RIPON, Wis. - Grinnell didn't waste much time getting on the board Saturday, scoring a touchdown on their first drive of the game, making them think upset. That feeling didn't last long though, as Ripon pounded the ball down their throats the rest of the way, on their way to a 55-14 win.

After a Red Hawk punt on the opening drive of the game, Grinnell (1-8, 1-7) set out on a methodical 10-play, 62-yard drive, culminated by a Lance Burkholder run. Ripon (6-2, 6-3) wouldn't be behind long however, as they would score on their next drive on a Jon Larsen two-yard run.

When we were down 7-0, we knew that it was just one touchdown and I knew we should have played better on that drive," Head Coach Ron Ernst said. "I really think they have one of the better quarterbacks in the conference. He's very threatening in terms of what he can do. and he did a heck of a job, but we made some adjustments and were able to keep their scoring at a minimum the rest of the way."

Grinnell's scoring was kept at a minimum for the rest of the game, but Ripon's yards were not. The Red Hawks set a new school record with 535 rushing yards, carrying the ball 73 times, while achieving 34 first downs.

"I was so proud of our offense for doing such a great job at everything, blocking, running, and executing. It's really a credit to our offensive coaches and I couldn't be prouder of our team and their execution today," said Ernst.

Ironically, Ripon's biggest play came through the air. Quarterback Bob Faulds completed just one of two passes all day, but that one completion went for 50 yards and a touchdown to receiver Ted Bartels, giving Ripon the lead for good, on the first play of the second quarter.

Bill Olm and Jon Larsen each scored from inside the five-yard line to cap the first half scoring, giving the Red Hawks a 28-7 lead at the half. Olm and Larsen led the record breaking Ripon attack with 133 and 100 yards, respectively. Faulds wasn't far behind, rushing for 95 yards of his own.

Grinnell scored the first touchdown of the second half, cutting the lead to 14 points, but that would be as close as it would get the rest of the way. Virtually every player on Ripon's roster got into the game, as several players who normally don't see much action saw quality time in the second half.

"It was really good to see those young guys in the game," Ernst said. "Everybody works so hard during the week and it really pays off when they get in the game and get some action."

The win gaurantees at least the same record for the Red Hawks as last season. They still have one more game left however, as they'll try to improve on last year's mark with a win at Lawrence next Saturday.

"We want to end the season on a winning note and have a better record than we finished with last season, which means we need a win next week, and hopefully that will propel us into next year," said Ernst.

Next week's game will begin at 1:00 p.m. in Appleton, Wis. and can be heard live on WRPN-AM, as well as streamed live on their website, www.wrpnam.com.