RIPON, Wis. -- The Ripon College football program (3-4, 3-3 MWC) fell to the visiting Blueboys of Illinois College (5-2, 4-2 MWC) this Saturday, Oct 25.

The first half featured a host of Ripon offensive struggles, as the Blueboy's defense would hold the hosts to four yards of offense across the opening 30 minutes. Illinois College drew first blood, scoring on an eight play drive in their first possession. The second quarter saw more scoring for the visitors, running in a touchdown after a muffed punt put them at the 2-yard line before a Ripon fumble put them back in advantageous field possession for another touchdown. Although the Blueboys would enter halftime with a 21-0 lead, the Ripon defense had moments of success, recording three sacks against the IC quarterback in the opening quarters from Drew Love (Wausau, Wis., Marathon HS), Desean Smith (Lake Park, Ga., Lowndes HS), and Jax Spoden (Janesville, Wis., Janesville Parker HS). Defensive back Salim Sesma (Coolidge, Ariz., Coolidge HS) would also pick off an IC pass, the first for the quarterback of the season. 

The second half opened with continued defensive intensity from the Red Hawks, holding IC to a field goal after the Blueboys would start a drive in Ripon territory. Lineman Hudson Hanson (Loyal, Wis., Loyal HS) would earn Ripon their fourth sack on the day, with Love and defensive back Elijah Barajas (Racine, Wis., Racine Horlick HS) combining for the fifth and final sack for the Red Hawks in the fourth quarter. Although Ripon would look to fight back on two extended drives in the final quarters, a pair of interceptions from Red Hawks quarterbacks would stifle the attempts, with the final interception being run in for a touchdown to put the visitors up 31-0. The play clock would expire on the score, giving Ripon their third conference defeat of the season. 

Whistles were frequent across the game, as Ripon committed eight penalties for 73 yards, while Illinois College committed eighteen for 157 yards. The Red Hawks faced considerable difficulty on third down conversions, going 0-14 on the day, while the Ripon defense held the Blueboys to 5-16 on their attempts. 

Ripon football returns to action Saturday, Nov 1, at home against Beloit College. The Buccaneers enter the game 1-6 this season and 1-5 in conference play, coming off a 0-72 loss to Monmouth College.