RIPON, Wis. - In the 127-year history of the Ripon College football program, there hasn't been many single game performances better than the one Cormac Madigan had in Saturday's 49-14 win against Beloit College. The freshman quarterback rushed for 281 yards on 19 carries (14.8 ypc), which is the second-most single game rushing yards in school history, just 12 shy of the school record. He also scored six touchdowns (five in the first half), breaking Ripon's single game record, which had stood for 25 years. Madigan was part of a Red Hawks rushing attack that totaled 525 yards, which is the fifth-most single game rushing yards in program history.
"Our offense, and specifically our offensive line is getting better every week," Ripon Head Coach Ron Ernst said. "There are a lot of guys that have been in the program for a few years now, and understand the system very well. They work well together and continue to excel each week."
Ripon (4-2, 1-1 MWC) started slowly, losing a fumble on the second play of the game, but the defense held, forcing a Beloit punt on the Buccaneers opening possession, which they downed at the one yard line. On Ripon's very next play, Madigan broke a 75-yard run, and the Red Hawks never looked back. He would score his first touchdown of the day four plays later from five yards out. Ripon capitalized on an interception by Devin Smith on their next possession, which ended in an eight-yard run by Madigan. After Beloit lost a fumble on the ensuing possession, Madigan scored two plays later on a one-yard TD plunge to give Ripon a 21-0 lead. He would score his fourth TD mid-way through the second quarter on an 18-yard scamper, before capping the first half scoring on a 43-yard TD run with two and a half minutes before halftime, which was Ripon's fifth consecutive drive that ended in a touchdown.
"Cormac is a very intelligent young man and he gets better each week because he's getting a better understanding of what we're trying to do offensively, and our coaches are putting him in a good position to make plays," Ernst said. "I think he has a very bright future."
Beloit (1-5, 0-2 MWC) scored their first points of the game three minutes into the second half when Tyler Korous caught a 15-yard touchdown pass from Marcos Camacho, as the Buccaneers capitalized off a Ripon turnover. Seven minutes later though, Madigan was at it again, scoring his record-breaking sixth TD of the game on an 11-yard run to make the score 42-7. Devan Stancil then came in the game in relief of Madigan and promptly scored himself, finding paydirt from 13 yards out to put an exclamation point on the victory.
Ripon gained 26 first downs in the game, while rushing for 9.9 yards per carry. The Red Hawks out-gained Beloit in total yardage 525-321. Tyler VanDeVelde was second on the team with 49 yards, while Austin Bunders gained 45 yards on four carries (11.2 ypc), and Kevin Thao and Stancil finished with 40 and 35 yards, respectively.
Defensively, Ripon was led by Ethan Hoffman's 14 tackles (eight solo. Cameron Gruenwald added 10 tackles, while forcing two fumbles, one of which was recovered by Tyler Bair, setting up one of Madigan's touchdowns. Gruenwald also tied a school record for longest punt in program history, recording a 69-yarder in the fourth quarter.
"I was real proud of our players today. We made some key stops defensively and just moved up and down the field offensively, while also playing solid on Special Teams," Ernst said. "Our goal is to get off the field as quickly as possible and give the ball to our offense in the best field position possible. If we do that, we're able to have a lot of success as a team."
Joey Werner led Beloit with 113 yards on 33 carries. Camacho completed 9-of-24 passes for 74 yards and two touchdowns. Beloit's defense was led by Patrick Nicolas' 27 tackles (15 solo).
Ripon will hope to build on this performance next week when they'll remain at home to battle Macalester on Saturday at 1 p.m. That game can be seen live at https://portal.stretchinternet.com/ripon/, with LiveStats also available at that link.
Cormac Madigan's Career Day Highlights Ripon Victory
/seasons/2018/boxscores/20181013_jq93.xml
2018
Beloit
14
Ripon
49
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beloit (1-5) | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 |
| Ripon (4-2) | 7 | 28 | 14 | 0 | 49 |
Oct 13, 2018