Setting the Scene: Set to take the biggest national stage ever afforded a Division III championship, the Cardinals head into a fifth straight Stagg Bowl intent on raising their third title trophy.
Series History: The teams’ previous four meetings have all occurred in the postseason. Mount Union won the initial bout, 41-40, in the 2013 national semifinals as the Purple Raiders drove 65 yards in three plays to score the game-winning touchdown with 1:07 to play.
The Cardinals returned to Mount Union Stadium for the second round, scoring 31 second-half points to defeat the Purple Raiders, 59-52, in a game which saw the teams combine for 1,397 yards of total offense.
North Central visited Alliance for the 2021 semifinals and delivered the most decisive victory in the series to date, a 26-13 triumph during which the Cardinals owned a 293-72 advantage in rushing yards and scored 26 unanswered points after yielding the game’s first touchdown.
The teams met at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium for the 2022 Stagg Bowl. The Cardinals owned a 21-0 lead early in the fourth quarter before fending off a Mount Union comeback attempt and winning their second national title, 28-21.
Luke Lehnen threw for three of the Cardinals’ touchdown passes, including a 94-yarder to DeAngelo Hardy which established new Stagg Bowl and North Central records.
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). Mount Union was ranked No. 3 by the AFCA and No. 5 by D3football.com.
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 Purple Raiders: Mount Union advanced to the championship game with a 45-37 semifinal victory over Johns Hopkins, using a series of key defensive plays to separate itself in the fourth quarter.
Leading, 31-29, the Raiders came up with a quarterback sack on third down to force a punt, then drove 55 yards to score on Tyler Echeverry’s nine-yard run. Another sack, this time on fourth down, ended the Blue Jays’ next drive two plays before Echeverry scored again from 54 yards out.
Johns Hopkins owned a 531-518 advantage in total yards, marking the first time the Raiders have been outgained this season. Mount Union ranks ninth nationally in rushing offense (235.2 yards per game) and 15th in total offense (465.1 yards per game), while its defense has registered 52 sacks, the second-highest total in the nation.
Echeverry leads all Division III players in rushing touchdowns (29) while ranking fourth nationally in rushing yards (1,631). The senior has run for at least 100 yards in eight of the Raiders’ last nine games. TJ Deshields, Mount Union’s starting quarterback the last five games, has completed 66.7 percent of passing attempts for 1,344 yards with eight touchdowns and four interceptions.
Tyrell Sanders (61 catches, 990 yards, six TDs) leads a receiving corps.
Defensive end Rossy Moore has a team-high 106 tackles, including 20. tackles for loss. Moore, Kaleb Brown and Von Factor have combined for 34.5 of the Raiders’ 52 sacks.
This Week for the Cardinals: North Central put its stamp on a semifinal win over Susquehanna in the very early stages Saturday, ravaging the River Hawks, 66-0, to achieve its largest margin of victory in a postseason game.
The Cardinals tied the Division III record for the largest margin of victory in a national semifinal and scored touchdowns on their first nine possessions. A 27-3 quarterfinal winner over Springfield, North Central has held consecutive playoff opponents without a touchdown for the first time.
North Central’s 638 yards of offense are its second-most this season, while the River Hawks’ 135 yards are the fewest allowed by the Cardinals in 2024.
After an early incomplete pass, Luke Lehnen completed 16 straight attempts and threw for 275 yards and four touchdowns. At 16-for-17 for the game, Lehnen tied Broc Rutter’s program record for single-game passing accuracy.
Jacob Paradee made two touchdown receptions while Joe Sacco ran for two scores. Jordan Williams gained a career-high 106 rushing yards to finish as the Cardinals’ top rusher. Brayden Garrigan and Jahmar Daniel intercepted passes while Kachi Ugwu recovered a special-teams fumble.
The Cardinals have forced eight turnovers in the last three weeks and have won the turnover battle each game of the postseason.
North Central owns a 37-game home winning streak dating back to 2018.