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Rising to the occasion like few others in the history of its sport, the North Central College football team delivered one of the most decisive victories in the history of the NCAA Division III Football Championship Saturday at Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium. The Cardinals routed Susquehanna University (Pennsylvania), 66-0, to advance to the national championship game for the fifth consecutive season.
The Cardinals (14-0) finished with their largest margin of victory in a postseason game and tied the Division III record for the largest in a national semifinal. North Central scored on its first nine offensive possessions, did not allow the River Hawks past the 50-yard line until late in the third quarter, and set a season high for first downs (32) while also establishing a season best for the fewest first downs allowed (5).
After holding the nation's leading rushing offense out of the end zone in the quarterfinal round, North Central's defensive unit proved impossible to solve Saturday. The Cardinals allowed the River Hawks (12-2) to gain just 135 total yards, stopped three drives on fourth down, and intercepted two passes.
North Central put its stamp on the game early with three touchdowns in the first quarter. Luke Lehnen opened the scoring on the sixth play from scrimmage, finding a wide-open Jacob Paradee for a 50-yard catch-and-run to the end zone. Following the first of seven River Hawk punts, Lehnen doubled the lead to 14-0 with 7:29 still on the clock. With the Cardinals' pass protection providing ample time, Lehnen waited for Myles Walton to get free in the end zone for a four-yard touchdown toss.
The first of the Cardinals' five rushing touchdowns of the afternoon came on the hosts' next possession, as Joe Sacco burst through the middle of the line for a 30-yard scoring run. North Central gained 227 yards of offense in the opening 15 minutes while allowing only 13.
Lehnen found Walton for a 37-yard completion before extending North Central's advantage to 28-0 early in the second quarter with a three-yard TD pass to Thomas Skokna. A 49-yard pass to Sacco jumpstarted the Cardinals' next possession, which ended with a seven-yard touchdown scamper by Sacco with 5:25 left in the half.
Brayden Garrigan snagged his fourth interception of the campaign on the ensuing drive, giving the home team possession at the River Hawks' 16-yard line. Two plays later, Lehnen found Paradee once again for a fourth touchdown of the contest. The score is the 158th scoring pass of Lehnen's career, matching the Division III national record set by University of Mount Union (Ohio) quarterback Braxton Plunk in 2023.
The Cardinals' final first-half scoring drive started at the Susquehanna 43 following a punt. After an 18-yard completion to Skokna, Lehnen ran to his left and tiptoed down the sideline for an 11-yard touchdown run, the 50th of the quarterback's career. Lehnen is the only player in college football history with at least 50 career rushing touchdowns and 100 career passing touchdowns.
North Central's starting offense played just one possession after halftime, as Sean Allen scored from nine yards out to reach the end zone for the fourth time in five games. Jahmar Daniel intercepted a pass from backup quarterback Tommy Wright and returned the ball to near midfield. Jordan Williams, who would finish the day as the Cardinals' leading rusher with 106 yards on 16 second-half carries, scored from 22 yards away to make it a 63-0 count with 5:19 to play in the third quarter. Andre Casas scored the game's final points with 8:22 to go in the game, connecting on a 38-yard field goal.
The Cardinals amassed 638 yards of total offense, their second-highest output of the season and their fourth time over the 600-yard mark. Lehnen completed 16 of 17 passes for 275 yards, tying a North Central single-game record for passing accuracy (94.1 percent). Skokna caught seven passes for 59 yards, while Paradee gained 86 yards on three catches. Allen gained 91 yards on 13 rushes, while Sacco ran 11 times for 82 yards.
Phillip Carlton finished as the Cardinals' leading tackler with seven stops, while John Sullivan made five. Carlton and Garrigan each forced fumbles, while Kachi Ugwu recovered a fumbled punt return attempt. Susquehanna gained less than 10 yards on nine of its 12 possessions.
The Cardinals advance to the national championship game, the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl, to be played Sunday, Jan. 5 at Shell Energy Stadium in Houston, Texas. North Central will face Mount Union (14-0), a 45-37 semifinal winner over Johns Hopkins University (Maryland). Kickoff is set for 7:00 p.m. Central time, with a live broadcast on ESPN.