • Benedetti–Wehrli Stadium
  • Naperville, IL
W 83–262,800
November 1112:00 p.m.at Augustana (IL) No. 1
W 61–172,286 [9]
November 1812:00 p.m. Belhaven *No. 1
W 65–01,338 [1]
November 2512:00 p.m. No. 4 Trinity (TX) *No. 1
  • Benedetti–Wehrli Stadium
  • Naperville, IL (NCAA Division III second round)
W 71–281,169 [10]
December 212:00 p.m.at No. 6 Wisconsin–La Crosse *No. 1
  • Veterans Memorial Field
  • La Crosse, WI (NCAA Division III quarterfinal)
W 55–422,422
December 92:33 p.m.at No. 3 Wartburg *No. 1
W 34–273,525 [11]
December 157:03 p.m.vs. Cortland *No. 1
L 37–383,381 [12] [13]
  • *Non-conference game
  • Dagger-14-plain.pngHomecoming
  • Rankings from AFCA Poll released prior to the game
  • All times are in Central time

[14]

Coaching staff

[15]

Related Research Articles

John Gagliardi was an American football coach. He was the head football coach at Saint John's University in Collegeville, Minnesota, from 1953 until 2012. From 1949 to 1952, he was the head football coach at Carroll College in Helena, Montana. With a career record of 489–138–11, Gagliardi has the most wins of any coach in college football history. His Saint John's Johnnies teams won four national titles: the NAIA Football National Championship in 1963 and 1965, and the NCAA Division III Football Championship in 1976 and 2003. Gagliardi was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2006.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Central College</span> Private college in Naperville, Illinois, US

North Central College is a private college in Naperville, Illinois. It is affiliated with the United Methodist Church and has 73 undergraduate majors of study 17 minors, 25 graduate programs, and 4 certificate programs offered by four undergraduate colleges/schools and one School of Graduate and Professional Studies.

Hal Clay Mumme is a former American football coach and former player. He most recently served as an offensive advisor for the Dallas Renegades of the XFL. Previously, Mumme served as the head football coach at Iowa Wesleyan College, Valdosta State University, the University of Kentucky, Southeastern Louisiana University, New Mexico State University, McMurry University, and Belhaven University. Mumme is known for being one of the founders of the air raid offense.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Benedetti–Wehrli Stadium</span> Athletic facility at North Central College

Benedetti–Wehrli Stadium, formerly Cardinal Stadium, is a stadium in Naperville, Illinois. It is primarily used for American football, soccer and track and field and has a seating capacity of 5,500. It was home to the Chicago Fire of Major League Soccer from 2002 to 2003.

The Wisconsin-Whitewater Warhawks football program is the intercollegiate American football team for the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The team competes in NCAA Division III and is a member of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC). Wisconsin-Whitewater's first football team was fielded in 1889. The team plays its home games at the 13,500-seat Perkins Stadium in Whitewater, Wisconsin. Jace Rindahl has served as the head coach for the Warhawks since 2023, taking over for eight-year head coach Kevin Bullis.

Timothy Frederick Lester is an American football coach who is the offensive coordinator for the University of Iowa football team. He was previously on the Green Bay Packers coaching staff. Prior to that, Lester was the head football coach at Western Michigan University from 2017 to 2022. He played quarterback at Western Michigan from 1996 to 1999 and professionally for the Chicago Enforcers of the XFL in 2001. He then served as the head football coach at Saint Joseph's College in 2004 and at Elmhurst College from 2008 to 2012.

The 1999 NCAA Division III football season, part of the college football season organized by the NCAA at the Division III level in the United States, began in August 1999, and concluded with the NCAA Division III Football Championship, also known as the Stagg Bowl, in December 1999 at Salem Football Stadium in Salem, Virginia.

Jeff Thorne is an American football coach and former player. He was the offensive coordinator at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Michigan in 2022. Thorne served as the head football coach at North Central College from 2015 to 2021. He succeeded his father, John Thorne, and led the 2019 team to an NCAA Division III national title. Thorne played college football at Eastern Illinois University, starting at quarterback in the early 1990s. His son, Payton, is currently (2023) the starting quarterback at Auburn University.

The 2019 NCAA Division III football season is the component of the 2019 college football season organized by the NCAA at the Division III level in the United States. The regular season began on September 5 and culminated on November 16.

Dan Pitcher is an American football coach who is the offensive coordinator for the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as the quarterbacks coach for the Cincinnati Bengals from 2020 to 2023.

The 2019 North Central Cardinals football team was an American football team that represented North Central College in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) during the 2019 NCAA Division III football season. In their fifth year under head coach Jeff Thorne, the team compiled a 14–1 record and finished second out of ten teams in the CCIW. The team advanced to the NCAA Division III playoffs and defeated Wisconsin–Whitewater, 41–14, in the 2019 Stagg Bowl.

The 1984 Augustana (Illinois) Vikings football team was an American football team that represented Augustana College as a member of the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) during the 1984 NCAA Division III football season. In their sixth season under head coach Bob Reade, the Vikings compiled a perfect 12–0 record and won the CCIW championship. The team then advanced to the NCAA Division III playoffs where they defeated Dayton in the quarterfinal, Union (NY) in the semifinal, and Central (IA) in the national championship game. It was the second of four consecutive national championships.

The 1985 Augustana (Illinois) Vikings football team was an American football team that represented Augustana College as a member of the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) during the 1985 NCAA Division III football season. In their seventh season under head coach Bob Reade, the Vikings compiled a perfect 13–0 record and won the CCIW championship. The team then advanced to the NCAA Division III playoffs where they defeated Mount Union in the quarterfinal, Central (IA) in the semifinal, and Ithaca in the national championship game. It was the third of four consecutive national championships.

The 1976 Saint John's Johnnies football team represented Saint John's University as a member of the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) during the 1976 NCAA Division III football season. In their 24th season under head coach John Gagliardi, the Johnnies compiled a 10–0–1 record and won the NCAA Division III national championship.

The 2021 NCAA Division III football season was the component of the 2021 college football season organized by the NCAA at the Division III level in the United States. The regular season began on September 4 and ended on November 13.

The 2022 North Central Cardinals football team represented North Central College as a member of the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) during the 2022 NCAA Division III football season. In their first year under head coach Brad Spencer, the Cardinals compiled a 14–0 record and won the CCIW championship.

Brad Spencer is an American college football coach and former player. He is the head football coach at North Central College in Naperville, Illinois, a position he has held since 2022. In his first season, Spencer led the 2022 North Central Cardinals football team to the NCAA Division III Football Championship title.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2023 Wartburg Knights football team</span> American college football season

The 2023 Wartburg Knights football team represents the Wartburg College as a member of the American Rivers Conference (ARC) during the 2023 NCAA Division III football season. The Knights, led by third-year head coach Chris Winter, play home games at Walston-Hoover Stadium in Waverly, Iowa. The Knights clinched their 19th conference championship on October 28, 2023, with a win over Central College and then capped of the regular season 10–0 following a win at Nebraska Wesleyan. Wartburg ended the season in the national semifinals for the second straight year, losing to North Central 34–27.

The 2023 Cortland Red Dragons football team was an American football team that represented the State University of New York at Cortland as a member of the Empire 8 during the 2023 NCAA Division III football season. In their third year under head coach Curt Fitzpatrick, the Red Dragons compiled a 14–1 record and won both the Empire 8 championship and the NCAA Division III national championship. In the Division III playoffs, the Red Dragons defeated Endicott (23–17) in the first round, Grove City (25–24) in the second round, Alma (58–41) in the quarterfinals, and Randolph–Macon (49–14) in the semifinals and North Central (IL) (38–37) in the Stagg Bowl. It was Cortland's first Division III championship.

References

  1. 1 2 Sam Sklar (November 20, 2023). "Belhaven football's historic season ends in first round of NCAA Division III playoffs". Hattiesburg American– via Yahoo Sports.
  2. ↑ "North Central College football hits the road in fourth consecutive quarterfinal appearance". Naperville Community Television. November 30, 2023.
  3. ↑ Jori Parys (September 7, 2023). "North Central College football team focused on repeating as national champions". CBS News.
  4. ↑ Shakeia Taylor (November 15, 2023). "North Central has 'kept rocking' under coach Brad Spencer — winning by nearly 50 points per game and on path for a 2nd straight D-III title". Chicago Tribune.
  5. ↑ Paul Johnson (October 12, 2021). "'He's the complete package': Luke Lehnen starts out 5-0, grabs mantle as the latest great quarterback for North Central College". Chicago Tribune.
  6. ↑ "Gagliardi Trophy goes to Lehnen". D3Football.com. December 15, 2023.
  7. ↑ "Joe Sacco thriving for No. 1 North Central". Chicago Tribune. November 9, 2023.
  8. ↑ "High school teammates persuaded DeAngelo Hardy to play at North Central College". Chicago Tribune.
  9. ↑ "Augie downed by No. 1 North Central". Augustana College. November 11, 2023. Retrieved December 1, 2023.
  10. ↑ "North Central Advances to Football Quarterfinals". CCIW. November 25, 2023.
  11. ↑ "Box Score". North Central College. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
  12. ↑ "Cortland stops 2-point conversion try to top defending champion North Central for Division III title". Associated Press. December 15, 2023.
  13. ↑ "Stagg Bowl Box Score". SUNY Cortland. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
  14. ↑ "2023 Football Schedule". North Central College . Retrieved November 30, 2023.
  15. ↑ "2023 Football Coaching Staff". North Central College. Retrieved November 30, 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.