Game Notes vs. Carroll

RIPON, Wis. - Ripon's football rivalry against Carroll couldn't be much closer throughout the years. The two teams enter this weekend's game with the all-time series tied, 29-29-5, in 63 all-time meetings with each team winning five of the last 10 meetings. What's more is that their games usually go down to the wire, as five of the last seven meetings including the last three, have been decided by seven points or less.

"This has been a very intense rivalry over the years," Ripon Head Football Coach Ron Ernst said. "Both programs are very good and we're recruiting the same types of players. Saturday's game should be no different and it's a fun rivalry for everyone involved."

Both teams are coming off non-conference victories in last week's season opener. Carroll defeated Lakeland, 27-18, while Ripon won at Wisconsin Lutheran, 31-24. The Red Hawks never trailed in their victory, which saw them outgain their opponent 466-341 in total yardage, while possessing the ball for nearly 42 minutes.

"It was nice to get a road win in the first game of the year. We did a lot of things well, but also have several things that we can improve on," Ernst said. "We're hoping for a large crowd this weekend and hopefully we will come away with another victory."

With a tough schedule to open the conference season, which includes Carroll, St. Norbert and Illinois College, the Red Hawks can't afford to get off to start like they had last season when they lost their first three Midwest Conference games.

"This weekend's game is the beginning of a real tough stretch for us. The next three games are against good teams that were all picked to finish ahead of us in the preseason rankings," Ernst said. "We must get off to a good start against Carroll to set the tone for the season."

Ripon is coming off one of their more balanced games in recent memory, rushing for 297 yards, while passing for 169. That has a lot to do with experience, as Ripon returns seven offensive starters this season from a team that started last year with a lot of inexperience.

"Much of what we were able to do last week was because a lot of our players have now been through at least one season as a starter," Ernst said. "(Quarterback) Tom Sawyer is one player that has improved tremendously. He made some good decisions with the ball both in the running and passing games. Having an experienced quarterback really helps expand some of the things that we are able to do."

Defensively, Ripon will face a Carroll team that is traditionally one of the more balanced teams in the MWC. In the Pioneers' week one victory over Lakeland, they showed off a superior running game, finishing with 199 yards on the ground. One player that stood out for the Pioneers was sophomore running back Daniel Arden, who leads the MWC in rushing after one week. Against Lakeland, Arden gained 156 yards on 24 carries (6.5 ypc), while scoring three touchdowns. As a freshman last season, Arden finished second on the team with 426 rushing yards (5.5 ypc) and one TD.

"Carroll is usually a pretty balanced team, but after one game, they appear to be more of a running team. They have two excellent backs who are running behind an outstanding offensive line that opens up some very big holes for them," Ernst said. "Offensively, they'll take what the defense gives them and if they need to throw the ball, they have the personnel to do that as well."

One thing Ripon's defense has been working on this season is creating turnovers. The Red Hawks lost the turnover battle against Wisconsin Lutheran, 2-1, with their only forced turnover being an interception by defensive back Jon Petkoff.

"Anytime we can get the ball back for our offense, the more successful we will be as a team," Ernst said. "We work on making plays and forcing turnovers in practice and that's something that we hope to continue to improve on and hope it translates to field on gamedays."

Saturday's game against Carroll will kickoff at 1 p.m. at Ingalls Field in Ripon and can be seen live on http://client.stretchinternet.com/client/ripon.portal#.