After starting the season 3-0, the fifth-ranked Cardinals get a huge matchup with a ninth-ranked rival, Wheaton College, in the Battle for the Little Brass Bell. Both teams are coming off shutout wins, as North Central defeated North Park 77-0 and Wheaton defeated Millikin 60-0.
In the blowout win, Cardinals quarterback, Broc Rutter, ’20, threw 16 for 17 and totaled 334 yards with four touchdowns. Rutter set another Cardinal record for passing accuracy (94.1%) and has become the first quarterback in North Central history to throw for 100 career touchdowns. Additionally, each of Rutter’s four touchdowns covered at least 33 yards through the air and it earned him CCIW Offensive Player of the Week.
With a top-ten matchup this weekend against the rival Thunder, Head Coach Jeff Thorne and the Cardinals are treating this like any other week.
“It’s just another game on the schedule and it’s nice to get the bell and beat Wheaton, the whole deal, but in reality, this is another team we have to beat to win the conference championship,” said Thorne.
Both teams are rolling into Saturday’s matchup with some impressive numbers. The Cardinals have the nation’s top-scoring offense with 55.3 points per game and the fourth-best scoring defense with 8.7 points allowed. For Wheaton, they are the nation’s best scoring defense with allowing 3.3 points.
“This is a big game, of course. Wheaton is a really good team with a great program, but we are going to be fired up and ready to go,” said Thorne.
Last week North Central was celebrating their homecoming. Today, Wheaton is celebrating their’s against North Central. The Thunder fans, alum and students plan on packing the stands and bringing the noise, but that doesn’t seem to be a challenge for the Cardinals.
“I don’t think this will be anything big for our guys. They experienced our flights being canceled and buses dying on us. I’m not concerned about them playing in that type of environment, because they do it every year,” said Thorne.
The Cardinals look to get their first win against the Thunder since 2016 in a top-ten matchup in the Battle for the Little Brass Bell that takes place today at 1 p.m. at McCully Stadium in Wheaton.
