|
RIPON, Wis. - For nearly two full quarters Saturday, Beloit and Ripon were deadlocked in a defensive battle, with neither team willing to give an inch. That changed with just over one minute to play, as the Red Hawks broke a scoreless tie on a two-yard run by Ben Garland, en route to a convincing 30-0 victory over the Buccaneers. That marks the first time Ripon has shut out an opponent since October 27, 2001 against Illinois College. It is also the second time this year that the Red Hawks have not allowed a touchdown in a game.
Garland's touchdown late in the first half capped a 15-play, 73-yard drive, which gave some life to an offense that struggled for much of the first and second quarters. Despite scoring with one minute left in the half, the Red Hawks (5-1, 5-0) weren't done putting points on the board in the period. They added a safety with just two seconds left when a Beloit snap sailed over the punter's head and out of the end zone.
"We knew Beloit was going to be a good team," head football coach Ron Ernst said. "We got off to a slow start, but our coaches made some great adjustments and our players played better as the game went along."
One of the players that played better as the game progressed was Jon Larsen, who finished the game with 117 yards rushing. The senior fullback also scored on an 11-yard run with five and a half minutes left in the third quarter. That is the first time a Ripon running back has rushed for over 100 yards this season.
"A lot of that is a credit to the offensive line, who had some great blocking all day. They continue to do some great things and hopefully we'll get better each week," said Ernst.
Andrew Fink and Matthew Miller added touchdown runs of one and eight-yards, respectively, to cap the scoring in the fourth quarter. The Red Hawks were physically able to wear down Beloit (3-3, 2-3), out-gaining them in total offense 298-163. The Red Hawks racked up 275 yards rushing, their third-highest total of the season.
"We were able to keep a lot of players rotating to keep them fresh and our kids are in great shape," Ernst said. "We had a good game plan coming in and our players responded and got the job done."
The Red Hawk defense, fresh off last week's seven-takeaway game against Carroll, forced four more turnovers on Saturday, including a pair of interceptions by Chris Kellett, giving him three picks in the last two weeks. Those four turnovers also give the Red Hawks 15 takeaways in the last three games.
"Our defense was fighting to get the shutout because we've come close on several occasions," Ernst said. "It was a big win, and hopefully it's one of many more to come."
In addition to Kellett's two interceptions, Joshua Kraemer and Joe Faulds also recorded one interception each. Ryan Andersen led the way with 11 tackles, while Kraemer was second on the team with seven. Adam Firgens was in on five tackles and recorded Ripon's only sack of the game, for a loss of seven yards.
With the win, Ripon remains tied for first-place in the Midwest Conference with Monmouth College, who defeated
St. Norbert on Saturday, dropping the Green Knights one game behind the Red Hawks and Fighting Scots. Next week, Ripon will travel to Monmouth for a mid-season game that will feel more like a post-season championship contest. The Red Hawks defeated Monmouth 27-20 last year in Ripon, while the Fighting Scots won by 10 in their last meeting at Monmouth.
"We have a very tough opponent next week," Ernst said. "We're in first place with Monmouth, so we just want to go down there and put ourselves in a position to contend for a title this season."
|
Back 