Thunder handed first loss in a 35-26 defeat at North Central

Naperville, Ill. (10/1) The Thunder football team opened conference play on Saturday night with a 35-26 loss (Boxscore) at North Central. Wheaton falls to 3-1 on the year and 0-1 in the CCIW; while North Central is 4-0 overall and 1-0 in conference play. The Thunder will host Millikin (3-1/0-1 CCIW) next Saturday at McCully Field for Wheaton's homecoming. The Cardinals' victory is the first win by North Central against Wheaton since 1997.

The Cardinals scored 21-unanswered points in the second half to rally from a 20-7 halftime deficit and led by a score of 28-20 with 3:04 left in the game when Wheaton quarterback Jeremy Chupp threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to fullback Brad Thornton (LEFT) with 3:04 left in the game to cut the Cardinals' lead to 28-26. The Thunder attempted a two-point conversion that failed, as North Central held onto its 28-26 lead. North Central secured the 35-26 victory with a four-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Kam Kniss to Kory Williams with 1:35 left in the game.

The Cardinals recorded a 57-yard interception return for a touchdown when Mario Smith picked off a Thunder pass and took the ball into the endzone to give the hosts a 28-20 lead with 5:10 left in the game. North Central earned a 21-20 lead on its previous drive when Kniss threw a 51-yard touchdown pass to Spencer with 9:48 remaining in the game. The Cardinals cut the Thunder lead to 20-14 with 1:23 remaining in the third quarters when Kniss threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Tyler Didier.

The first half belonged to the Thunder, as Wheaton out-scored the Cardinals 20-7 in the opening half, including 17 points for the Thunder in the second quarter. Wheaton took a 7-0 lead when Jeremy Chupp connected with his twin brother Joe Chupp on a 66-yard touchdown pass with 10:26 left in the first quarter. The pass came with Wheaton holding the ball on third and long. The Cardinals tied the game at 7-7 with 6:43 remaining in the first quarter when Kniss threw a 14-yard touchdown pass to Tyke Spencer. Wheaton regained the lead when senior Andrew Day kicked a season-long 41-yard field goal with 10:39 left in the second half to cap an eight-play drive of 44 yards. Wheaton took a 17-7 lead when Jeremy Chupp threw a 35-yard touchdown pass to Chris Fossum with 6:03 left in the first half. The Thunder drive of five plays and 80 yards was setup when senior safety Scott Ast intercepted a Cardinal pass in the endzone. Wheaton held a 20-7 lead at halftime thanks to a 32-yard field goal by Day with 40-seconds remaining in the first half. Day's kick capped off a 10-play drive of 54 yards.

The Thunder tallied 465 yards of total offense, with 265 passing yards and 200 rushing yards. Jeremy Chupp completed 16 of his 32 passing attempts for 265 yards, with three touchdowns and also ran for 63 yards on eight carries. Joe Chupp caught four passes for 102 yards with a touchdown reception. Fossum made three receptions for 79 yards, with one touchdown grab. Senior tailback Luke Bazacas ran for 58 yards on 14 carries.

Senior middle linebacker Jeff Grandy (RIGHT) led the Thunder defense with nine total tackles, including five solos and one interception. Sophomore defensive end Andrew Studebaker made eight total tackles, with 4-1/2 tackles for lost yardage (-11 yards), including two quarterback sacks (-7 yards). Ast and senior Todd Travis each made seven total tackles, as Ast also made an interception and had a tackle for lost yardage (-2 yards).

North Central recorded 427 yards of offense with 148 rushing yards and 279 yards through the air. Kniss completed 24 of his 35 passing attempts for 279 yards with four touchdown tosses. Spencer caught six passes for 106 yards, with two touchdown receptions and Eric Steudemann caught nine passes for 67 yards. Running back Steve Holden carried the ball 18 times for 106 yards. Linebacker Lenny Radtke made 12 tackles for the Cardinals with an interception.