The North Central College Cardinals success over the last five full DIII Football seasons is nothing short of astounding and one of the most successful stretches in DIII history. Since 2019, North Central has lost just three games, two of them in the Stagg Bowl. The team has been unbelievable, led by three Gagliardi Trophy winners (Brock Rutter ’19, Ethan Greenfield 22, and Luke Lehnen ’23, ’24) and tops DIII in so many statistical categories it is hard to count.

What follows are just some of the categories in which the Cardinals are tops across a five season stretch, excluding the shortened 2020 season where only some teams played and no postseason was contested.

North Central is the most prolific team in the division on the ground. They lead in rushing yards despite having 400 less attempts than the next best team. On top of that, the Cardinals gain nearly a full yard more per attempt (7.0 vs. 6.1) than any other team in the nation and have scored an astonishing 305 rushing touchdowns.

Having a Gagliardi trophy winner in the QB spot never hurts, and North Central took full advantage of two players who fit that bill in Broc Rutter and Luke Lehnen (2x winner). Since 2019, they passed for the third most yards, completing 68.7 percent (3rd) of passes while throwing just 33 interceptions (2nd). The Cardinals have also been fans of the big play, leading with 15.9 yards per completion (min. 800 completions) scoring 228 touchdowns along the way. Leading to far and away the best passing efficiency in DIII.

Given the rampant success on the ground and in the air, it is no surprise that NCC leads in points per game by over six points to their nearest competitor. The 556 total touchdowns is more than 120 over Mount Union, the only other team to eclipse 400 total in the timeframe.

Not only in the open field but inside the 20, the Cardinals are nearly unstoppable. In the Red Zone, they scored 89.1 percent of the time with 81.5 percent of those scores being touchdowns. With by far the most attempts (422) in DIII football, nine times out of 10 they added six points to the board.

To be the best you have to prioritize all phases of the game and North Central does just that. Making them the only team to surpass 40,000 all-purpose yards and one of two to average 600 or more yards per game.

To lose just three games in five seasons, a great defense is key. The NCC defense put together the best Red Zone defense (min. 150 att.), buoyed by the best turnover margin (+82), 416 passes defended (1st), 323 passes broken up (1st), 192 sacks (2nd), and 93 interceptions (2nd).

The long and short of it is that the North Central College Cardinals are a bonafide dynasty and since 2019 have put up truly gaudy numbers in all aspects of the game.