ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Macalester College football team saw a game-tying drive fall four yards short, as the Scots lost a Midwest Conference game to Ripon College, 14-7 Saturday afternoon at Macalester Stadium. Macalester is now 3-4 overall and 1-2 in the conference, while the Red Hawks improve to 2-5, 1-2 MWC.

The first half saw Ripon dominate possession with a strong running attack. After a scoreless first quarter, the Red Hawks drove 74 yards, all on the ground, to the Macalester 8-yard line. A penalty made it third down and eight on the 13 when Ripon attempted its first pass of the game. The pass was tipped in the end zone, where it was intercepted by sophomore defensive back Nathan Gottlieb (Torrance, Calif./Torrance). The pick was Gottlieb's second in as many games.

Ripon was able to break through late in the second quarter, as Austin Bunders capped a 47-yard drive with a 30-yard touchdown run for a 7-0 lead. For the half, the Red Hawks rushed 31 times for 168 yards.

Macalester didn't waste much time tying the score. On their first possession of the second half, the Scots drove 77 yards on 13 plays, culminating in a 9-yard touchdown pass from first year quarterback Michael Nadeau (Garden Grove, Calif./La Quinta) to sophomore receiver Peter Vitalis (Shafer, Minn./Chisago Lakes). The drive also included a 20-yard run by Nadeau on 4th-and-5.

The Red Hawks regained the lead with a 10-play, 70-yard drive that ended with quarterback Cormac Madigan running for an 11-yard touchdown at the 8:45 mark of the fourth quarter.

Macalester's final possession started at the 20-yard line with 2:47 on the clock. Nadeau completed eight passes for 60 yards and ran twice for 16 yards to move the ball to the Ripon 4-yard line with 15 seconds remaining. Nadeau dropped back to pass looking for the game-tying touchdown, but Lane Barnes knocked the ball out of Nadeau's hands and Caleb Cihlar recovered, ending the drive and the game.

Nadeau was 16-of-35 for 170 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Vitalis caught six passes for 50 yards and a touchdown, while senior receiver Reese Bresson (Homosassa, Fla./Crystal River) had five catches for 51 yards. Sophomore running back Kian Sohrabi (Dubai, UAE/American School of Dubai) rushed for 48 yards on 11 carries.

The defense was led by junior defensive back Pierce Lundt (Santa Barbara, Calif./Cate School) with 11 tackles, and junior defensive lineman John Newton (Highland Village, Texas/Coram Deo Academy) with 10 tackles. Senior linebacker Dane Ku Blake (Honolulu, Hawaii/Punahou) added six tackles, including three tackles-for-loss and a sack.

Bunders finished with 118 yards on 18 carries, while Madigan ran 19 times for 73 yards, as the Red Hawks rushed for 301 yards for the game.

Macalester continues its Midwest Conference schedule on Saturday, Nov. 2 at home against St. Norbert. The Scots will honor their seniors before the game, which starts at 1:00 p.m. at Macalester Stadium.