Game Notes at Grinnell College

RIPON, Wis. - To say the Ripon College football team is on a roll would be a bit of an understatement. They have won their last two games by a combined score of 98-3, marking the first time since the 2009 season that they have not yielded a touchdown in two consecutive games. They'll take their 2-1 record into this weekend looking for their third straight win against a Grinnell College team that is coming off a 91-0 defeat at St. Norbert.

Ripon leads the all-time series against Grinnell 41-6-1 and have won the last 10 meetings, averaging 42.1 points per game during that span. Ripon's Head Coach Ron Ernst is 18-2 in 20 meetings with Grinnell, with the Pioneers' last win in the series coming in the season opener of the 2004 season.

"We don't worry too much about what another team is going to do, because I'm more concerned with how we play and the focus is for us to get better as a team," Ernst said. "We've really been cranking up the intensity in practice to improve the things that we didn't do well last week."

Last week's game resulted in a 28-3 win over Knox, with all of Ripon's points coming after the first quarter. Ripon finished that game with 249 rushing yards, marking the 18th consecutive game in which the Red Hawks have gained more yards on the ground than their opponent. Ripon currently ranks sixth in all of Division-III with a conference-best 342 rushing yards per game, while their 42 points per game rank 27th in the country and second in the Midwest Conference. Ripon's offense has also converted 51.5 percent of their third down opportunities, which ranks 22nd in the country.

"Our offense is doing an outstanding job this season, and I've been very happy with the way everyone's played," Ernst said. "The offensive coaches have done a great job in preparation and play calling."

One of the more surprising things about Ripon's offense this year is the efficiency with how they've passed the ball. Known as a run-first offense, the Red Hawks rank 11th in D-III in yards per completion (17.7) and have caught five touchdown passes, with four different players finding the end zone through the air. Quarterback Julian Patton leads the MWC in pass efficiency with a rating of 161.0, as he's thrown for 291 yards and five touchdowns, without tossing an interception.

"We're throwing the ball a little more, which is opening things up for us and makes us even more difficult to stop," Ernst said. "When we're able to do that, we are very dangerous, because opposing defenses must still account for our defense."

Defensively, Ripon has been equally, if not more impressive, allowing the fewest points in the MWC (11.3 ppg). The Red Hawks also rank third in the MWC in total defense (300.3 ypg) and fourth in both pass defense (186.0 ypg) and rushing defense (114.3 ypg), while holding opponents to a third down conversion rate of 22 percent, which ranks second.

"It's been a little bit of a surprise with how well our defense is playing because they're so young," Ernst said. "They're flying around the field and having fun. We're trying to keep it simple for them so they can just go out and play."

One reason Ripon's defense has been successful has been their ability to force turnovers, specifically due to the play of their defensive backfield. They rank 40th in the country with five interceptions, which is more INTs than any other team in the MWC has recorded this season. That has come even as they're missing Armando Mosqueda due to injury, who is one of the top safeties on the team.

"Armando is one of the best safeties in the conference, but with him missing a few games, our other players have really picked up their play," said Ernst.

Fellow safety Lane Barnes earned National recognition for his play in last week's victory, as he was named to the D3football.com Team of the Week, while also earning MWC Defensive Performer of the Week honors. In Ripon's win against Knox last weekend, Barnes recorded 12 tackles (nine solo), including three for a loss, while also registering one sack, two interceptions, two forced fumbles, and one pass break-up. Barnes is one of three Ripon defensive backs (along with Bennett Groves and Cameron Gruenwald) that rank in the top 10 in the MWC in passes defended.

"Some of our young players are doing a great job, and Lane is having a tremendous season," Ernst said. "We're trying to be more aggressive, but there's still room for improvement, as the toughest part of our schedule is still ahead of us."

This weekend's game will begin Saturday at 1 p.m. in Grinnell, Iowa, and can be seen live at https://portal.stretchinternet.com/ripon/.

"It will be huge for us to have success this weekend because if we come out of Grinnell with a three-game winning streak entering Divisional play the following week, it will give us a tremendous amount of confidence," Ernst said. "The North Division is extremely tough this year, so having that momentum will do nothing but help us.