Football vs Univ of Chicago 9/21/24
Knox College
Taylor McAdams led the team with 64 yards on the ground.
17
Knox KNX 2-3 , 1-3
24
Winner Ripon RIP 2-3 , 2-2
Knox KNX
2-3 , 1-3
17
Final
24
Ripon RIP
2-3 , 2-2
Winner
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
KNX Knox 0 3 7 7 17
RIP Ripon 7 7 0 10 24

Game Recap: Football |

Late Rally Falls Short in 24-17 Loss at Ripon

Knox recovered an onside kick but was unable to capitalize

RIPON, Wis. ­— Trailing by 14 points late in the fourth quarter, Knox College put up a good fight, scoring a touchdown and recovering the onside kick to give itself a chance to catch host Ripon in regulation. But an interception by Red Hawk linebacker Zane Vetter on the Prairie Fire's second play from scrimmage sealed the 24-17 triumph for Ripon (2-3, 2-2 Midwest Conference) while Knox (2-3, 1-3 MWC) dropped its third straight game.

Ripon capped a drive that lasted nearly six minutes by booting a 21-yard field goal to boost its lead to 14 points at 24-10 with 6:40 to play. But much like the crowd of 1,800 fans made noise cheering on their Red Hawks all evening at Hopp Stadium, Knox would not go quietly either.

Jayvon Bolds returned the ensuing kickoff 41 yards to get the Prairie Fire near midfield, and quarterback Anthony Vazquez took what the Ripon defense gave him as he completed all six of his passes on the drive. On its third attempt to breach the goal line from inside the 5, Knox finally got the referees to raise their arms when Izayiah Hawes plunged into the end zone from a yard out. A Jadon Grossnickle extra point cut the deficit to seven at 24-17 with 2:39 to play.

The Prairie Fire then lined up for an onside kick, and executed the maneuver perfectly as Chase Lucas recovered the ball at the Knox 49. After a 20-yard pass attempt was overthrown, Vazquez's next throw was picked off by Vetter, ending the threat. The Red Hawks were able to run out the final 2:25 by picking up a pair of first downs and kneeling down three times.

  • Knox had three golden opportunities to score in the second quarter, driving into the red zone on one possession and starting in enemy territory on two others, but a fumble and a penalty kept the team from scoring on the first two before Grossnickle provided a 26-yard field goal for its only points of the opening half.
  • In the third quarter, the Prairie Fire took advantage of good field position, driving 47 yards for a touchdown, courtesy of Aiden Frail from a yard out.
  • Ripon amassed 327 yards of offense, 191 through the air, while Knox mustered only 203, 137 of which came on the ground.
  • Taylor McAdams was the leading rusher for the Prairie Fire with 64 yards on 12 carries.
  • Vazquez finished the night 7-of-12 throwing the ball for 66 yards and ran for 16 more on five carries.
  • Red Hawk QB Jack Berens completed 9-of-16 passes for 191 yards, three completions of at least 35 yards.
  • Manuel Espitia led the Knox defense with 12 tackles.

Knox returns to Galesburg next Saturday and will attempt to snap its three-game skid when Illinois College (3-2, 2-2 MWC) comes to town. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. on Oct. 19 at Stisser Field at the Knosher Bowl. Live video and stats will be available through PrairieFire.Knox.edu, the official athletics website of Knox College.

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