Last week, the North Central football team traveled to Christopher Newport University and defeated the Captains 43-13. This is the Cardinals fifth year winning their season opener and remain the fifth team in the nation, according to D3Football.com.
History was also made as quarterback Broc Rutter, ’20, has passed NCC Hall of Famer Kam Kniss, ’92, with 93 career passing touchdowns. Rutter in the victory on Saturday went 27/36 with 369 yards, three passing touchdowns and one rushing touchdown. Head Coach Jeff Thorne continued to throw praise on his All-American QB.
“I was aware of the record because it’s been talked about, but it’s not certainly on your mind when you’re in the game. You’re not worried about records; you’re worried about going 1-0 and that’s just a byproduct of Rutter’s career. We knew he was going to beat the record at some point, so why not get it out of the way in week one,” said Thorne.
The defense also stepped up in the matchup against the Captains. The Cardinals recorded four sacks, seven tackles for loss, two interceptions and one fumble recovery. Defensive tackle, Isaiah Zigler, ’22, got his first career interception and he was one of Thorne’s breakout players this season.
“He’s a tremendous player. He’s distributive in the run game and commands double teams all the time because of his size and athleticism on top of it. He’s a great player and it was fun to watch that interception happen. He deserves it, he’s worked his tail off,” said Thorne.
This week the Cardinals get some early rest as they enter their bye week, but that’s not going to stop Thorne and his team from getting ready for their next opponent, Washington University in St. Louis.
“There’s a ton of improvements to be made. The offensive line wasn’t communicating the way we normally do. The penalties were disappointing, and we gave a lot of yards on the same play … We’re going to be heavy on the Bears. They are a good football team. They have 15 returning starters and went 8-2 last year, so we have to prepare and get ready,” said Thorne.
The Cardinals will drive down to Francis Field in St. Louis to take on the Bears at 5 p.m. on Sept. 21.
