Game Notes at Knox College

RIPON, Wis. - To say the beginning of Ripon's football schedule is tough would be putting it mildly. The first two teams Ripon has faced are a combined 5-0 this season. The third opponent, this weekend, is also undefeated, as the Red Hawks travel to Galesburg, Ill. to take on a Knox team that is 2-0 for the first time since 2003.

Ripon holds a 41-6 lead in the all-time series, and has won the last 18 meetings against Knox, dating back to the 1987 season, which was four years prior to current Head Coach Ron Ernst arriving in Ripon. Ernst is a perfect 18-0 against Knox in his career, but once the ball gets kicked into the air, you can throw out all the records.

"They're certainly an improved team, and their quarterback (Matt McCaffrey) is what makes that offense go," Ernst said. "He's a threat both as a runner and a passer, so we must take him away as much as possible. He'll make some plays, but our defense will have to keep him contained and minimize them the best we can."

McCaffrey is one of the top dual threats in the Midwest Conference, ranking fifth in the league in passing yards (380), while tossing three touchdowns and just one interception. McCaffrey also ranks fifth in the MWC in rushing with 142 yards and two touchdowns. Receiver Malik Hamilton has caught two of McCaffrey's three TDs.

Offensively, Knox ranks third in the MWC in scoring (31.5 ppg), while ranking fourth in total offense (375.5 ypg). Their pass efficiency is third in the league (126.5), and they lead the MWC in third-down conversion rate (48.3 percent).

Ripon will counter that offense with a defense that is led by a front seven which features Brandon Bartel, whose 15.5 career sacks are just 1.5 shy of the program record. Bartel has recorded one sack in each game this season, while Ripon has also intercepted a pass in both games. The Red Hawks are sixth in the MWC in total defense, allowing 393 yards per game, including an average of 121.5 on the ground, which is fifth-best in the conference.

"We're always looking for improvement in all three phases of the game," Ernst said. "We have played two very tough opponents so far and we're coming off a game that saw us play fairly well against UW-La Crosse. Now that we've had a week to heal up during our bye week, our focus is on continuing to play better. If we can improve each week, I think we'll be in pretty good shape."

For the Red Hawks, last week's bye week couldn't have come at a better time, helping the team regroup heading into the conference season, which will officially start in two weeks when they begin playing teams from the MWC North Division.

"Last year, our bye came late in the season where we were so beat up that it didn't really help us. This year, it came at the perfect time and gave us a chance to get some guys healed up and go into this weekend's game at full strength," said Ernst.

The Red Hawks employ a rushing offense that currently ranks second in the MWC with 250.5 yards on the ground per game. Ripon has out-gained their opponent in rushing yardage in their last seven games, dating back to last season.

Despite their powerful running attack, Ripon still has some things to fix, such as turnovers. In their two games this season, the Red Hawks have turned the ball over seven times (four interceptions and three fumbles), which is something the team is working hard to correct.

"We must take care of the football," Ernst said. "We have the ability to move the ball and get in the end zone, but we have to take care of the football in order to get there."

Saturday's game will take place in Galesburg, Ill. at 1 p.m. and can be seen live at https://portal.stretchinternet.com/ripon/.