# 2024 North Central Cardinals football team

The 2024 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 2024 NCAA Division III football season. In their second year under head coach Brad Spencer, the Cardinals compiled a 15–0 record (9–0 in conference games), won the CCIW championship, and were ranked No. 1 in Division III at the end of the regular season.
The team advanced to the Division III playoffs where they defeated Whitworth in the second round, Hope in the third round, and Springfield in the national quarterfinal.

## CCIW preseason poll

The CCIW released its preseason coaches' prediction poll on August 19, 2024. The Cardinals were predicted to finish first in the conference, receiving 8 of the possible 10 first place votes.

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | Result | Attendance |
| September 14 | 6:00 p.m. | at No. 14 Aurora* | No. 1 | Spartan Athletic ParkMontgomery, AL | W 48–21 | 3,743 |
| September 21 | 1:00 p.m. | at Carthage | No. 1 | Art Keller FieldKenosha, WI | W 63–0 | 1,553 |
| September 28 | 12:00 p.m. | Washington University | No. 1 | Benedetti–Wehrli StadiumNaperville, IL | W 49–9 | 4,000 |
| October 5 | 1:00 p.m. | at No. 18 Wheaton (IL) | No. 1 | McCully StadiumWheaton, IL | W 55–27 | 5,337 |
| October 12 | 1:00 p.m. | at Millikin | No. 1 | Frank M. Lindsay FieldDecatur, IL | W 70–14 | 475 |
| October 19 | 6:00 p.m. | North Park | No. 1 | Benedetti–Wehrli StadiumNaperville, IL | W 69–0 | 4,500 |
| October 26 | 1:00 p.m. | at Augustana (IL) | No. 1 | Lindberg StadiumRock Island, IL | W 49–10 | 875 |
| November 2 | 12:00 p.m. | Carroll (WI) | No. 1 | Benedetti–Wehrli StadiumNaperville, IL | W 56–3 | 3,500 |
| November 9 | 12:00 p.m. | Elmhurst | No. 1 | Benedetti–Wehrli StadiumNaperville, IL | W 70–7 | 2,000 |
| November 16 | 1:00 p.m. | at Illinois Wesleyan | No. 1 | Tucci StadiumBloomington, IL | W 42–20 | 2,238 |
| November 30 | 12:00 p.m. | No. 22 Whitworth* | No. 1 | Benedetti–Wehrli StadiumNaperville, IL (NCAA Division III Second Round) | W 42–17 | 761 |
| December 7 | 12:00 p.m. | No. 16 Hope* | No. 1 | Benedetti–Wehrli StadiumNaperville, IL (NCAA Division III Third Round) | W 41–21 | 1,491 |
| December 14 | 12:00 p.m. | No. 23 Springfield* | No. 1 | Benedetti–Wehrli StadiumNaperville, IL (NCAA Division III Quarterfinal) | W 27–3 | 942 |
| December 21 | 2:30 p.m. | No. 6 Susquehanna* | No. 1 | Benedetti–Wehrli StadiumNaperville, IL (NCAA Division III Semifinal) | W 66–0 | 1,206 |
| January 5, 2025 | 7:00 p.m. | vs. No. 5 Mount Union* | No. 1 | Shell Energy StadiumHouston, TX (Stagg Bowl) | W 41–25 | 1,938 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from D3Football.com Poll released prior to the gameAll times are in Eastern time ||||||||

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ( ) = First-place votes :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | Final |
| D3football.com | 1 (14) | 1 (17) | 1 (17) | 1 (16) | 1 (16) | 1 (18) | 1 (18) | 1 (18) | 1 (18) | 1 (18) | 1 (22) | 1 (22) | 1 (25) |
| AFCA | 1 (26) | 1 (28) | 1 (33) | 1 (33) | 1 (36) | 1 (36) | 1 (36) | 1 (36) | 1 (37) | 1 (36) | 1 (38) | 1 (38) | 1 (43) |

## Game summaries
### At No. 14 Aurora

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 1 Cardinals | 17 | 17 | 7 | 7 | 48 |
| No. 14 Spartans | 0 | 7 | 14 | 0 | 21 |
| Statistics | NCC | AUR |
| First downs | 25 | 18 |
| Total yards | 463 | 372 |
| Rushing yards | 222 | 83 |
| Passing yards | 241 | 289 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 33:00 | 27:00 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| North Central | Passing | Luke Lehnen | 21/31, 241 yards, 3 TD |
| North Central | Rushing | Joe Sacco | 19 rushes, 146 yards, 3 TD |
| North Central | Receiving | Trey Madsen | 6 receptions, 63 yards, TD |
| Aurora | Passing | Tyler Adkins | 22/40, 289 yards, TD, INT |
| Aurora | Rushing | Tyler Adkins | 8 rushes, 55 yards |
| Aurora | Receiving | Ty Pruett | 4 receptions, 122 yards, TD |

### At Carthage

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 1 Cardinals | 7 | 21 | 14 | 21 | 63 |
| Firebirds | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Statistics | NCC | CAR |
| First downs | 31 | 9 |
| Total yards | 629 | 146 |
| Rushing yards | 300 | 29 |
| Passing yards | 329 | 117 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 2 |
| Time of possession | 29:34 | 30:26 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| North Central | Passing | Luke Lehnen | 16/25, 294 yards, 2 TD, INT |
| North Central | Rushing | Joe Sacco | 16 rushes, 96 yards, 2 TD |
| North Central | Receiving | Thomas Skokna | 2 receptions, 67 yards |
| Carthage | Passing | Bryce Lowe | 21/33, 117 yards, 2 INT |
| Carthage | Rushing | Bryce Frank | 10 rushes, 17 yards |
| Carthage | Receiving | Gavin Betts | 4 receptions, 42 yards |

### Washington University

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bears | | | | | 0 |
| No. 1 Cardinals | | | | | 0 |
* Statistics
* First downs
* Total yards
* Rushing yards
* Passing yards
* Turnovers
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| Washington University | Passing |
| Washington University | Rushing |
| Washington University | Receiving |
| North Central | Passing |
| North Central | Rushing |
| North Central | Receiving |

### At No. 18 Wheaton (IL)

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 1 Cardinals | | | | | 0 |
| No. 18 Thunder | | | | | 0 |
* Statistics
* First downs
* Total yards
* Rushing yards
* Passing yards
* Turnovers
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| North Central | Passing |
| North Central | Rushing |
| North Central | Receiving |
| Wheaton | Passing |
| Wheaton | Rushing |
| Wheaton | Receiving |

### At Millikin

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 1 Cardinals | | | | | 0 |
| Big Blue | | | | | 0 |
* Statistics
* First downs
* Total yards
* Rushing yards
* Passing yards
* Turnovers
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| North Central | Passing |
| North Central | Rushing |
| North Central | Receiving |
| Millikin | Passing |
| Millikin | Rushing |
| Millikin | Receiving |

### North Park

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Vikings | | | | | 0 |
| No. 1 Cardinals | | | | | 0 |
* Statistics
* First downs
* Total yards
* Rushing yards
* Passing yards
* Turnovers
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| North Park | Passing |
| North Park | Rushing |
| North Park | Receiving |
| North Central | Passing |
| North Central | Rushing |
| North Central | Receiving |

### At Augustana (IL)

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 1 Cardinals | | | | | 0 |
| Vikings | | | | | 0 |
* Statistics
* First downs
* Total yards
* Rushing yards
* Passing yards
* Turnovers
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| North Central | Passing |
| North Central | Rushing |
| North Central | Receiving |
| Augustana | Passing |
| Augustana | Rushing |
| Augustana | Receiving |

### Carroll (WI)

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Pioneers | | | | | 0 |
| No. 1 Cardinals | | | | | 0 |
* Statistics
* First downs
* Total yards
* Rushing yards
* Passing yards
* Turnovers
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| Carroll | Passing |
| Carroll | Rushing |
| Carroll | Receiving |
| North Central | Passing |
| North Central | Rushing |
| North Central | Receiving |

### Elmhurst

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bluejays | | | | | 0 |
| No. 1 Cardinals | | | | | 0 |
* Statistics
* First downs
* Total yards
* Rushing yards
* Passing yards
* Turnovers
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| Elmhurst | Passing |
| Elmhurst | Rushing |
| Elmhurst | Receiving |
| North Central | Passing |
| North Central | Rushing |
| North Central | Receiving |

### At Illinois Wesleyan

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 1 Cardinals | | | | | 0 |
| Titans | | | | | 0 |
* Statistics
* First downs
* Total yards
* Rushing yards
* Passing yards
* Turnovers
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| North Central | Passing |
| North Central | Rushing |
| North Central | Receiving |
| Illinois Wesleyan | Passing |
| Illinois Wesleyan | Rushing |
| Illinois Wesleyan | Receiving |

### No. 22 Whitworth (NCAA Division III Second Round)

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 22 Pirates | 0 | 3 | 0 | 14 | 17 |
| No. 1 Cardinals | 21 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 42 |
| Statistics | WTW | NCC |
| First downs | 16 | 20 |
| Total yards | 329 | 493 |
| Rushing yards | 99 | 350 |
| Passing yards | 230 | 143 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 0 |
| Time of possession | 31:01 | 28:59 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Whitworth | Passing | Ryan Blair | 29/48, 230 yards, TD, INT |
| Whitworth | Rushing | Nathan Owens | 3 rushes, 56 yards, TD |
| Whitworth | Receiving | Dawson Tobeck | 6 receptions, 54 yards |
| North Central | Passing | Luke Lehnen | 10/13, 137 yards, 2 TD |
| North Central | Rushing | Joe Sacco | 10 rushes, 198 yards, 2 TD |
| North Central | Receiving | Isaac Banker | 1 reception, 54 yards |

### No. 16 Hope (NCAA Division III Third Round)

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 16 Flying Dutchmen | 0 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 21 |
| No. 1 Cardinals | 0 | 21 | 13 | 7 | 41 |
| Statistics | HOPE | NCC |
| First downs | 17 | 21 |
| Total yards | 334 | 486 |
| Rushing yards | 167 | 234 |
| Passing yards | 167 | 252 |
| Turnovers | 3 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 27:05 | 32:55 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Hope | Passing | Ben Wellman | 13/27, 167 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT |
| Hope | Rushing | Ben Wellman | 11 rushes, 83 yards, TD |
| Hope | Receiving | Grant Holtzer | 5 receptions, 103 yards, 2 TD |
| North Central | Passing | Luke Lehnen | 13/18, 234 yards, 2 TD, INT |
| North Central | Rushing | Joe Sacco | 19 rushes, 120 yards, TD |
| North Central | Receiving | Thomas Skokna | 4 receptions, 119 yards, TD |

### No. 23 Springfield (NCAA Division III Quarterfinal)

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 23 Pride | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| No. 1 Cardinals | 7 | 10 | 3 | 7 | 27 |
| Statistics | SPR | NCC |
| First downs | 17 | 18 |
| Total yards | 260 | 328 |
| Rushing yards | 227 | 232 |
| Passing yards | 33 | 96 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 34:41 | 25:19 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Springfield | Passing | Drew Heenan | 3/10, 33 yards |
| Springfield | Rushing | Arsen Shtefan | 20 rushes, 92 yards |
| Springfield | Receiving | Logan Schenk | 1 reception, 20 yards |
| North Central | Passing | Luke Lehnen | 10/20, 96 yards, 2 TD |
| North Central | Rushing | Sean Allen | 15 rushes, 94 yards, TD |
| North Central | Receiving | Jack Rummell | 2 receptions, 46 yards, TD |

### No. 6 Susquehanna (NCAA Division III Semifinal)

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 6 River Hawks | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| No. 1 Cardinals | 21 | 28 | 14 | 3 | 66 |
| Statistics | SQH | NCC |
| First downs | 5 | 32 |
| Total yards | 135 | 638 |
| Rushing yards | 60 | 352 |
| Passing yards | 75 | 286 |
| Turnovers | 3 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 23:59 | 36:01 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Susquehanna | Passing | Bobby Croyle | 4/9, 55 yards |
| Susquehanna | Rushing | Rahshan La Mons | 14 rushes, 72 yards |
| Susquehanna | Receiving | Chris Bookter | 1 reception, 25 yards |
| North Central | Passing | Luke Lehnen | 16/17, 275 yards, 4 TD |
| North Central | Rushing | Jordan Williams | 16 rushes, 106 yards, TD |
| North Central | Receiving | Jacob Paradee | 3 receptions, 86 yards, 2 TD |

### Vs. No. 5 Mount Union (Stagg Bowl)

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 5 Purple Raiders | 7 | 3 | 7 | 8 | 25 |
| No. 1 Cardinals | 7 | 7 | 7 | 20 | 41 |
| Statistics | UMU | NCC |
| First downs | 23 | 25 |
| Total yards | 426 | 495 |
| Rushing yards | 112 | 197 |
| Passing yards | 314 | 298 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 29:32 | 30:28 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Mount Union | Passing | T. J. Deshields | 21/36, 314 yards, 2 TD |
| Mount Union | Rushing | Tyler Echeverry | 20 rushes, 83 yards, TD |
| Mount Union | Receiving | Nick Turner | 7 receptions, 104 yards, TD |
| North Central | Passing | Luke Lehnen | 18/26, 298 yards, 4 TD |
| North Central | Rushing | Charles Coleman | 2 rushes, 68 yards, TD |
| North Central | Receiving | Thomas Skokna | 3 receptions, 94 yards |