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.
| 2023 North Central Cardinals football | |
|---|---|
CCIW champion | |
Stagg Bowl, L 37–38 vs. Cortland | |
| Conference | College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin |
| Record | 14–1 (9–0 CCIW) |
| Head coach |
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| Offensive coordinator | Eric Stuedemann (2nd season) |
| Defensive coordinator | Shane Dierking (5th season) |
| Home stadium | Benedetti–Wehrli Stadium |
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| 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 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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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
edit| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | Result | Attendance | Source | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 2 | 1:00 p.m. | at Roosevelt* | No. 1 | W 41–7 | 1,132 | ||||
| September 16 | 1:00 p.m. | Carthage | No. 1 | W 70–0 | 1,100 | ||||
| September 23 | 2:00 p.m. | at Elmhurst | No. 1 |
| W 59–6 | 2,400 | |||
| September 30 | 1:00 p.m. | at No. 8 Wheaton (IL) | No. 1 |
| W 54–35 | 5,102 | |||
| October 7 | 6:00 p.m. | Carroll (WI) | No. 1 |
| W 69–24 | 4,000 | |||
| October 14 | 1:00 p.m. | at Millikin | No. 1 |
| W 75–3 | 800 | |||
| October 21 | 1:00 p.m. | Washington University | No. 1 |
| W 49–3 | 2,700 | |||
| October 28 | 1:00 p.m. | at North Park | No. 1 |
| W 56–0 | 445 | |||
| November 4 | 1:00 p.m. | Illinois Wesleyan | No. 1 |
| W 83–26 | 2,800 | |||
| November 11 | 12:00 p.m. | at Augustana (IL) | No. 1 |
| W 61–17 | 2,286 | [9] | ||
| November 18 | 12:00 p.m. | Belhaven* | No. 1 |
| W 65–0 | 1,338 | [1] | ||
| November 25 | 12:00 p.m. | No. 4 Trinity (TX)* | No. 1 |
| W 71–28 | 1,169 | [10] | ||
| December 2 | 12:00 p.m. | at No. 6 Wisconsin–La Crosse* | No. 1 |
| W 55–42 | 2,422 | |||
| December 9 | 2:33 p.m. | at No. 3 Wartburg* | No. 1 |
| W 34–27 | 3,525 | [11] | ||
| December 15 | 7:03 p.m. | vs. Cortland* | No. 1 | L 37–38 | 3,381 | [12][13] | |||
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Coaching staff
edit- Brad Spencer, head coach
- Shane Dierking, assistant head coach, defensive coordinator, linebackers coach
- Eric Stuedemann, offensive coordinator, offensive line coach, recruiting coordinator
- Colin Wood, special teams coordinator, cornerbacks coach
- Joe Fehrle, tight end coach, strength coordinator
- DJ Warkenthien, defensive line coach assistant strength coordinator
- Sharmore Clarke, offensive line coach
References
edit- ^ a b Sam Sklar (November 20, 2023). "Belhaven football's historic season ends in first round of NCAA Division III playoffs". Hattiesburg American – via Yahoo Sports.
- ^ "North Central College football hits the road in fourth consecutive quarterfinal appearance". Naperville Community Television. November 30, 2023.
- ^ Jori Parys (September 7, 2023). "North Central College football team focused on repeating as national champions". CBS News.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Gagliardi Trophy goes to Lehnen". D3Football.com. December 15, 2023.
- ^ "Joe Sacco thriving for No. 1 North Central". Chicago Tribune. November 9, 2023.
- ^ "High school teammates persuaded DeAngelo Hardy to play at North Central College". Chicago Tribune.
- ^ "Augie downed by No. 1 North Central". Augustana College. November 11, 2023. Retrieved December 1, 2023.
- ^ "North Central Advances to Football Quarterfinals". CCIW. November 25, 2023.
- ^ "Box Score". North Central College. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
- ^ "Cortland stops 2-point conversion try to top defending champion North Central for Division III title". Associated Press. December 15, 2023.
- ^ "Stagg Bowl Box Score". SUNY Cortland. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
- ^ "2023 Football Schedule". North Central College. Retrieved November 30, 2023.
- ^ "2023 Football Coaching Staff". North Central College. Retrieved November 30, 2022.