If there ever was a do-or-die type of game, this would be it for the Ripon Red Hawks. After suffering their first Midwest Conference loss of the season last week, a 24-14 defeat at Monmouth, Ripon dropped into a three-way tie for second place with the Fighting Scots and Illinois College, who are all 5-1 in the MWC. That leaves St. Norbert all alone atop the Midwest Conference standings, with an unblemished 6-0 conference mark.

The good news for the Red Hawks is that St. Norbert is paying a visit this weekend, meaning that with a win, Ripon will be very much alive for a conference championship. Only one team from the MWC gets a berth to the NCAA Division III playoffs, and the winner of this game will have the upper hand for the remaining two games of the season.

"I feel very good about our team," Head Football Coach Ron Ernst said. "Practice has been crisp and sharp this week, and their attitude has been great coming off last week's loss, so I certainly believe our kids are excited and ready to play this game."

St. Norbert is arguably the Midwest Conference powerhouse over the past several years, losing just three conference games in the past seven and a half seasons. The Green Knights have also qualified for the NCAA playoffs five times in the last seven seasons.

This season is no different, as St. Norbert comes to town as the top ranked team in 11 different MWC statistical categories. It doesn't matter if you're talking offense or defense, the Green Knights seem to have it all. They lead the MWC with 40.1 points per game and 10.6 points allowed, while also ranking first in total offense with 399.9 yards per game. There's no question that St. Norbert is intimidating on paper, but Ripon hasn't backed down from a challenge all year, and doesn't intend to start now.

"We are not intimidated by anyone. We fear no one and respect everyone," Ernst said. "It's a situation where we have to go in and play our game and not worry about what they're going to do."

A couple intriguing situations in the game will be how the defenses will try to take the offenses out of their games. Ripon is second in the MWC in rushing, with 214.1 yards per game, but the Green Knights lead the conference in rushing defense, allowing only 111.3 yards on the ground. On the flip side, St. Norbert leads the league in passing, throwing for 251.6 yards per game, but Ripon will counter that with the MWC's top ranked pass defense, allowing just 118.6 yards per game through the air.

"It's going to be a chess match out there," Ernst said. "St. Norbert runs a lot of different formations, so we're going to have to be ready and able to make the right adjustments for whatever they throw at us."

After last week's loss, the Red Hawks are more than ready to get back on the field and get that winning taste in their mouths once more.

"We did not play like I thought we could have last week in terms of consistent execution, and that's something that we're going to strive for this week," Ernst said. "It would be a big win for our program if we were to come out on top on Saturday. A win propels a team into the next week, and likewise, a loss forces a team to overcome that setback, and get ready for the next week."

Whatever the outcome, one thing is certain, Ripon will leave it all out on the field this weekend. They have to if they want at least a share of their first conference championship since 2001, when they were 7-1 in the MWC, finishing as co-champs with St. Norbert.

"We're still in the battle for a conference championship. The most important thing that we can do right now is put our players in a position to win that championship," said Ernst.