Green Knights Fall at Ripon

From Sports Information Director, October 25, 2008 | Football
by Dan Lukes, dan.lukes@snc.edu, (920) 403-4077

RIPON - An first-quarter touchdown would be all the scoring St. Norbert College could muster in a 19-7 loss to Ripon College in a Midwest Conference game at Ingalls Field.

The Green Knights dropped to 5-3 on the season, the first time they have lost at least three games in a season since 1998. St. Norbert also had a 29-game Midwest Conference road winning streak snapped. Ripon improved to 6-2 overall and 6-1 in the MWC.

St. Norbert scored with 42 seconds left in the first quarter on a 47-yard touchdown pass from Bryan Stoppenbach to Brian Peterson. The Green Knights started that series at their own 2-yard line after holding Ripon on a fourth-and-1 scenario, needing 10 plays to go the length of the field in 4:36.

From there, Ripon's option offense would control the game and the clock. The Red Hawks would run 80 plays to the Green Knights' 48, and held the ball for a staggering 38 minutes 48 seconds. Of St. Norbert's 21:12 of possession, only 14:12 of it came in the final three quarters.

Ripon opened the second quarter with an eight-play, 70-yard drive and scored on a seven-yard touchdown run by Jon Larsen. Later in the second quarter, the Red Hawks went 78 yards in 15 plays to get a 22-yard field goal by Bob Wood with 5 seconds left before halftime for a 10-7 lead.

St. Norbert had the second half's first possession but was stopped for no gain on a fourth-and-2 at the Ripon 20. The Red Hawks then went 80 yards in 11 plays, capped off by a Josh Pasek 28-yard touchdown run with 6:05 left in the third quarter.

Ripon got the game's final score with 6:56 left in the game on a 34-yard field goal by Wood.

Ripon finished with 454 yards of total offense to St. Norbert's 309. The Red Hawks had 348 yards rushing on 68 attempts. Larsen led Ripon with 149 yards rushing on 21 carries. Dante Sims led St. Norbert with 132 yards rushing on 20 carries.