RIPON, Wis. -- The Ripon College football program (4-4, 4-3 MWC) showed up strong on both sides of the ball for their Senior Day game against the Beloit College Buccaneers (1-7, 1-6 MWC), securing a 49-0 win over the Midwest Conference opponent. Senior Gavin Engh (DeKalb, Ill., DeKalb HS) led the team defensively, recording two sacks and 17 lost yards on tackles in the game. 

The Red Hawks wasted no time in Saturday's contest, opening with a touchdown on their first drive of the game. Quarterback Cale Barnhart (Canton, Ill., Canton HS) connected with receiver Ryan Clayborn (Evans, Ga., Greenbrier HS) for a 44 yard gain into Beloit territory, with the two connecting on the very next play for the opening touchdown of the day. Ripon's defense would maintain the momentum, with DB Gage Taylor (Burlington, Wis., Burlington HS) intercepting a pass on the very next Beloit possession, giving the Red Hawks the ball back for another touchdown drive, as Barnhart connected with tight end Evan Nehring (Whitehall, Wis., Blair-Taylor HS) for the 28 yard score. 

Holding a 14-0 lead heading into the second quarter, Ripon continued to pour on the offense, as running back Benjamin Timm (Campbellsport, Wis., Campbellsport HS) broke out for a 72 yard rush on the first Ripon down of the half. Quarterback Aidan Keyes (Brooklyn, Wis., Belleville HS) would rush in for the Red Hawks' third touchdown of the day, and their only of the second quarter. 

Coming out of halftime with a 21-0 lead, Ripon again set the tempo, as lineman Desean Smith (Lake Park, Ga., Lowndes HS) forced a fumble from the Buccaneer's quarterback, with linebacker Ryan Barajas (Bosque, N.M., Belen HS) scooping up the ball to give the Red Hawks prime field position. Running back Treston Dekker (Sheboygan, Wis., Sheboygan South HS) would run in the touchdown for another Ripon touchdown, while Beloit would block the extra point to set the score at 27-0. 

After a missed 53-yard field goal on the next Ripon possession, linebacker Zane Vetter (Mayville, Wis., Mayville HS) gave the Red Hawks another boost, picking up a fumble from the Beloit quarterback and running it back 48 yards for another touchdown for the home team. Kicker Ben Crock (Mount Vernon, Iowa, Mount Vernon HS) would avenge his earlier miss on the next Ripon set of downs, hitting from 41 yards to put the Red Hawks up 37-0 heading into the fourth quarter. 

Again the Red Hawks would find the endzone to open the quarter, as receiver Carl Travis (Burlington, Wis., Kenosha Christian Life HS) came down with a pass from quarterback Brady Immel (Winneconne, Wis., Winneconne HS), making the play despite strong Beloit coverage. The final Ripon touchdown came six minutes later, as running back Antwuan Simmons Jr. (Miami, Fla., Christopher Columbus HS) burst his way through the middle of the field for a 4 yard touchdown run, ending the game with the Red Hawks taking a 49-0 victory. 

While the Red Hawks offense saw their strongest outing of the year, collecting 500 yards of offense and six touchdowns, Ripon's defense would prove just as effective, holding the Buccaneers to just 116 yards of offense while collecting 4 sacks. 

Ripon will look to keep their momentum heading into next week, where they take on conference leader Monmouth. The Fighting Scots enter the game 6-1 this season and 6-0 in MWC play at the time of writing, and boast the top ranked defense in Division III this season.