MOUNT VERNON, Iowa — The Ripon football program battled back from a 24-point second half deficit, but fell 37-34 in a wildly entertaining game to Cornell at Van Metre Field.
Ripon (1-3, 1-2 MWC) trailed 34-10 with 14:07 left in the third quarter after a fifth Cornell (2-2, 2-1 MWC) touchdown, but three consecutive touchdowns got the Red Hawks right back in it. Jack Berens completed a six-yard touchdown pass to Alex Mosqueda with 2:35 left in the game, and Berens found Parker Campana for the two-point conversion to make it a 37-34 Rams lead, but the hosts recovered the ensuing onside kick and salted away the remainder of the clock.
It took Cornell just two plays to open the scoring on its first drive of the game, connecting on a 73-yard touchdown pass to take an early 7-0 lead. After back-to-back punts, Ripon tied the game midway through the first quarter. Starting the drive near midfield, Berens found Mosqueda for a 46-yard score two plays into the drive as Ripon made it 7-7.
At the beginning of the second quarter, Cornell reclaimed the lead on a 28-yard touchdown run, and the Rams added to their advantage on an 11-yard TD pass with 6:29 on the clock until halftime. Following a Ripon punt, Cornell got another touchdown pass to open up a 28-7 edge.
The Red Hawks got much-needed points before half, driving 75 yards in 1:14. Ben Crock was successful on a 37-yard field goal attempt at the horn and Ripon trailed 28-10 at halftime.
Cornell got the ball to start the second half after recovering its own onside kick, scoring in just two plays again. From that point, Ripon made a run to get back into the game. On its next drive, Connor Ramage scampered in from three yards out to make it 34-17, and the Red Hawks forced a Cornell punt after that. On its next drive, Ripon got down to the Cornell 7, but had to settle for a successful 24-yard field goal from Crock.
Trailing 34-20 in the fourth quarter, Ripon made it a 34-26 game after a 14-yard touchdown pass from Berens to Bruzon with 9:39 left. Cornell responded with a field goal to make it a two-score game, but Ripon refused to go quietly. On its next drive that started with 4:32 on the clock, Berens found Mosqueda for the six-yard score and made it a three-point game on the successful two-point play to Campana.
After Cornell recovered the onside kick, the Rams had a 3rd and 13 from their own 22. Quarterback John Smith found wide receiver Gavin Soukup for an 18-yard completion, ending Ripon's chances.
Berens had a terrific day through the air, completing 21 of 28 passes for a career-high 348 yards and a trio of scores. He now stands in seventh place in the Ripon record books for single-game passing yards. On the ground, Ramage rushed 11 times for 32 yards and a score, while Jeremy Timmons led Ripon with 5 carries and 44 yards.
Mosqueda had 8 catches for 138 yards and two scores, while Bruzon hauled in 6 passes for 100 yards and a touchdown. Defensively, Clay Ritschard had a team-high 7 tackles – all solo.
Together, the teams accounted for nearly 900 yards of total offense -- 442 for Ripon and 437 for Cornell. The Rams had a 21-19 edge in first downs, and both teams were efficient on third down (Ripon: 5-of-10, Cornell: 8-of-14).
NEXT UP: Ripon hosts Knox next Saturday (October 12) at 6 p.m. on Hopp Stadium for the Red Hawks' Homecoming game.
FOLLOW: Follow Ripon College Red Hawks Athletics on Facebook and @RiponRedHawks on Twitter for immediate updates, results and more. Go to riponredhawks.com for all information, releases and schedules.
Football Falls in 37-34 Thriller at Cornell
/seasons/2024/boxscores/20241005_5xxv.xml
2024
Ripon
34
Cornell
37
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ripon (1-3) | 7 | 3 | 10 | 14 | 34 |
| Cornell (2-2) | 7 | 21 | 6 | 3 | 37 |
Oct 05, 2024