Wheaton Football Loses Finale to North Central; First Losing Season Since 1990

(Naperville, Ill./Nov. 15, 1997) -- In season-ending football action, Saturday, Nov. 15, Wheaton lost for the first time since 1987 to North Central College in the 49th battle for the Little Brass Bell, by a score of 20-7, and suffered its first losing season since 1990, finishing with a 4-5 overall record. Wheaton was 4-3 in CCIW games. Wheaton lost 2 fumbles and was intercepted 5 times by North Central's defense.

Wheaton totalled just 222 offensive yards, 105 rushing and 117 passing, and North Central totalled 332, including 254 yards rushing. North Central fullback Jeff Studnicka rushed 34 times for 176 yards, including a 45-yard gain, and scored one touchdown, and led the CCIW in rushing this season. Cardinals' running back Jake Hubert rushed 9 times for 72 yards, including a 9-yard touchdown run midway through the second quarter and had a 50-yard gain that set up his own 3-yard touchdown run later in the second quarter.

Wheaton's junior quarterback Tim Hardy completed just 8 of 26 passes for 94 yards and was intercepted 5 times and sacked twice. Wheaton's leading rusher was junior halfback Bjorn Johnson with 6 carries for 53 yards, including a 39-yard touchdown in the first quarter. Senior receiver Brian Tucker, the CCIW's co-leader with 49 receptions going into the game, caught 6 passes for 56 yards in his final collegiate contest.

North Central punted after each of its first 6 possessions in the contest, but Wheaton gave the ball back 4 times on punts and once on an interception. The only time in the first half the Crusaders really moved the ball effectively it took a 7-0 lead with 3:17 left in the first quarter, driving 90 yards on 8 plays, with Johnson scoring from 39 yards out. Senior Paul Boehms kicked the extra point, the 101st of his career, but since Wheaton did not score again, he finished his career one extra point short of tying Steve Palau's school record of 102. Hardy's 17-yard run and 2 completions to Tucker for 20 yards highlighted the drive.

After Boehms' fourth punt of the game, a 27-yarder, North Central took possession at its own 42, and drove 58 yards on 4 plays to tie the score at 7-7 with 5:50 left in the second quarter. Quarterback Nick Yeager completed passes of 26 yards to receiver Jeremy Gudauskas and 23 yards to Studnicka to move the ball to the Wheaton 9-yard line, and Hubert scored from there. Joel Kirstein's extra point split the uprights.

Hubert's 50-yard run to the Wheaton 6-yard line late in the first half set up North Central's go-ahead touchdown which was scored by Hubert from 3 yards out with 41 seconds left until intermission. NCC led 14-7 after Kirstein's extra point.

North Central picked off 3 Hardy passes in the third quarter and another late in the fourth quarter, virtually sealing its victory defensively, but scored just one more time. After North Central's Brian Phelan recovered fullback Jeff Ford's fumble at the North Central 26-yard line, the Cardinals drove 74 yards on 14 plays. Studnicka carried the ball 11 times for 66 yards during the drive, including runs of 13, 16, and 11 yards, and scored from 1-yard out with 2:06 left in the game, giving NCC an insurmountable 20-7 lead.

Defensively, 5 senior starters led Wheaton in tackles. In their last college games, defensive end Jeremiah Chaney totalled 9 tackles; middle linebacker Jamie Heinold had 10 tackles and broke up 2 passes; defensive tackle Jason Sennese had 13 tackles; free safety Blake Stevens, the leading tackler on the team this season with 78, made 10 more stops at NCC. amd broke up a pass; and outside linebacker Brandon Cone made 9 tackles and sacked Yeager once for a loss of 5 yards.

Sophomore outside linebacker Kevin Sampson returned a recovered fumble 16 yards and made 5 tackles. Junior defensive tackle James Roberson made a career high 10 tackles and caused the fumble recovered by Sampson.

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