WashU’s Bradley Hamilton (23) had a team-high seven tackles in Saturday’s loss to No. 1-ranked North Central. (Photo courtesy: WashU Athletics)
| NCAA Football | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WashU (5-2, 4-2) | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| #1 North Central (7-0, 6-0) | 7 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 49 |
Steven Millbrook
Staff Writer
NAPERVILLE, IL — The Washington University football team suffered its second straight loss, Saturday afternoon, when it was defeated 49-3 by No. 1-ranked and defending NCAA Division III national champion, North Central.
The Bears are now 5-2 on the season and 4-2 in CCIW league play, while North Central won its 22nd straight game and its 30th straight CCIW matchup.
The Cardinals wasted no time getting on the board, scoring on the first drive of the game with 9:03 on the clock.
After reaching the 19, quarterback Luke Lehnen hit Charles Coleman for a 19-yard touchdown pass and Sean Ryniec’s extra-point kick was good, putting North Central up 7-0.
On the Bears next drive, they reached the 40 before back-to-back sacks for losses of six and nine yards, respectively, forced a punt.
North Central went on to score another touchdown to start the second quarter. Coming out of a timeout at 13:38, Sean Allen ran for 33 yards for a first down at the 10. Lehnen picked up five yards before running it in for the five-yard touchdown. Ryniec’s kick was good, making it a 14-0 game.
The Bears put their lone points of the day on the board on the following drive.
Fred Ware started things off three-straight runs of five, four and five yards, respectively. Quarterback Matt Rush hit Ware for four yards and then quarterback Levi Moore connected with Gabriel Sirek for seven yards to the 50. However, a penalty moved the Bears back to the 35.
Moore found Tom Peters for another nine yards and Ware picked up another two yards. Moore found Sirek for seven more yards and Ware ran for four yards and a first down at the 43. Ware added three more yards and Rush ran for 15 yards and a first down at the 25.
Moore notched seven yards and Rush ran for four yards to put the Bears on the 14. Kenneth Hamilton ran for seven yards and then ran in for another seven which would have been a touchdown but the Bears were called for holding and moved back to the 13.
Ware ran for five more yards but a sack resulted in a loss of 10, setting kicker Chris Vartanian up for a 35-yard field goal, which he hit to make it a 14-3 game.
On the next drive, Lehnen hit Joey Lombardi for a 39-yard touchdown with 1:03 left in the first half to put the Cardinals up 21-3.
The Bears had the ball to open the third quarter but after reaching just their own 21, were forced to punt and North Central went on to score on the following drive.
Deangelo Hardy exploded for a 48 yard run to the five yard line and ultimately Allen finished the job with a two-yard touchdown run. Ryniec’s kick was good, putting the Cardinals up 28-3.
WashU made it to the 28 on its next drive, highlighted by a 15-yard pass from Rush to Collin Goldberg, but ultimately turned it over on downs.
North Central came out on the following drive to add another touchdown to the board. Joe Sacco picked up 11 yards for a first down at the 44 and Lehnen hit Lombardi for a 16-yard pass. Lehnen then went deep for a 28-yard touchdown pass to Jacob Paradee and Ryniec’s kick was good, making it a 35-3 game.
North Central opened the fourth quarter with a touchdown. Hardy ran for 22 yards with 12:20 on the clock to score and Ryniec’s kick was good for a 42-3 lead.
Following a Bears’ punt, the Cardinals scored the final touchdown of the day. With NCC on the 41, Coleman exploded for a 41-yard touchdown run and Ryniec hit the extra point for the 49-3 game.
The Bears had 196 yards of total offense (29 rushing, 167 passing) while North Central finished with 503.
Bradley Hamilton and Matthew Schmal each had seven total tackles.
The Bears will look to rebound at home next weekend against Elmhurst. Kickoff for that game at Francis Olympic Field is set for 1 p.m.
WashU sports information contributed to this story.
Scoring Summary
| Qtr | Time | Scoring Play | WASHU | NC |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 09:07 | NC – Coleman,Charles 19 yd pass from Lehnen,Luke (Ryniec,Sean kick) 10 plays, 80 yards, TOP 05:47 | 0 | 7 |
| 2nd | 12:11 | NC – Lehnen,Luke 5 yd run (Ryniec,Sean kick), 11 plays, 94 yards, TOP 06:25 | 0 | 14 |
| 2nd | 02:11 | WASHU – Vartanian,Chris 35 yd field goal 19 plays, 57 yards, TOP 10:00 | 3 | 14 |
| 2nd | 01:03 | NC – Lombardi,Joey 39 yd pass from Lehnen,Luke (Ryniec,Sean kick) 4 plays, 73 yards, TOP 01:08 | 3 | 21 |
| 3rd | 11:29 | NC – Allen,Sean 2 yd run (Ryniec,Sean kick), 2 plays, 53 yards, TOP 01:15 | 3 | 28 |
| 3rd | 02:48 | NC – Paradee,Jacob 28 yd pass from Lehnen,Luke (Ryniec,Sean kick) 5 plays, 72 yards, TOP 02:15 | 3 | 35 |
| 4th | 12:20 | NC – Hardy,Deangelo 22 yd run (Ryniec,Sean kick), 8 plays, 62 yards, TOP 03:06 | 3 | 42 |
| 4th | 05:13 | NC – Coleman,Charles 41 yd run (Ryniec,Sean kick), 6 plays, 71 yards, TOP 03:46 | 3 | 49 |
2023 WashU Bears Remaining Football Schedule
| Date | Time | At | Opponent | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 28, 2023 | 1 p.m. | Home | Elmhurst University | Francis Olympic Field |
| November 4, 2023 | 1 p.m. | Away | #13 Wheaton College | Wheaton, Ill. |
| November 11, 2023 | 12 p.m. | Home | Carroll University | Francis Olympic Field |