Setting the Scene: For just the second time, the national semifinals come to Naperville, as the Cardinals seek to take the final step in achieving a fifth straight trip to the Stagg Bowl.
Series History: This is the first football meeting between the two institutions. North Central has never played a football team from the Landmark Conference.
National Rankings: North Central was ranked No. 1 nationally in the most recent NCAA Division III Top 25 Polls by D3football.com and the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA). Susquehanna was ranked No. 6 in both polls.
The Cardinals have been ranked No. 1 in the last 32 AFCA regular-season polls and 41 of the last 44 D3football.com regular-season polls.
Scouting the River Hawks: Susquehanna advanced to its first national semifinal since 1991 with a 24-21 victory over Bethel (Minnesota) Saturday that was still in doubt until the game's final play.
Trailing, 21-17, the River Hawks drove 91 yards in 14 plays for a go-ahead score as quarterback Josh Ehrlich crossed the goal line for a one-yard touchdown run on fourth down with 38 seconds to play. Bethel had an apparent touchdown called back on a holding penalty as time ran out.
Susquehanna prevailed despite pressure defense by Bethel that generated six quarterback sacks and two turnovers. Ehrlich completed 14 of 27 passes for 215 yards and a score in addition to his touchdown on the ground, while running back Rahshan La Mons gained 125 yards on 31 carries.
The River Hawks rank third nationally in total offense and 10th in scoring offense but rank 217th of 239 Division III teams in passing yards allowed (255.8 per game). Each of Susquehanna's three victories this postseason have been by seven points or less.
Ehrlich has thrown for 3,079 yards and 33 touchdowns, while wideout Kyle Howes has caught 74 passes for 1,235 yards and 16 TDs. La Mons has rushed for 1,578 yards and 18 scores while Ehrlich has gained 647 yards with 12 touchdowns. Linebacker Garrett Carter has a team-high 81 tackles while defensive end Jake Schultes has made 8.5 quarterback sacks.
This Week for the Cardinals: North Central neutralized Springfield's power running game last week and bounced the Pride from the tournament field Saturday with a 27-3 victory, marking the first time the Cardinals have held a playoff opponent without a touchdown since their 2023 first-round win over Belhaven (65-0).
The Cardinals held Springfield to 227 rushing yards, just more than half its season average of 443, stopping three drives on fourth down and forcing two second-half turnovers. With 232 rushing yards of its own, North Central is the only team this season to outrush the Pride.
Luke Lehnen completed touchdown passes to Thomas Skokna and Jack Rummell while Sean Allen ran for a score during a career-high 94-yard outing. Allen is one of five Cardinals with at least 400 rushing yards in 2024.
Linebacker Matt Janiak delivered a game-high 17 tackles, including three tackles for loss, while Danny Nuccio and John Sullivan each set new career highs with 10 tackles apiece. Sullivan recovered a fumble while BJ Adamchik made his second interception of the season.
North Central owns a 36-game home winning streak dating back to 2018.
North Central in the NCAA Playoffs: The Cardinals own a 34-13 overall record in the Division III Football Championship, including trips to the national championship game, the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl, the last four seasons. North Central is 22-4 in postseason home games.
North Central won the 2019 and 2022 national championships and finished as the national runner-up in 2021 and 2023. The Cardinals first qualified for the national quarterfinals in 2010 and the semifinals in 2013.
Elsewhere in the Bracket: The winner of this game will play the winner of the semifinal matchup between Johns Hopkins (Maryland) and Mount Union (Ohio) in the Division III national championship game, the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl, at Shell Energy Stadium in Houston, Texas Jan. 5.
Pryor Earns Coaches' All-America Selection: Sam Pryor was named to the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Coaches' All-America First Team, becoming the eighth Cardinal offensive lineman and 17th North Central player overall to be so honored.
Pryor has started 52 games at right guard the past four seasons, earning four All-Conference selections and this year's CCIW Offensive Line Student-Athlete of the Year award.
Record-High Number of Cardinals on All-Region Teams: North Central set a new program record with 12 selections to the D3football.com All-Region Teams.
Lehnen was voted the Region 5 Offensive Player of the Year for the second straight season while John Sullivan was named the Defensive Player of the Year. Head coach Brad Spencer '04 was voted the Region 5 Coach of the Year for the first time.
Lehnen and Sullivan were joined on the All-Region Teams by First Team selections Sam Pryor, Jeske Maples BJ Adamchik, Zack Orr and Rahmareon Roby, Second Team honorees Brayden Garrigan and Cortez Jones, and Third Team picks Bobby Behmer, Nick Fehrle and Joe Sacco.
Cardinals Sweep CCIW Individual Awards: North Central claimed each of the CCIW's annual individual awards last week after closing out its fourth straight CCIW championship.
Lehnen was recognized as the Offensive Student-Athlete of the Year for the second straight season, marking the eighth consecutive time a Cardinal has claimed the distinction. Sullivan shares this year's Defensive Student-Athlete of the Year honors. A North Central defensive lineman has won or shared the award each of the last three seasons.
Pryor's selection as Offensive Line Student-Athlete of the Year extends the Cardinals' string of six straight honorees since the award was introduced in 2018. Running back Donovan McNeal was selected as the First-Year Offensive Student-Athlete of the Year, an honor presented for the first time last season.
Behmer received his third straight CCIW Elite 26 Award, presented to the student-athlete with the highest grade-point average among the top two teams in the final CCIW standings.
Spencer was named the CCIW Coach of the Year, becoming just the second coach in the conference's history to be so recognized three straight years.
All-CCIW Teams: A total of 19 Cardinals received All-CCIW accolades, 11 of which were voted to the First Team.
First Team Offense selections include Lehnen, Skokna, Pryor, Maples and Ryan Kennelly (offensive line). Making the Second Team are Behmer, Fehrle, Sacco and Jack Rummell.
The Cardinals' six First Team Defense honorees are Sullivan, Jones, Adamchik, Garrigan, Orr and Roby. Second Team selections are Jacob Vincent, Angelo Cusumano and Jahmar Daniel.
Lehnen Establishes National Records: Lehnen is the national all-divisions active leader in passing efficiency (210.9) and is on pace to establish a new collegiate career record.
The current record (202.6) is held by Mount Union's D'Angelo Fulford (202.6).
Lehnen has already established new all-divisions records for consecutive games with a touchdown pass (57) and touchdowns responsible for (203).
Lehnen has increased his career total offense yardage total to 15,327, bettering the previous standard of 14,568.
Cardinals' Career TD Passes Record Vanquished: Lehnen has thrown for 154 touchdown passes as a collegian, the most in the Cardinals' history. Lehnen's total ranks third in Division III history and eighth in college football history.
Mount Union's Braxton Plunk (2019-23) owns the Division III record (158).
Adamchik Takes Place Among Top Tacklers: Adamchik's team-high 67 tackles thus far this season have pushed his career total to 263, ranking him sixth in the Cardinal's history in total stops. Adamchik has the most tackles of any active CCIW defender.
Orr Poised for Top 10 in Interceptions: Zack Orr enters Saturday's game with eight career interceptions. A ninth pick would move Orr into a six-way tie for ninth in the team's history.