JACKSONVILLE, Ill. – It wasn't a work of art, but the Illinois College football team got the result it was looking for on Saturday to bounce back from a pair of tough defeats. Overcoming five turnovers in the game, IC held the vaunted Ripon College rushing attack in check and surged in the second half to improve to 2-2 on the season with a 21-6 victory.
The matchup was billed as Illinois College's aerial show against the triple-option look of Ripon, but IC's rushing attack was the more potent of the two sides. Dakota Lammy ran for 116 yards and a touchdown and Michael Bates added 75 yards on the ground and another score. All told, the Blueboys outgained Ripon, 227-149, on the ground, becoming the first team to outrush the Red Hawks since Wisconsin Lutheran did it in the season opener of the 2012 season.
Early on, the Illinois College offense was stuck in neutral and it was up to the defense to keep the Blueboys from falling too far behind. Ripon drove close to the IC red zone on the opening possession of the contest before turning the ball over on downs. On the second possession, a long field goal gave the Red Hawks a 3-0 lead. IC's second drive took it into Ripon territory and the Blueboys were able to give the visitors a long field after Kyle Obertino's punt was downed inside the 10-yard line. Forcing a three-and-out, the Blueboys regained possession on Ripon's side of the 50.
In three plays, Illinois College moved to the Ripon 20-yard line and a Bates scramble on second down covered the rest. Logan Uyetake's extra point was good to put IC on top, 7-3.
The defense again would be tested in the second quarter. A long, 16-play drive took the Red Hawks deep into IC territory and gave Ripon a first-and-goal from the Blueboy 10-yard line. Three running plays moved the ball to the three-yard line and the duo of Zach Hanlon and Dylan Ringhausen were there to deny the Red Hawks on fourth down, stopping quarterback Stephen Covalt on the one-yard line to preserve the lead.
An 18-yard Lammy run got the Blueboys out of the shadow of their own end zone, but Ripon was able to intercept Bates on the next play – the first of the season for the senior quarterback – to retake possession at the IC 32-yard line. The Red Hawk drive stalled out in the red zone again, but a 35-yard field goal sliced the IC lead to 7-6, an advantage that the Blueboys would take into the locker room.
Turnovers could have become the story of the second half if the Illinois College defense didn't rise to occasion each and every time it was called upon. The opening IC possession of the second half ended with an interception in the Ripon red zone. After forcing a three-and-out, the Blueboys cashed in on their next chance, with Bates connecting with Bryce Heaton for a 21-yard touchdown pass to give IC a 14-6 edge.
Illinois College forced a Ripon fumble on the second play of its next drive, with Rob Brown setting up IC with the ball at the Ripon 20. Unfortunately, it took two plays for the Blueboys to give the ball right back. Lammy burst through the middle of the Ripon defense and looked to be in the clear until a diving tackle near the goal line stripped the senior of the ball and gave possession back to the Red Hawks on their own two-yard line.
The next time that Lammy had the ball near the end zone, he made no such mistake. After Ripon gave the ball back over to Illinois College, the team methodically marched down the field and ended its drive with a three-yard scamper from the senior to put IC on top, 21-6, at the end of the third.
A chance for a knockout blow early in the fourth quarter was squelched with the third Ripon interception of the day, this time at the Ripon four-yard line. The second Blueboy possession of the fourth also ended in a turnover, their second lost fumble of the afternoon. Luckily for the offense, Ripon had no way of sustaining drives on the Blueboys. The best Red Hawk drive of the quarter took the team out to the 50 with a first-and-10. From there, Ripon lost three yards on a rush, threw an incompletion and then were sacked for a loss of 15 yards. The last IC drive of the day took the final five minutes off the clock to ice the game.
Bates ended the day 17-of-29 for 267 yards and one touchdown. Josh Gentile was the leading receiver in the game with five catches for 69 yards, while Heaton added four catches for 50 yards and his score.
Defensively, Dylan Schuler and James Dambacher led IC with 8.5 tackles. Ringhausen had 5.5 tackles and both sacks that the Blueboys had in the game.
Next weekend marks Homecoming here at Illinois College and is the start of MWC South Division play as IC awaits Monmouth on Oct. 11 at 1 p.m.
IC Football Stifles Ripon’s Rushing Attack in 21-6 Victory
/seasons/2014/boxscores/20141004_k954.xml
2014
Ripon
6
Illinois College
21
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ripon (1-3) | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Illinois College (2-2) | 7 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 21 |
Oct 04, 2014