Despite contending with a short week of practice, the North Central College football team turned in a dominant performance in Saturday's Homecoming game at Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium, overwhelming the Augustana College Vikings in a 54-2 rout.
The 52-point margin of victory is the Cardinals' largest against Augustana in 87 all-time meetings, and is North Central's largest against any opponent since a 62-7 win over Carroll University in last season's Homecoming game.
"I couldn't be more proud of the way we responded," said North Central head coach Jeff Thorne after the Cardinals took the field after finishing a suspended contest on Monday at Wheaton College. "We got off to a little bit of a slow start just trying to feel the defense out, then we opened it up and started throwing the ball on early downs and it made a huge difference.
"Our defense was tremendous today. Really, all three phases of the game were fantastic. With the adversity that we faced, and a short week of preparation, I'm proud of the mental toughness our guys showed. I'm really, really, really pleased with our players."
The Cardinals (6-1, 4-1 College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin) rolled up a season-high 538 yards of total offense, including a season-best 252 rushing yards, while the North Central defense collected three interceptions and amassed eight quarterback sacks, matching the second-highest single-game total in school history.
The hosts opened the scoring with 5:37 left in the first quarter, as Austin Breunig ran six yards for a touchdown. Early in the second period, North Central doubled its lead to 14-0 when Broc Rutter found Michael Sfikas on a crossing route for a 27-yard TD pass. Breunig tacked on a five-yard scoring run after the Cardinals forced a punt, boosting the lead to 21-0 with 4:38 left before halftime.
Two plays later, a diving interception by Matt Sutherland put the North Central offense back on the field at the VIkings' 35-yard line, and the Cardinals were in the end zone on the next play as Rutter threw deep to Jake Beesley for the hosts' third touchdown in just over seven minutes of play. Augustana (1-7, 1-5 CCIW) punted on its next possession, but the kick was blocked by Tyler Holl, and Noah Swisshelm recovered to set up another possession in Viking territory. Rutter connected with Jalen Dennis on an 18-yard touchdown pass with 52 seconds left in the second period, sending the Cardinals into halftime with a 34-0 advantage.
Breunig scored his third touchdown of the afternoon on an eight-yard run with 3:08 left in the third quarter, while the fourth-quarter scoring featured a four-yard TD run by Zane Lodico and a 56-yard scoring run by Alec Fidan.
Breunig finished with 114 rushing yards on 21 carries, his fourth 100-yard game of the season. Rutter completed 20 of 28 passes for 286 yards, hitting Sfikas five times for a team-high 98 receiving yards. DJ Warkenthien posted nine tackles to pace the North Central defense, while Tyler Oakley and J.P. Sikora also intercepted passes and Josh Leonhard recorded two quarterback sacks.
"I thought Michael Sfikas was tremendous today," Thorne said. "He had a great week last week against Wheaton, and he's making huge strides. I'm excited about what the future holds for him."
The Cardinals travel to face Carroll University on Saturday. The Pioneers are 1-6 overall (1-4 CCIW) following a 56-35 loss to Millikin University. Kickoff at Schneider Stadium is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.
North Central Celebrates Homecoming with Rout of Augustana
/seasons/2017/boxscores/20171021_1a2o.xml
2017
Augustana
2
North Central (Ill.)
54
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Augustana (1-7) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| No. 9 North Central (Ill.) (6-1) | 7 | 27 | 7 | 13 | 54 |
Oct 21, 2017