RIPON, Wis. - After opening the 2016 season with three consecutive road games, the Ripon College football team will make their first appearance of the year at the friendly confines of Ingalls Field this weekend. They are hoping a batch of home cooking will be just the recipe they need for a winning formula after dropping their first three games by a combined score of 133-44.

"It has been a long time on the road to start the year and we're anxious to get home," Head Coach Ron Ernst said. "I think our guys will play well and they're excited about the opportunity to perform in front of their home crowd."

Standing in their way on Saturday will be Knox College, which hasn't beaten Ripon since 1987, a span of 17 games, meaning Ernst is undefeated against the Prairie Fire (17-0) in his 25-plus year career with the Red Hawks. Ripon leads the all-time series 40-5, but two of the last three meetings have been decided by eight points or less. Both teams enter the weekend still searching for their first win of the season after going 0-3 to start the year, including an 0-1 record in the MWC.

"We have to continue to clean things up," Ernst said. "We're a young team that has played some very tough competition, but we've made some progress during the first three weeks, so now it's time to apply the things we've learned to the field."

Ripon has faced one of the toughest schedules of any Midwest Conference team, with the teams they have played (Concordia-Chicago, UW-La Crosse, and Monmouth) boasting a combined 6-1 record. Ripon is in the midst of their first three-game losing streak since 2014, but there is hope that being at home will cure their ills, as the Red Hawks have won their home opener in each of the last three seasons and have won five of their last six games they've played at Ingalls Field.

Knox is looking for a win after losing their last six contests, dating back to last season, with three of their last four games being decided by 10 points or less. The Prairie Fire are averaging 16.3 points per game this season, while allowing 37.7 ppg. Knox's pass defense is the best in the MWC, allowing 87.3 yards per game through the air, but their run defense ranks last in the league (285.7 ypg).

That bodes well for a run-first team such as the Red Hawks, who rank fifth in the MWC with 195.7 rushing yards per game. Their leading rusher is freshman Austin Bunders, who despite receiving just seven carries, has gained 117 yards (16.7 ypc). In last week's 28-0 loss at Monmouth, Bunders led the team with 97 yards on four carries, which included the team's longest run of the year - 63 yards.

"Bunders is very fast and we've been able to get him out on the edge, which has helped him make some good plays," Ernst said. "As coaches, we have to put our players in the best position to make plays and they have to take advantage of it."

Knox's offense also has some play-makers, including quarterback Matt McCaffrey, who ranks fourth in the MWC in passing yards per game (238.0), while completing 59 percent of his passes and throwing for three touchdowns.

"One of the biggest challenges Knox brings is that they have a very athletic quarterback and their receivers are very good. The receivers in our conference are as good as they've ever been and Knox has those types of players," Ernst said. "We have to get pressure on their quarterback and make him feel uncomfortable, while also making sure our coverage is much tighter than it has been."

Ripon has scored 14.7 points per game, while allowing 44.3 through their three games in 2016. The Red Hawks have yet to record a sack on defense, but the talent is there on a defensive line that was thought to be one of the strengths of the team heading into the season. They are hoping to be unleashed on a Knox team that ranks eighth in the MWC in sacks allowed (7).

"I'm looking for continued improvement and fewer big plays allowed from our defense," Ernst said. "Last week, the one thing that cost us was the number of big plays allowed, so if we can eliminate those and force our opponent to work hard for their yards, we're going to be alright."

Saturday's game kicks off at 1 p.m.