Jake Beesley takes flight on block of an Augustana Vikings 35-yard field goal attempt by kicker Sidney Maroon. The Cardinals held their opponents to under 10 points for the third straight week.
After scoring a touchdown on their first drive of the game, Augustana failed to put any more points on the board as the Cardinals rolled to a 58-6 victory.
Beesley leads the team with seven pass break-ups this season, including two against Augustana. The fifth-year senior is often responsible for one-on-one coverage of the opposing team’s most dangerous receiver and has repeatedly risen to that challenge.
The Cardinals outgained the Vikings 602 to 189 on offense in the game, with Vikings quarterback Thomas Hall completing just 13 of 32 attempted passes. Through three games, the Cardinals have held opposing passers to a 48.6 percent completion rate with three interceptions.
Beesley was selected as both a First Team Academic All-American and an All District honoree by College Sports Information Directors (CoSIDA) in 2020.
In the Cardinals’ 2019 championship season he started all 15 games, leading the team with 15 passes defended, 11 pass breakups, 4 interceptions and 3 forced fumbles. His career high in tackles (12) came in the national championship win over Wisconsin-Whitewater.
He was named First Team All-CCIW for the second year in a row and an Associated Press First Team All-American
About North Central Football
Over the past 15 years, North Central College has become one of the perennial powers in
NCAA Division III football, qualifying for the playoffs 12 times in that span while capturing
the program’s first national championship in 2019.
The Cardinals advanced to the 2019 Stagg Bowl for the first time in program history and rolled to a 41-14 victory over
the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. Broc Rutter was awarded the Gagliardi Trophy as the NCAA Division III Player
of the Year and later inked a free-agent deal with the San Francisco 49ers.
