CHICAGO, Ill. -- The Ripon College football team fell to the University of Chicago 54-10 on Saturday afternoon.
UChicago opened the game with a pair of first-quarter touchdowns to take a 14-0 lead into the second quarter. Ripon responded with a scoring drive, capped off by a five-yard touchdown pass from junior Brady Immel (Winneconne, Wis., Winneconne HS) to senior Damon Miller (Livermore, Cali., Livermore High) to put the Red Hawks on the board. Senior Ben Crock (Lake Park, Ga., Lowndes HS) added the extra point to make it 14-7.
UChicago answered with another touchdown, but Ripon continued to battle. Crock connected on a 45-yard field goal as time expired in the first half, sending the Red Hawks into the break trailing 28-10.
The Maroons added 10 points in the third quarter and 16 more in the fourth to secure the 54-10 victory.
Immel led the Ripon offense through the air, completing 19 passes for 175 yards and a touchdown. He also led the team in rushing with 63 yards on 12 carries. Sophomore Jackson Bender (Elroy, Wis., Royall HS) added 46 rushing yards on 10 attempts while recording four receptions for 28 yards. Senior Blake Thelen (Oconomowoc, Wis., Lake Country Lutheran HS) led the receiving corps with three catches for 37 yards, while sophomore Ryan Clayborn (Evans, Ga., Greenbrier HS) also recorded three receptions for 35 yards.
Defensively, junior Wyatt Dahl (Sahuarita, Ariz., Sahuarita HS) led Ripon with five total tackles. Senior Desean Smith (Lake Park, Ga., Lowndes HS) recorded two tackles, including one tackle for loss, while junior Royce Hepler (Pardeeville, Wis., Pardeeville HS) and senior Drew Love (Wausau, Wis., Marathon HS) each recorded a sack.
Ripon finished with 313 yards of total offense, including 136 rushing yards and 177 passing yards.
The Red Hawks will return home for their next contest on Saturday, Nov 7, when they host Beloit College. Kickoff is scheduled for 4pm.
