Quote from: CCIWFan69 on September 29, 2025, 08:56:15 AMI tried watching the NCC/WashU game on Saturday but as others have mentioned, the camera was so far zoomed out that I couldn't really see much.  I turned it off after the 1st qtr, assuming NCC was going to roll.

In looking at the stats to see how the rest of the game played out, it looks like Ashiru got a bunch of snaps but only going 2-7 for 9 yds but added a 50+ yd run.  Was Wilson replaced due to the 3 ints?

Also, I recall NCC going 3 and out on their first possession but the play by play shows Allen with a 35 yard run on 2nd and 46!!!  I definitely would have remembered if a team lost 36 yards on the first play of the game.  This was followed up 2 plays later with a punt from the WashU 35 to the NCC 38.  So NCC punted the ball backwards?  I don't recall this either.  Is this just a case of the play by play and ultimately the stats being wrong?  Just trying to get a sense of how the rest of the game played out since the video was unwatchable.

Looking forward to this week.  Perhaps Wheaton pulls it off.

Ashiru entered the game immediately following Wilson's third interception, but he was only used situationally from that point forward. Wilson still played after that point, with Ashiru mainly coming in for quarterback run plays. Ashiru also had a nice 25-yard touchdown run that was called back due to a penalty. I would expect a similar sprinkling in of Ashiru this week, but with Wilson playing more overall snaps, as we have seen thus far this season.

Observations from NCC's win over WashU...

The caveat is that it was really hard to tell who any of the players were today because the camera was zoomed out so far.

The offensive line continued to struggle with opening consistent running lanes. A couple of long runs where McNeal and Ashiru made something happen out of nothing will inflate the numbers compared to how little traction they were getting on the ground throughout the game.

Wilson needs to take the checkdown sometimes. He threw three INTs on the day, and the last two were poor decisions, throwing deep into double coverage. He also took three sacks, two of which came when he had guys open in the flats but was only looking deep.

Starting safety Ethan Enriquez left the game injured and had to be carried off the field without putting any pressure on his leg. I'm guessing he's out for at least next week, if not longer.

Aiden Ellison is a weapon in the kicking game, hitting field goals from 47 and 49 yards out with room to spare.

The Little Brass Bell game is on tap, and I think it's going to come down to the very end.

WashU fans, is the broadcast always this far zoomed out for your games? Announcers are doing a good job though, calling a good game

Quote from: USee on September 23, 2025, 02:05:42 PM

Quote from: NCC2010 on September 23, 2025, 01:34:39 PMObservations from NCC's win over Carthage...

On offense, I still tend to believe the offensive line is not nearly as dominant as in the past few seasons.

Ya think? Pretty hard to follow one of the most dominant D3 OL in recent memory. I think you'll be ok. 

lol USee my apologies if my post came off as complaining, I was just pointing out the difference I am seeing thus far.  Multiple NCC fans on X have stated they think this is the best NCC team yet and I just don't agree with that assessment.  I think Linfield being overrated and how Oshkosh handled them has led people to overrate NCC's performance thus far. Do I think they are still one of the top 2 teams in the nation? Yes. Do I think their performance through 2 games proves they are better than any of the recent NCC teams? No.

Observations from NCC's win over Carthage...

On offense, I still tend to believe the offensive line is not nearly as dominant as in the past few seasons. Isaac Banker also did not play due to an injury, and he is a great blocker at TE, so that could have been a factor as well. On one drive, they had 1st and goal from the 2 but were unable to score, with three runs and a goal-line fade as the four play calls. That was an automatic seven points in the past 4-5 years. They are also now 0-3 on goal-line fades to Johnson, so I hope they stop calling them; it's not a high-percentage play. I'm very interested to see what kind of running lanes the line can open up in the next two weeks against WashU and Wheaton. I think the offense may become more balanced/Rutter-like moving forward, as the line is providing great pass protection. Donovan McNeal continues to look like the best RB IMO. Ashiru did not get any snaps in the first half but was mixed in with Wilson on a few drives to start the second half. Both Wilson and Ashiru had nice runs on QB draws in the third quarter.

Not much to say about the defense; they continue to look great and seem to be deep everywhere, perhaps except at defensive tackle. DT is an obvious strength with Sullivan and Ohle, but I haven't seen much depth behind them.

Special teams had an extra point blocked, which follows the punt they had blocked against Oshkosh. It's not a huge cause for concern, but I'm keeping an eye on it.

A lot of freshmen and young players got playing time in the second half, and I thought freshman WR Jake Vitel and freshman left guard Dennis Dracup stood out as players who could possibly contribute later this season.

Looking forward to the last CCIW matchup with WashU and finally getting to play Wheaton in Naperville for the first time since 2022.

I was under the impression we would be able to watch archived games now with the CCIW Network, but I am not finding anything but live or upcoming games.  Anyone know if you can rewatch games like the NCC game yesterday?

Just got back from the game—here are my thoughts...

The defense looks great. Obviously, they are returning a ton of talent there, but the transfers also mixed in well. Maverick Ohle replaced Cortez at DT and already looks like an All-American-type talent next to Sullivan. They gave up the 1-yard TD after the blocked punt, but after that, Oshkosh couldn't do much until the backups subbed in during the 4th quarter. Renick, the transfer from Wittenberg, was coming in as a designated pass rusher on passing situations. Groark is back from injury and, instead of playing corner, is essentially replacing Orr at nickel/OLB. I talked to one of the coaches, and they think this defense has a chance to be the best in school history.

Wilson got the start at QB and is definitely the guy moving forward. Ashiru came in on a few short-yardage situations to essentially be a wildcat type, but otherwise he was in with the backups at the end of the game. Wilson started slow but really got in a groove as the game went along. I think he is more accurate than Lehnen was already, has more arm strength as well, but is definitely not the runner that Luke was—despite the nice zone read he pulled and ran in for the 60-yard TD. He's got what seems like pretty decent pocket awareness, and he is a really big kid—listed at 6'3", 225 lbs—and I definitely think those numbers are accurate.

The OL is definitely not as dominant as in the past few seasons, which is understandable after graduating Pryor and Maples, who are two of the best OL we've ever had. Cortez looks like our best OL, which makes sense why they moved him over from the defense. They still have more time to gel, but the running lanes were not as massive as we have become accustomed to.

Sean Allen got the bulk of the carries, but in my opinion, Donovan McNeal is the best pure rusher they have. They didn't give him any carries until the 2nd quarter, which I didn't understand, but he basically took over a drive on the way to their first TD. His explosiveness really stands out.

Skokna is an All-American WR, and clearly Wilson's favorite target—he was uncoverable today. The WR corps on the whole is stacked, with Skokna, Rummell, and NIU transfer Jalen Johnson getting the most reps along with Myles Walton. Johnson is actually the son of the assistant athletic director, was all-state in high school in track (300m hurdles), and is every bit of 6'5".

I think the offense will be slightly more pass-heavy than in the past few years, due to the depth at WR, Wilson's arm, and the lack of the rushing threat that Lehnen posed.

Aidan Ellison the new kicker transfer from Arkansas State (played in high school at Naperville Central) has an absolute cannon of a leg.  I couldn't believe it when they trotted him out there for a 56 yard FG attempt.  He missed wide but had enough distance.  Had multiple kickoffs out of the back of the endzone as well.

All in all, a great way to start the season after trailing 7-0 after the first quarter.  Very excited to see what this team can accomplish the rest of the season.

Quote from: CCIWFan69 on September 11, 2025, 09:08:31 PM

Quote from: NCC2010 on September 11, 2025, 06:14:35 PMNCC week 1 preview is out. Interesting that it doesn't include a 2 deep like usual, they are keeping everyone guessing on who is starting at QB on Saturday

https://northcentralcardinals.com/news/2025/9/11/football-week-1-preview-Oshkosh.aspx

It was posted for a few seconds and has Lavery starting with Ashiru as the back up. 

The document is still there actually, they just removed the link to it:

https://northcentralcardinals.com/documents/2025/9/11/football_gameday_program_vs_UWO_2025.pdf

All I will say is if that is the actual depth chart and not some sort of gamesmanship play to keep Oshkosh guessing, I would not have the Cardinals ranked #1 in the polls...

NCC week 1 preview is out. Interesting that it doesn't include a 2 deep like usual, they are keeping everyone guessing on who is starting at QB on Saturday

https://northcentralcardinals.com/news/2025/9/11/football-week-1-preview-Oshkosh.aspx

Quote from: robertgoulet on September 11, 2025, 12:17:52 PM

Quote from: Gregory Sager on September 11, 2025, 10:46:22 AMExpect a big announcement to come out of Brainard Street within the next few days.

That's all that I'll say about it.

Adding a school, eh?

sounds like it'll be from Wisconsin

https://x.com/BQuillmanQcast/status/1966215536016052231 

Charles graduated and has moved on to the next phase of his life.  I expect Sean Allen and Donovan McNeal (2024 CCIW First-Year Offensive Student-Athlete of the Year) to lead the running back room.

Quote from: Marmac on September 08, 2025, 01:55:34 PMNorth Central's 2025 roster has finally been posted:
https://northcentralcardinals.com/sports/football/roster

still working through the roster but the first thing that jumps out is Preseason All-American defensive tackle Cortez Jones has changed from #97 to #52 and is now listed as an Offensive lineman...

I know they had him practice there in the spring but wasn't sure if it would stick come the fall

Quote from: lmitzel on September 04, 2025, 12:52:06 PM

Quote from: NCC2010 on September 04, 2025, 10:50:19 AM

Quote from: lmitzel on September 03, 2025, 05:45:21 PMJust gonna leave this here via Alex Campbell...

Don't know if this is official or not, but we'll see in a week and a half.

https://x.com/Naperville_Sun/status/1963581318450590103

Here is a story from the Naperville Sun on the QB battle...as of yesterday a starter had not been named yet.

The article mentions Lavery in the mix but it will really be between Wilson and Ashiru, and I would not be shocked to see them both play against Oshkosh next week

I saw yesterday that an NCC source has Wilson starting.

We'll see next week.

Not sure who their "source" is but they do have a 50% chance of being correct as it will be Wilson or Ashiru.

I talked to someone on the coaching staff yesterday who said a decision has not been made yet. I'll stick with my thought that both see the field next week regardless of who starts.

Quote from: lmitzel on September 03, 2025, 05:45:21 PMJust gonna leave this here via Alex Campbell...

Don't know if this is official or not, but we'll see in a week and a half.

https://x.com/Naperville_Sun/status/1963581318450590103

Here is a story from the Naperville Sun on the QB battle...as of yesterday a starter had not been named yet.

The article mentions Lavery in the mix but it will really be between Wilson and Ashiru, and I would not be shocked to see them both play against Oshkosh next week

NCC held their final spring practice this past Saturday and it was open to fans, families, etc. 

Only helmets so I did not focus much on the trenches, lot of 1on1 and 7on7 work.

Demir Ashiru took all the 1st team reps at QB, Calvin Lavery took the 2nd team reps. 

Lot of ups and downs with Ashiru's performance, made some really great throws but also had a quite a few throw aways or sacks taken. Seemed to hold the ball for a long time frequently, which could mean he is still learning the offense or the defense was just playing well.  I think one of the incoming freshman have a chance to win the starting job in the fall, but hard to tell only seeing 1 practice. Ashiru was clearly the most talented QB out there on Saturday, for what its worth.

The best player on the field by far was Thomas Skokna.  Made some really tough catches and was unguardable in man coverage.  I think he has an All-American level season as long as the QB can get it to him.

Offensive line is beginning to take shape, and my guess of the starting 5 will be Jerred Durian (started last year at center), John Golden (started a handful of games at G/C when guys sat with injuries), Tyson Cramer (was the swing tackle the past 2 seasons), and then Cortez Jones and transfer from Ohio University Maverick Ohle. 

Ohle was a 2-time all state defensive end in high school at Naperville Central before redshirting at Ohio last year. The coaches want his athleticism on the offensive line though.

Heading into the fall, settling on the QB will obviously be the biggest question to answer and ultimately determine how far this team can go.  All the other pieces appear to be there.