Week 10 Game Notes

RIPON, Wis. - True rivalries are few and far between in the game of football. Saturday will be one of those classic battles, as Ripon and Lawrence will face each other for the 109th time in their storied history. That marks the oldest college football rivalry in the state of Wisconsin. Since 1988, the winner of this contest has been awarded the Doehling-Heselton trophy, which is named after former Ripon coach Carl Doehling and Lawrence coach Bernie Heselton, who led their respective squads against each other from 1938-1955.

In recent years, the Doehling-Heselton trophy has enjoyed an almost permanent residence at Ripon College, as the Red Hawks have won 13 of the last 14 meetings. Ripon has earned the trophy 16 of the 21 years it has been in existence. Despite the recent one-sided results, this continues to be a huge rivalry game, due to the history involved.

"The players, coaches and alumni on both sides all keep this rivalry going," Ripon head coach Ron Ernst said. "When we play this game, it evokes great emotion from games in the past and we pay respect to that by playing as hard as we can."

Ripon leads the all-time series 55-46-7 and is favored to add another win to that total, as they enter the weekend having won five more games than the Vikings. The Red Hawks are in third place in the Midwest Conference with a 6-2 mark, while the Vikings are tied for ninth with a conference record of
1-7. Despite that discrepancy, this is a game where all the records can be thrown out the window.

"We want to win badly, as I'm sure Lawrence does, because of the kind of game it is and because of the alumni and coaches that have come before us," Ernst said. "This is a big game and it's one that we certainly don't take lightly."

Lawrence ranks last in the MWC in scoring offense (9.1 ppg) and scoring defense (36.1 ppg), while also ranking last in total offense (215.6 ypg). They have been considerably better in recent games however, averaging 13.4 points in their last five contests. A big reason for that extra output has been receiver Nate Nelson, who is one of 11 players in the MWC to have multiple 100-yard receiving games. Nelson has recorded team-highs of 26 receptions, 493 yards and three touchdowns. He has also helped out on special teams, with a kickoff return average of 21.3, which includes a 73-yard touchdown.

"Lawrence throws the ball pretty well and they play very hard. They're not a team that is going to just lay down," Ernst said. "They run to the ball very well on defense and have some decent receivers, so we'll have to make sure we take care of our responsibilities."

That seems to be how the Red Hawks are approaching this game, focusing on things that are within their control.

"We're going to go into the game doing what we do best, which is to run the ball and fly around on defense. If that's good enough, then we'll come out of there with a win," Ernst said. "I'm just going to try to get our team ready to play the best they can and let the chips fall where they may."

Ripon has run the ball well all season, but seems to be peaking at just the right time. They lead the MWC in rushing, averaging 290.2 yards per game, which is already the second-most rushing yards in a single season in school history. The Red Hawks have the top two rushers in the MWC in fullback T.J. Pierce and quarterback Matthew Miller, who have gained 897 and 775 yards, respectively. Last week, Miller tied a school record with five touchdowns in a 38-17 win at Grinnell. With five more touchdowns against Lawrence, Miller would tie another record for most rushing touchdowns in a single season by a Ripon player.

"It's a credit to our offensive coaches and players and a lot of the credit has to go to the success of the offensive line, where we don't have a single senior starter," Ernst said. "I'm very proud of those players because they've worked hard all year. We continue to follow our offensive philosophy and do what we believe in and it's certainly paid off for them."

Adding to the excitement of Saturday's rivalry game will be the fact that nine Red Hawks will be playing in their final college football game. On what will be Senior Day at Ingalls Field, the team and fans alike will be honoring Ryan Andersen, Paul Braun, Joe Faulds, Kyle Farrell, Adam Firgens, Andrew Fink, Peter Hollmaier, Jared Parr and Tyler Ruppert.

"This is a small group, but it has been one of the most enjoyable groups I've coached in a long time. We've had a lot of great seniors come through this program and these players are certainly no exception. They have all worked very hard and have given me and the program every ounce of energy they could possibly give. Some are starters and some are not, but every player will walk out of here with real character and will be better men than what they were when they came into the program," said Ernst.

With a Ripon victory, the Red Hawks would finish the season with seven wins for the fourth consecutive season. It would also give them a victory in the final regular season game for the fifth straight year, giving them some momentum as they head into the recruiting season.

"Everyone always remembers the last game of the year, especially the seniors, who will never put on another football uniform, so it's important on a lot of different levels, including pride, recruiting and keeping the Doehling-Heselton trophy at Ripon," Ernst said. "Finishing 7-3 would be a very good year for us and a lot of teams would like to finish with that record. It's a situation where we certainly hope to play our best and this is the game where we want to peak as a team."