Box Score

GRINNELL, Iowa - Good teams are said to be able to win despite adversity. Ripon faced some on Saturday, turning the ball over four times and trailing at three different points in the fourth quarter, but battled back for a thrilling 33-27 overtime victory at Grinnell College. Both offenses struggled through the first three quarters, combining for 20 points in those periods, but got in a groove in the final quarter and overtime, which saw them combine for 40 points during that time.

Ripon (4-2, 3-2 MWC) looked like they wouldn't have much of a problem with the Pioneers (1-5, 1-4 MWC) early on, as the Red Hawks took the opening drive 67 yards on seven plays culminating in a one yard touchdown plunge by quarterback Stephen Covalt. Those would be the only points of the game until just over four minutes left in the second quarter when Grinnell tied things up on a one yard touchdown run by Jacob Bernholz.

After the teams went to the locker room tied at seven at halftime, Grinnell took their first lead of the contest with eight minutes left in the third quarter when Sam Poulos found Jake O'Polka for a 12 yard touchdown reception. After the extra point was blocked, Covalt would tie things up early in the fourth quarter on a 79-yard touchdown run, but Ripon's extra point was also missed, keeping the score tied at 13.

With just under nine minutes to play, Grinnell took the lead again on a one yard TD run by Bernholz. Grinnell would get the ball back with five and a half minutes to play after forcing a Ripon punt, but on the Pioneers' first play of their next drive, Damian Farr forced a Poulos fumble, which was recovered by Dakotah Kirchenwitz on the four yard line. One minute later, the Red Hawks tied the score on a two yard TD run by Covalt.

Grinnell took yet another lead with just under three minutes left, using a four-play, 61-yard drive, which was capped by a 42 yard TD pass from Poulos to Jacob Meixler. As they did all day however, Ripon was resilient. Getting the ball back with 2:44 on the clock, Ripon marched 70 yards in 14 plays, tying the score once again on a two-yard run by Connor Greenwald with 22 seconds left in regulation to force overtime.

In the extra period, Grinnell had the first opportunity with the ball, but ended up with a missed 33-yard field goal. Ripon siezed the opportunity to end the game with their initial possession of overtime, scoring on their third play, a 20-yard run by Eric Hussin.

Covalt led the Red Hawks with 132 yards rushing and three touchdowns, while also completing 15-of-25 passes for 156 yards. His go to receiver was Tommy Zak, who caught 12 passes for 144 yards. Those 12 receptions are tied for eighth for a single game in school history. Greenwald finished with 93 yards on 19 carries (4.9 ypc). Defensively, the Red Hawks sacked Grinnell three times, while holding Grinnell's offense to just 34 yards rushing.

Grinnell's offense was led by Poulos, who completed 19-of-30 passes for 271 yards, completing at least one pass to nine different receivers. Meixler led all Pioneers with six receptions for 113 yards.

The Red Hawks have now won two games in a row and will try to keep that momentum next weekend in what will be their first home game in nearly one month. Ripon will host Beloit College on Saturday, October 26 at 1 p.m. in what is also Take A Kid To The Game Day. The game can also be seen live on http://client.stretchinternet.com/client/ripon.portal#.