RIPON, Wis. - After a long offseason, Ripon took the gridiron Saturday afternoon, opening their 2019 campaign with a 36-26 loss against Augsburg University. Both defense were stifling early, before Augsburg broke open the game in the second half on their way to 487 yards of total offense, including 296 through the air. Ripon held the edge on the ground, out-gaining Augsburg 189-165, marking the 26th consecutive game the Red Hawks have rushed for more yards in a game than their opponent.

After a scoreless first quarter, Ripon broke the tie on a two-yard tochdown run by Austin Bunders with just under 11 minutes to play in the half. Augsburg's first points came eight minutes later when Quaran Al-Hameed scored on a six-yard run. After the extra point was missed, Augsburg waited until the final play of the half to take their first lead on a 14-yard touchdown pass from Quinn Frisell to Josiah Ferguson.

The Auggies added to their lead in the third quarter, scoring 11 points on an eight-yard TD pass from Frisell to Le'Andre Benion, a two-point conversion, and a 31-yard field goal.

Augsburg's streak of 23 consecutive points was snapped on the first play of the fourth quarter when Walter Bryant scored on a 10-yard run to cut the lead to 23-13. Al-Hameed would finish the ensuing drive with a three-yard run and Frisell would find a wide open Andrew Williams for a 72-yard touchdown to put the game away. Ripon never quit however, scoring two late touchdowns, one on an acrobatic 19-yard catch by Kaipo Magsayo, and the other on a three-yard pass from Cormac Madigan to Aaron Landry.

"Our youth showed at times today, but I'm proud of the way we finished the game," Ripon Head Coach Ron Ernst said. "We took some lumps today, but it's going to pay off in the long run because we'll learn from this."

Madigan led Ripon with 32 yards on seven carries, while Dionisio Herrera carried the ball twice for 31 yards. Bunders, Magsayo, Bryant, and Tyler VanDeVelde also each finished with more than 20 rushing yards. Madigan also completed nine passes for 63 yards and two scores.

Ripon's defense was led by Lane Barnes' 13 tackles and one interception, giving the Red Hawks at least one interception in 11 consecutive games. Caleb Cihlar and Jon Ryback each finished with eight tackles.

Augsburg was led by Al-Hameed's 94 yards on 21 carries and two touchdowns, while Frisell completed 18-of-33 passes for 322 yards and three scores. The Auggies had eight different receivers record at least one reception, with four players recording at least 47 receiving yards.

Ripon will now regroup and get back on the field next weekend when they'll travel to Finlandia University. That game will begin at Noon Central Time in Hancock, Mich.