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Gameday Preview: WashU Hits The Road To Take On No. 1 North Central
The Bears are 2-0, heading into matchup against the top-ranked Division III team in the country.
| WashU Football – Gameday Info Game No. 3 – WashU Bears (2-0) at #1 North Central Cardinals (2-0) Date/Time – September 28, 2024 – 12 pm Location – Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium -- Naperville, IL Watch – Cardinals All Access Live Stats – Sidearm Stats |
NAPERVILLE, IL -- After beginning the season with a pair of dominant wins over Rhodes College and Carroll University, the Washington University football team will face its most likely toughest challenge of the 2024 season this week, when it hits the road to face NCAA Division III No. 1 North Central College.
The Cardinals are also 2-0 and coming off a 14-1 season in which they made their fourth straight trip to the D3 national championship game. And to no one's surprise, North Central is very good again.
The Cardinals beat then-No. 13 Aurora, 48-21 in the season opener. Then bashed Carthage, 63-0, last week.
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North Central has perhaps the best running game and best defense in the country, and it often relies on both to simply overpower its opponents. Last year, the Cardinals did exactly that in a 49-3 win over WashU at Francis Olympic Field.
The time though, the teams will meet at NCC's Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium in a matchup that will give the winner an early season hold on first place in the CCIW.
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Players to Watch: WashU likes to use two players at quarterback -- both with different skills. Senior Clark Stephens is a terrific passer, who ranks fourth in the CCIW with 377 passing yards, with one touchdown and no interceptions. He also leads the league with a 69.1 completion percentage.
Sophomore Levi Moore is more of a runner, who leads the Bears with three rushing touchdowns this season.
WashU's top big play threat is senior receiver Collin Goldberg, who leads the conference with 20 receptions and 222 receiving yards.
The WashU defense has been led by its secondary, which features junior Ryan Schmadtke and sophomores Kellen Fraile, Brett Kersemeier. Schmadtke leads the Bears with 10 tackles (eight solo stops).
Kersemeier had a pick-six that helped put away last week's game against Carroll. Freshman defensive lineman Jack Middleton has 2.0 quarterback sacks and 3.5 tackles for loss this season.
North Central is averaging 55.5 points a game this season and has already scored 15 touchdowns in just two games. In those two games, the Cardinals are averaging 261.0 rushing yards per game, which is nearly 100 yards more than the next team in the conference.
Running back Joe Sacco leads the league with 242 rushing yards and five touchdowns.
Up Next: WashU will be on the road again next week, traveling to Bloomington, Ill., to play Illinois Wesleyan.
The Bears' next home game will be on October 12 against Carthage.
2024 WASHU BEARS FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
Sept. 7 at Rhodes College -- W 44-20
Sept. 21 vs. Carroll University* -- W 35-7
Sept. 28 at #1 North Central* -- 12 pm
Oct. 5 at Illinois Wesleyan* -- 1 pm
Oct. 12 vs. Carthage* -- 1 pm
Oct. 19 at Elmhurst* -- 1 pm
Oct. 26 vs. #18 Wheaton* -- 1 pm
Nov. 2 vs. Millikin* -- 12 pm
Nov. 9 at North Park* -- 12 pm
Nov. 16 vs. Augustana* -- 12 pm
* - denotes CCIW league game