ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Macalester College football team rolled up 432 yards of total offense to defeat Ripon College, 47-31 in a Midwest Conference game Saturday afternoon at Macalester Stadium. The Scots (5-2) remain unbeaten in the North Division with a 3-0 league record, while the Red Hawks drop to 2-5, 1-2 MWC.

The Macalester defense also stood tall, holding Ripon, which ran for over 400 yards last week against Beloit, to 222 total yards and 127 yards on the ground.

On the first possession of the game, the Scots marched 86 yards on 10 plays, culminating in a 10-yard touchdown run by junior running back Jeremy Stephan (Duluth, Minn./Marshall). After the Red Hawks answered with a field goal, Macalester stalled at midfield. Senior punter Matt Glasenapp (Lake City, Minn./Lake City) punted the ball out of bounds at the Ripon 1-yard-line, and a fumble in the end zone two plays later resulted in a safety for a 9-3 lead.

Early in the second quarter, senior quarterback Christian Adams (Alexandria, La./Pineville) hit senior receiver Sam Bordo (Evanston, Ill./Evanston Township) with a short pass that Bordo took for a 75-yard touchdown and a 15-3 advantage. Later in the quarter, senior defensive back Cash McGregor (Wasilla, Alaska/Wasilla) forced a fumble that was recovered by sophomore defensive lineman Matt Heppleston (Lee, Mass./Lenox Memorial) at the Ripon 34. Macalester took advantage of the good field position, eventually scoring on a 10-yard pass from Adams to junior receiver Alec Beatty (Topeka, Kan./Topeka) to lead 21-3.

On the ensuing kickoff, Cameron Mignone returned the kick 98 yards for the Red Hawks' first touchdown and a halftime score of 21-10 Macalester.

The teams exchanged touchdowns in the third quarter, with Adams connecting with junior receiver Jack Streibich (Whitefish, Mont./Whitefish) on a 19-yard touchdown pass. A 3-yard touchdown run by Brandon Barnes completed a 66-yard drive for Ripon to make the score 28-17 with 2:06 left in the third.

On the first play of the fourth quarter, Adams and Streibich linked up on a 21-yard touchdown pass for a 34-17 lead. Then with Ripon punting from its own goal line, Bordo blocked the punt and sophomore receiver Reese Bresson (Homosassa, Fla./Crystal River) recovered the ball in the end zone for a touchdown. After an interception by senior defensive back Jack Schultenover (Glenwood, Minn./Minnewaska Area), Bresson found the end zone again, this time with a 16-yard pass from sophomore quarterback Johnny Bice (Fort Dodge, Iowa/Fort Dodge), to make the score 47-17.

The Red Hawks ended up scoring 14 points in the final 5:27, with Shephard Kurand and Carlos Pittman catching touchdown passes from Griffin McNeal.

Adams finished the day 20-of-32 for 291 yards, four touchdowns and one interception. Beatty caught seven passes for 78 yards, Streibich had five receptions for 52 yards, and Bordo gained 126 yards on four catches. Senior running back Jacob Jones (Hanceville, Ala./Holly Pond) gained 50 yards on 10 carries. Junior linebacker Patrick Haley (Fort Lauderdale, Fla./Pine Crest) led the defense with eight tackles.

For Ripon, quarterback Julian Patton, who ran for 200 yards last week, rushed for 42 yards on seven carries in the first half and did not play in the second half. Hunter Gruenwald had 13 tackles and a sack for the Red Hawk defense.

The win sets up a match-up of unbeaten teams in the MWC North Division standings, as St. Norbert College (5-2, 3-0 MWC) comes to St. Paul next week to take on the Scots on Saturday, Oct. 28. The team will honor its seniors before they play in their final regular-season home game. Kickoff is set for 1:00 p.m. at Macalester Stadium.