CHICAGO, Ill. -- North Park hosted defending national champion and current No. 1 North Central College (8-0, 7-0) today and dropped the contest 56-0.
North Central elected to receive the opening kickoff and on their first possession the North Park defense forced a fumble as the Cardinals were approaching the endzone. On the North Park 15, a nine-yard rush to the left side was halted when Ben Butler punched out the ball before Jason Adkinson pounced on it, giving the Vikings a hard-earned turnover inside their own 10. That gave some life to the Vikings for a moment, but it was tough sledding the rest of the way.
North Central rushed for 371 yards and five TD's while combining an aerial attack of 260 passing yards and three TD passes to shutout the Vikings, 56-0.
Top Performers:
- NCC quarterback Luke Lehnen was 11-for-16 (225yds) with three passing TDs and three on the ground
- The Cardinals' Joe Sacco netted 137 yards on the ground with a 55-yard TD
- NPU's Ben Butler had seven solo tackles, a forced fumble, and an interception
- Egan Bender led the Vikings with 10 tackles
- Jonathan Thomas credited with one sack and a TFL for NPU
What's Next?
The Vikings (4-4, 3-4 CCIW) travel to Elmhurst (2-6, 1-6 CCIW) next Saturday, Nov. 4, to take on the Bluejays before concluding the 2023 season with No. 12 Wheaton College at home the following Saturday, Nov. 11.