Game Notes vs. Beloit College 

RIPON, Wis. - The Red Hawk football team will play their first home game in 28 days on Saturday when they take on Beloit College. A win would give Ripon its longest winning streak of the season after the Red Hawks won their previous two contests, including last week's thrilling 33-27 overtime victory at Grinnell, in which Ripon trailed at three different times in the fourth quarter.

"The intensity of last week's game was very high," Ripon Head Coach Ron Ernst said. "You'd think with the more experience I get in this profession, I'd be used to games like that, but I never am."

Ripon has scored at least four touchdowns in four of the team's six games this season. Last week, they scored three touchdowns in the fourth quarter alone.

"As a team, we were inconsistent throughout the day, but were fortunate to make plays when we needed them and come out with the win."

As Coach Ernst will tell you, every game in the Midwest Conference is a battle and this weekend's game is no different. Despite entering the game with a 1-6 record, including a 1-5 mark in the MWC, Beloit has had plenty of opportunities for success.

"Beloit is a team that has played well at times, but has self destructed for one reason or another. Those are things that a team can't count on every single week. When they do things right and don't make mistakes, they're a very good team," said Ernst.

Offensively, the Buccaneers rank eighth in the MWC in scoring, averaging 17.3 points per game, but have scored over 20 in three of their contests. It is on the defensive end that they have struggled at times, ranking last in the conference, allowing 37.9 points per game.

"They have some good athletes that can cause a lot of trouble. If they eliminate the mistakes, they can be a very dangerous team," Ernst said. "We have to take care of what we do and correct our own mistakes. If we don't, this is a team that can jump up and bite us."

One key cog to Beloit's team this season has been freshman running back Mason Dixon, who is the MWC's second-leading rusher with 935 yards (133.6/game). He is averaging 6.4 yards per carry and has scored eight touchdowns, which is tied for second in the league. Dixon's season and career-high came earlier this year with a 219-yard outburst on 31 carries at Grinnell.

"Their passing game is limited, so they've relied heavily on their running game," Ernst said. "Dixon runs hard and is someone that they want to get the ball to. He's a determined runner and is someone that we'll have to contain."

Ripon will try to stop Dixon and the rest of the Buccaneers with a defense that ranks sixth in the MWC in total yards allowed (343.3 ypg) and fourth in the league in rushing yards allowed (144.5 ypg). Ripon's defense is giving up 29.5 points per game, but one silver lining has been their ability to rush the quarterback. The Red Hawks have had at least one sack in each of their last five games, including three last week against Grinnell.

"We tweaked our scheme a little bit and we're bringing a lot of pressure from different locations to confuse the other team," Ernst said. "Our players have executed pretty well so far and we need to continue to put as much pressure on the other team's offense as possible."

Offensively, Ripon continues to lead the MWC in rushing offense (286.2 ypg), while also ranking fourth in both total offense (395.5 ypg) and scoring offense (26.2 ppg). Last week, one aspect of Ripon's game that often gets overlooked was on full display, as the Red Hawks completed 15-of-26 passes for 156 yards. That marked the most pass attempts by a Ripon team in six years.

"People think that we don't throw the ball because we're a run-oriented team, but we actually do and we can throw the ball very well if called upon," said Ernst.

Senior wide receiver Tommy Zak was the major benefeciary of Ripon's air attack, as he caught 12 passes for 144 yards. That is tied for eighth in school history for single game receptions and is just one shy of the school record.

"As a team, we're going to take what the defense gives us," Ernst said. "Tommy had a very good day last week and (Stephen) Covalt got him the ball behind some great blocking by our offensive line."

That duo will try to keep their connection going, along with the rest of the Red Hawks at 1 p.m. on Saturday as they try to improve on their 65-29-4 all-time series lead against Beloit. The game will be played at Ingalls Field in Ripon and can be seen live on http://client.stretchinternet.com/client/ripon.portal#.