After receiving the Gagliardi Trophy, the NCAA Division III equivalent of the Heisman, for the second time on Friday, Lehnen threw four touchdown passes and also ran for a TD as the Cardinals beat Mount Union 41-25 at Shell Energy Stadium in Houston to win their third national championship in their fifth straight appearance in the game.

North Central College quarterback Luke Lehnen ended his record-breaking college football career in the best way possible: as a national champion. The Cardinals, led by five total touchdowns from their All-American quarterback,

Mount Union has won 13 D-III championships in 23 title game appearances, both of which are records. North Central — which captured its first title in 2019, the first championship-game berth in program history — beat the Purple Raiders 28-21 in the 2022 title game.