HANCOCK, Mich. - After a closely contested first quarter, Ripon used 31 second quarter points to take command of the lead Saturday, en route to a 45-12 victory at Finlandia to give the Red Hawks their first win of the season. Ripon out-gained Finlandia in total offense 405-195, which included 376 rushing yards and 6.7 yards per carry.

Austin Bunders got the Red Hawks (1-1) on the board first, capping off an 11-play, 70-yard drive with a two-yard touchdown plunge mid-way through the opening quarter. Finlandia (0-2) scored a TD of their own on the ensuing possession on a two-yard run by DJ Davis, but the extra point was blocked by Lane Barnes, keeping Ripon in the lead.

Bunders would add a 43-yard touchdown run on the first play of the second quarter, and after a 42-yard field goal by Kyle Jobke, the Red Hawks defense and special teams went to work. With seven minutes to play in the half, Quincy DiLoreto blocked a Finlandia punt deep in Lions territory, which Barnes recovered in the end zone for a score and a 24-6 Ripon lead. After an 11-yard touchdown pass from Cormac Madigan to William Bryant extended the Red Hawks' lead even more, Ripon added another touchdown in the final minutes, as Barnes stripped the ball from a Finlandia ball carrier and scooped up the fumble, returning it four yards for his second touchdown in a six-minute span. That marks the Senior's seventh career touchdown, despite not playing offense.

Ripon took a 38-6 lead into halftime, and coasted from there. The Red Hawks' only points of the second half came with under two minutes to play on a one-yard run to cap an eight-play, 75-yard drive.

Ripon's potent rushing attack was led by Madigan's 105 yards on just 10 carries (10.5 ypc), while Bunders added 99 yards on 11 carries (9.0 ypc). McCoy added 62 yards on seven totes (8.9 ypc), and Aaron Landry carried the ball six times for 51 yards (8.5 ypc).

Barnes led the Red Hawks' defensive attack with a game-high 14 tackles (nine solo), including 2.5 for a loss and one sack. That now gives him 231 career tackles, which ranks eighth in program history, just 18 shy of the fifth-highest total. DiLoreto chipped in with nine tackles (four solo), in addition to his blocked punt, while Armando Mosqueda and Tyler Vandehei each finished with seven tackles. Cameron Gruenwald recorded his first interception of the season and 10th of his career, extending Ripon's streak of consecutive games with an interception to 12.

The Red Hawks will now have a bye week, before getting back on the field September 28 at Illinois College. That game will begin at 1 p.m. in Jacksonville, Ill., and can be seen live at https://portal.stretchinternet.com/ripon/.