CHICAGO, Ill., -- The Millikin Big Blue (0-1) traveled to the Holmgren Athletic Complex to take on the Vikings (1-0) in a steaming afternoon game. After a close game two weeks ago against Ripon, the Vikings earned an emphatic 44-0 win in their conference opener.
Senior kicker Carson Blatchford kicked off the game with a touchback that would be an ever-repetitive occurrence for him this game. Millikin started with the football and was quickly shot down with by the Vikings' defense and forced to punt after a 3-and-out thanks to senior linebacker Juan Nieves getting a PBU and a tackle on the first drive.
The Vikings offense quickly marched down the field in under two minutes to go up 7-0 when senior quarterback Matt Eck connected with junior wide receiver Wesley McCloud on a deep slant from the right side of the field for a 38-yard touchdown.
To end the first quarter, North Park scored on their first play of the drive on an 80-yard catch and run by junior wide receiver Jereme Ombogo. Eck soared the ball from NPU's 12 to Millikin's 42 and Ombogo took it to the house to widen the Vikings' lead.
The second quarter was nearly identical to the first, as the defense continued their dominance while the offense scored on their first and last drives of the quarter. Eck scored on a designed quarterback draw from 17 yards out and fifth-year running back Reid Huseman scored on a 2-yard run to put the Vikings up 28-0 going into half.
Defensively, the Vikings put on a clinic by shutting out the Big Blue the rest of the game. Fifth-year linebacker Jaydin Miller led the charge as he had an impressive outing with 6 solo tackles, 2 sacks, 3 tackles for loss, 2 forced fumbles and a PBU.
Freshman linebacker Armando Martinez also had a nice game, pitching in 1.5 tackles for loss and 4 tackles while junior defensive back Samuel Aguirre and junior linebacker Juan Nieves combined for 2 PBUs, 1 INT, and 8 tackles.
Quick Hits:
- Jaydin Miller – 6 solo, 3 TFLs, 2 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, 1 pass break up
- Matt Eck – 16/22 264 yards, 3 passing TDs, 1 rushing TDs
- Wesley McCloud – 2 catches 53 yards, 1 receiving TD
- NPU Offensive Line does not allow a sack
- Jereme Ombogo – 1 catch 80 yards, 1 TD
- Juan Nieves – 4 tackles, 1 PBU, 2 catches 20 yards, 1 receiving TD, 4 punt returns 56 yards
- Reid Huseman – 1 TD
- Samuel Aguirre – 4 tackles, 1 PBU, 1 INT
What's Next?
North Park (2-0, 1-0 CCIW) has two upcoming away games, traveling to Elmhurst University on Saturday, September 28th, looking to improve to 3-0. This is followed by riding out to Rock Island, Illinois to take on a tough Augustana College team coming off a historical season of their own in 2023.
