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Ripon College Athletics

The Official Athletics Site of the Ripon College Red Hawks
Cormac Madigan
16
Univ. of Chicago UC 5-2 , 4-2
19
Winner Ripon RIPON 7-0 , 6-0
Univ. of Chicago UC
5-2 , 4-2
16
Final
19
Ripon RIPON
7-0 , 6-0
Winner
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
UC Univ. of Chicago 0 0 8 8 16
RIPON Ripon 2 14 0 3 19

Game Recap: Football |

Red Hawks Avoid Maroon Upset, Improve to 7-0

RIPON, Wisc. – Ripon College's winning ways continue. In similar fashion to Week 1, Erik Flores drilled a 27-yard, game-winning field goal with 51 seconds remaining to give the Red Hawks a 19-16 win over the University of Chicago to remain atop the Midwest Conference standings. 

Special teams held strong on the ensuing kickoff as Dionision Herrera recovered a fumble by Chicago return man Michael Jensen, with 45 seconds left to secure the win. 

With the win, Ripon moves to 7-0 overall for the first time since 1995 and only the fifth time in 127 seasons of Ripon football. It was the first win over Chicago since 2017.

The game was a Red Hawks shutout through more than 42 minutes of action, before Chicago stormed back in the final 18 minutes.

Ripon marched down the field early, but was stopped in the red zone. Flores first field goal try of the day, a 34-yard field goal attempt, missed to the right. The drive still set up points for the Red Hawks, whose defense dropped Chicago for a loss on four-straight plays. Punting from his own goal line, Noah Bruta dropped the snap and was drilled by Damean Netzler for a 13-yard loss and safety with 9:37 to play in the first quarter. Netzler led the Red Hawks defense with nine total tackles.

The Red Hawks opened the second quarter with a nine-play, 80-yard touchdown drive. Cormac Madigan rushed for 29 yards on the last five plays, including a 5-yard touchdown, to extend the lead, 9-0 with 11:17 on the clock. The touchdown, Madigan's eighth of the season, is his 42nd of his Red Hawks career, setting a Ripon record for career rushing touchdowns.

After another defensive stop, Ripon covered 64 yards in seven plays to find the end zone again. This time it was a 1-yard keeper by quarterback Jarrett Zibert and Flores kick to make it 16-0 with 5:45 remaining in the half. 

It remained a 16-0 game until late in the third quarter. An offsides call against the Maroons took points off the board with 2:35 in the third quarter after Nick D'Ambrose appeared to have scored a 1-yard touchdown. A sack by Brad Guell was followed by three incomplete passes, but a holding penalty kept the Maroons' drive alive with a fresh set of downs inside the 5. Wesley Gow connected on a fourth-and-6 touchdown pass to Luke Degner to give Chicago its first points with 24 seconds left in the third. The Maroons cut the score in half, 16-8, with trickery on a 2-point try. Janis rolled left on a reverse wideout pass, recovered his own fumble, and then connected with Diego Solis in coverage. 

Early in the fourth quarter, Chicago forced a Ripon punt and Janis returned it 22 yards to set up a short field for the Maroons. D'Ambrose later caught a Gow pass on third-and-16 pass and broke a couple of tackles down the left sideline for a touchdown. After a penalty backed up the 2-point try, Gow ran it in from 8 yards out to tie the game, 16-16, with 9:23 to play.

With 56 seconds left in the game, Ripon was stopped short of a first down at the Chicago 10, setting up fourth and inches. Flores came in to kick the go-ahead field goal. 

Madigan led Ripon with 143 yards on the ground, including a 32-yard gain, on 23 carries. With the performance, Madigan moved into third place on the Ripon career leader board for rushing yards (3,750) and rushing attempts (602). Only Troy DeVoe (4,117 yards on 776 attempts from 1998-2001) and Don Dawson (3,812 yards on 680 attempts from 1990-93) are above him. Matthew Miller was the previous rushing touchdown holder with 41 from 2007 to 2011.

Zibert completed 10-of-17 passes for 96 yards and ran for 76 yards on 12 carries. 

Defensively, Brad Guell followed Netzler with seven tackles, including six solo, and a sack. Clay Ritschard, Quincy DiLoreto and Desmond Murphy each had six tackles. Diloreto had a sack, while Murphy and Dylon Ross combined for another.

D'Ambrose led Chicago with 144 yards on 25 carries, while Gow completed 57% of his passes (12-of-21) for 116 yards.

Ripon (7-0, 6-0 Midwest) will remain home next weekend to host Beloit on Oct. 29 at 1 p.m. Chicago falls to 5-2 overall and 4-2 in the Midwest. 
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