RIPON, Wis. - Beloit College got a spark just before halftime but could not slow Ripon's ground game, dropping a 40-8 decision at Hopp Stadium on a sunny, 51-degree afternoon in front of 1,717 fans. The Buccaneers fell to 2-7 overall and 1-7 in conference play.
Down 20-0 late in the second quarter, Beloit answered with the best drive of its day. After Ripon's missed extra point, the Bucs took over at their own 30 with 4:34 left in the half. Running back Sebastian Blakeman (Tucson, AZ) went to work, ripping off runs of 14, 14 and 15 yards in three straight plays to move the ball to the Ripon 27. Quarterback Noah Carrasco (Cypress, TX) then kept it himself on the next snap, breaking free for a 27-yard touchdown run with 2:14 remaining.
Beloit went for two and converted. Carrasco found tight end Zach Cary (Byers, CO) on a pass attempt for the successful conversion, cutting the deficit to 20-8. The four-play, 70-yard drive took just 2:20 and was Beloit's only scoring play of the game.
Multiple Buccaneers put together notable performances. Blakeman was the Bucs' most efficient weapon on the ground, carrying four times for 43 yards, a 10.8-yard average, with a long of 15. All of it came on the touchdown drive. Carrasco did a bit of everything. He threw for 190 yards, completing 17 of 29 passes with two interceptions, and ran 13 times for 24 net yards and the score. He was sacked three times, and his 27-yard touchdown run was Beloit's longest rush of the day. Elijah Grimsley (Palm Bay, FL) was Carrasco's most reliable target, catching all four passes thrown his way for 34 yards, and he added four rushing yards. Cary made the biggest play of the passing game with a 35-yard reception in the second quarter, the longest of Beloit's afternoon, then caught the two-point conversion. Dominic Guzman (Aurora, IL) caught three passes for 26 yards, including a 15-yarder that helped set up a late-half drive. Braeden Hoth (Fort Atkinson, WI) (3 catches, 24 yards), Brian Perkins (Austin, TX) (3 catches, 19 yards) and Bayley Mendoza (Gilbert, AZ) (2 catches, 33 yards) rounded out a balanced receiving group. Seventeen passes were completed to nine different targets, with 190 total passing yards. Jayden Gist (Key West, FL) gave Beloit's return game a lift, with two kickoff returns for 41 yards, including a long of 25. Punter Ian Ladd averaged 33.4 yards on five punts, with a long of 37.
Beloit's defense was on the field for a lot of Ripon's big plays, but several players stood out. Linebacker Jimmy Jimmy Guillaume (West Palm Beach, FL) led the Bucs with seven tackles, while Brayden Gonzalez (Mesa, AZ) and Michael Snow (Parkland, FL) each had six. Zeke Hennessy (Neenah, WI) recorded Beloit's lone sack (for a six-yard loss), and Danilo Otzoy (Miami, FL) tallied two tackles for loss. Camryn Smith (League City, TX) broke up two passes, and Ayouba Sumoaro (Las Vegas, NV) blocked a Ripon extra-point attempt in the fourth quarter.
The defense also forced three Ripon punts in the second half, but Beloit's offense could not turn those stops into points.
Ripon controlled the game early. The Red Hawks scored on their opening drive, an 11-play, 59-yard march capped by Brady Immel's 1-yard touchdown run. Beloit's next two possessions ended in costly turnovers: a Carrasco fumble on a sack at midfield, then an interception by Anthony Gassaway, who returned it 45 yards to the Beloit 13. Treston Dekker punched in a 13-yard touchdown run on the next play, and Ripon led 14-0 after one quarter.
Beloit did show fight. The Bucs gave up possession on downs inside the Ripon 15 late in the second quarter after a 9-play, 49-yard drive, then delivered their touchdown drive to cut into the lead. But Carrasco was intercepted again just before the half, and Ripon's Deven Soerens returned the pick 12 yards. With a 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalty tacked on, Ripon took over deep in Beloit territory to run out the clock.
The second half belonged to Ripon. Immel hit Elantae Fleming for a 33-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter, then ripped off a 77-yard touchdown run early in the fourth. Immel added a 12-yard score later in the quarter. He finished with 216 rushing yards on 21 carries and four touchdowns.
Beloit won the time-of-possession battle and actually outgained Ripon through the air by more than 100 yards, but turnovers and an inability to stop the run proved decisive. Ripon scored seven points directly off Beloit turnovers.
The Buccaneers wrap up the 2026 season next Saturday at England Stadium in Jacksonville, Illinois. Kick off against the Illinois College Blue Boys is set for 12 pm.
