Box Score

NAPERVILLE, Ill. - No. 9-ranked North Central scored in each of its six first-half possessions en route to a 52-0 football win over Illinois Wesleyan at Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium in Naperville on Saturday (Oct. 27).

The second loss in a row sends the Titans to 6-2 overall and 3-2 in College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin play while North Central won for the seventh straight time and improved to 7-1 overall and 5-0 in CCIW play. With the Homecoming win, North Central has won 21 straight CCIW games and the last 20 of those by 20 points or more.

The Titans were shut out for the first time since North Central did it to them (24-0) last season. Before that it had been since 2005 since the last IWU shutout, at the hands of Wis.-Eau Claire, 46-0, in the 2005 season.

The 52 points is the most allowed by an IWU team since the final game of the 1989 season in a 58-53 loss at home to Carroll. It was the most lopsided shutout loss for Illinois Wesleyan since a 68-0 loss to Millikin in 1972.

North Central needed just two plays to open the scoring on a 60-yard touchdown run by Nick Kukuc. After forcing a Titan punt, the Cardinals took over again near midfield and scored five plays later. Spencer Stanek completed an 18-yard pass to A.J. Thomas, leaving North Central a yard away from the goal line, and Jordan Tassio ran in for a 14-0 advantage with 11:06 still remaining in the first quarter.

Josh Mitchell returned an IWU punt to the Titans' 28-yard line to open North Central's third scoring drive of the first quarter, and four plays later, Kukuc scored on a two-yard run.

Stanek completed a 31-yard TD pass to Halaiano Fuentes with 14:07 left in the second and the Cardinals added a fifth TD with 7:24 to play in the half on a 7-yard TD pass from Stanek to Peter Sorenson, ending a 12-play, 52-yard drive. Nick Dace added a 38-yard field goal with 18 seconds left to give North Central a commanding 38-0 edge at intermission.

Illinois Wesleyan was limited to 187 total yards as freshman quarterback Tyler Hook, making his first collegiate start, completed 16 of 40 passes for 130 yards with three interceptions. He was sacked five times. Junior T.J. Stinde had 31 yards rushing on six carries and Devonte Jones had 24 rushing yards on six carries.

Junior linebacker Chris Simms finished with 11 total tackles to lead IWU while junior Stephen McGinnis had 7.5 and Paul Panno had seven. Sophomore defensive lineman John Worley accounted for the only sack against North Central for -6 yards.

The Cardinals finished with a total of 477 yards as Stanek completed 17 of 25 passes for 226 yards and three touchdowns. Kukuc finished with 131 yards, 60 on the one early TD run. Chad O'Kane made four catches for 61 yards.

Illinois Wesleyan plays its final regular season home game on "Seniors' Day" next Saturday at 1 p.m. against Augustana. The Vikings have won three straight games and have improved to 4-4 overall and 3-2 in the conference.