Eleven touchdowns and six interceptions meant there were plenty of choices for this week’s Red Zone Play of the Game from North Central’s win over Elmhurst, but a pick-six by Nic Rummell still stood out as the pick (pun intended) of the bunch.
It was a fairly easy interception for the junior cornerback. The Cardinals were in a Cover 2 zone defense, and Elmhurst quarterback Connor Buyck threw it right to Rummell’s zone. From that point, Rummell’s instincts as a former wide receiver at both Iowa State and North Central kicked in on the catch and run for six points. It’s the first pick-six by a Cardinal this season, the most recent having been De’Angelo Roberson in last year’s quarterfinal win over RPI.
The other of the record-tying number of interceptions came from Jahmar Daniel, Brandon Greifelt, Nic Laird, Antwain Walker and Jahron Williams, a particularly impressive display for a unit where Nic Rummell is the only returning starter. The only other time the Cardinals picked off six passes in a game was in 2018 at Illinois Wesleyan. Their seven interceptions this season rank one behind Wheaton for the CCIW lead and are good enough to tie for 13th in the country. The Cardinals will look to take the conference lead in their next game where they face the Thunder in the Battle for the Little Brass Bell.
