BELOIT, Wis. - Ripon's football team scored early and often Saturday afternoon, en route to a 52-28 victory at Beloit College. The Red Hawks rolled up 439 yards of total offense, with 404 of those coming on the ground where Ripon averaged 6.8 yards per carry. Not to be outdone, Ripon's defense intercepted three passes, returning one for a touchdown.

Ripon (2-4, 1-1 MWC) wasted no time getting on the scoreboard, taking their initial drive 69 yards in five plays, capped by a 38-yard run by quarterback Julian Patton. The Red Hawks scored again the next time they got the ball, going 57 yards in five plays with a 21-yard touchdown pass from Patton to Brett Garst putting them on the board again. On Beloit's ensuing possession, Lane Barnes intercepted a pass and rumbled 21 yards into the end zone to give the Red Hawks a 21-0 lead with just under six minutes remaining in the first quarter.

Tyler VanDeVelde added to Ripon's lead in the second quarter, scoring on a 21-yard run to give the team a 28-0 lead. Beloit (0-6, 0-2 MWC) would finally get on the board with about five minutes remaining in the first half on a 30-yard run by Ben Sposito. Ripon regained some momentum on the final play of the half, a 42-yard field goal off the foot of Tias Larson, which is tied for the 11th-longest field goal in program history.

Ripon continued to pile up the points in the second half, scoring on a 13-yard run by Patton just three minutes into the third quarter. After Beloit scored on an 11-yard pass from Sposito to Jamiel Garcia, Ripon scored on another Patton run, this time from five yards out. Beloit would add two fourth quarter touchdowns, sandwiched around a four-yard TD run by Ripon's Brent Anderson.

Patton led Ripon with 200 yards on 23 carries (8.7 ypc) and his three TDs, while also completing 2-of-8 passes for 35 yards and a score. Garst gained 60 yards on 10 carries (6.0 ypc), while VanDeVelde finished with 39 yards on seven carries (5.6 ypc).

Ripon's defense was led by Ethan Hoffman's seven tackles (five solo). In addition to Barnes' pick-six, Armando Mosqueda and Jon Ryback also each recorded an interception. Gage Zahradnik registered the team's only sack for a loss of nine yards.

Beloit was led by Sposito's 77 yards and two TDs on 15 carries, in addition to completing 12-of-18 passes for 188 yards. Garcia led all receivers with seven grabs for 130 yards and a touchdown.

The Red Hawks will try to build their momentum next week when they'll go on the road again to face Macalester College. That game will begin at 1 p.m. in St. Paul, Minn., and can be seen live at https://portal.stretchinternet.com/ripon/.