Game Notes vs. St. Norbert

RIPON, Wis. - On a day that will begin with the grand opening and ribbon cutting of Ripon's newly-renovated Willmore Center at 10:30 a.m., the Red Hawks football team will open their 2017 conference season Saturday against St. Norbert College, in a game that will serve as Ripon's annual Homecoming contest.

The Red Hawks (1-3, 0-0 MWC) are fresh off their most dominating game of the season, defeating Grinnell 55-0 last weekend, which marked their first shutout victory since 2015, and their first shutout victory at home since 2009. St. Norbert is coming off an equally impressive win, defeating Knox by a score of 61-17, which marks the second consecutive game in which the Green Knights have scored more than 60 points.

St. Norbert (2-2, 0-0 MWC) leads the all-time series against Ripon 29-11, and have won the last eight meetings with the Red Hawks. In a game like this however, you can throw out all the stats and records, as each team is striving to start the conference season with a 1-0 record.

"It has been a very focused practice week and has been a business-like approach by our players and coaches," Ripon College Head Football Coach Ron Ernst said. "Everyone is very focused on what we need to do."

Ripon faces a St. Norbert team that ranks second in the Midwest Conference in scoring, averaging 41.8 points per game, while also ranking second in third down conversions (43.3 percent), third in first downs per game (22.8), and fourth in both total offense (413.3 ypg) and rushing offense (213.8 ypg).

"My message to our team is that we have to worry about what we do well, and do it better than we have before," Ernst said. "It doesn't matter what opponent we're playing, because it's our responsibility to play up to our level and do the best that we can. If our defensive line gets a pass rush and contains the line of scrimmage and everyone does their assignments, we should be in pretty good shape."

St. Norbert features a couple of the most dynamic players in the MWC in running back Elijah Fort and wide receiver Samuel Staehling. Fort ranks second in the league in rushing with 126 yards per game and six touchdowns on the ground, while also averaging 5.3 yards per carry. Staehling leads the MWC in touchdown receptions with eight, which is exactly half of his receptions on the year, as he has caught 16 passes for 391 yards. Staehling also leads the MWC in yards per reception (24.4) and is third in the conference with 97.8 receiving yards per game.

"Fort and Staehling are both very good players and they offer us a challenge both in the running and passing game," Ernst said. "Usually, if we're able to take away one aspect of an opponent's offense, we can defend them well, but in this case, we're going to have to contain them both the best we can."

Ripon will counter St. Norbert's offensive firepower with a defense that is allowing just 6.5 points per game during the last two weeks, and ranks third in points allowed in the MWC this season (21.5 ppg). The Red Hawks 'D' also ranks second in the league in both total defense (291.5 ypg) and rushing defense (91.3 ypg), while ranking fourth against the pass (200.3 ypg). Ripon leads the league in lowest third down percentage allowed (29.3 percent) and fewest first downs allowed (14.0/game).

"St. Norbert has some pretty good athletes and definitely has the ability to score a lot of points, but we have players that can match up with them, and I think we'll do well," Ernst said. "Our defense has played well all season and we're coming off our best game as a unit. Our players are responding well to our coaching, and we have another challenge this week."

Ripon's offense is also among the league leaders in several categories, ranking second in rushing yards (258.3 ypg), and leading the MWC in time of possession per game (33:47). That ball control offense will go up against a St. Norbert defense that is tops in the MWC in rushing yards allowed (52.3 ypg), while yielding 23.3 points per game.

"It was great to see our offense operating at a high level last week," Ernst said. "Our players were executing well, which shows that if we play up to the level that we're capable of, we will have success."

The Red Hawks are hoping that last week's momentum will carry into this weekend. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. at Ingalls Field in Ripon, with the game also available live at https://portal.stretchinternet.com/ripon/. This game will also serve as Ripon's annual 'Play For The Cure' game in which all fans are asked to wear pink to raise awareness for cancer. Donations will also be accepted throughout the game, with all proceeds going towards the American Cancer Society.