at St. Norbert 26, Carroll 24 – St. Norbert’s Steve Kraft made a diving interception at the St. Norbert 43-yard line with 55 seconds remaining in the game to prevent Carroll from getting into position for the winning score. St. Norbert drove 68 yards on nine plays in 1:10, scoring with 24 seconds remaining in the first half, to take a 20-17 halftime lead. St. Norbert quarterback Cody Craig (19-33, 179 yards) threw three touchdowns, while Bryce Crocker (16 car, 115 yards) scored one of Carroll’s three rushing touchdowns.

at Ripon 27, Monmouth 20 – With the game tied at 20-20 and under two minutes left in regulation, Ripon drove 53 yards on five plays and quarterback Tygh Walters scored his third rushing touchdown of the game to give Ripon the lead with 25 seconds remaining. Scott Perkins led the Red Hawk offense with 27 carries for 101 yards and running back Andrew Fink scored Ripon’s first TD of the game. Alex Tanney (16-29, 199 yards) threw three touchdowns to three different Monmouth receivers, while Mike Blodgett caught six balls for 102 yards.

at Illinois College 28, Beloit 14 – Mitch Niekamp (18-33, 281 yards) replaced injured Illinois College starter Pete Jennings and staked the Blueboys to a 28-0 lead with a trio of touchdown passes before leaving with an injury. Kyle Leeman ran for 102 yards and Nate Graham scored from a year out for the Blueboys. Andrew Christensen’s 78-yard kickoff return for a touchdown got Beloit on the board in the third quarter and Jamaal Williams’ TD run in the fourth quarter closed the game’s scoring.

at Lawrence 51, Knox 20 – The Lawrence offense exploded to a 30-0 halftime lead, as Eric Aspenson (14-21, 308 yards) threw a school-record five TD passes and Craig Ebert gained over 100 yards rushing (10 car, 106 yards, TD) and receiving (3 rec, 112 yards, TD). Two of Derek Micke’s (120 yards) four receptions went for scores as well. Grant Guimond and Mike Kizior accounted for Knox’s scoring with late TD runs.

Lake Forest 28, at Grinnell 14 – Lake Forest led 14-7 at half and took a 28-7 lead with under eight minutes to play on Jeff Ziemnik’s (16-33, 328 yards) 41-yard TD pass to Tom Cirone (4 rec, 121 yards). Nick Merklin returned the ensuing kickoff 84 yards for a touchdown, but Grinnell was unable to score again. Pat Jarvis added six receptions for 112 yards and a touchdown for the Foresters. Ben Remington (34-59, 276 yards) accounted for Grinnell’s first score with a scoring pass to Jordan Courtain.

Carroll 28, at Ripon 26 – Carroll running back Bryce Crocker (34 car, 177 yards) scored from two yards out late in the third quarter to give the Pioneers a 28-19 lead. Ripon cut into the lead on Scott Perkins’ (22 car, 77 yards) 20-yard run with 5:37 left to play, before turning the ball over on downs on their next drive and ending the game with a sack after reaching the Carroll 32-yard line. Ripon’s Joshua Kraemer broke a 7-7 tie in the second quarter when he returned a kickoff 84 yards for a touchdown, but the extra point was blocked. Carroll quarterback Chris Rogers (9-13, 114 yards) threw a touchdown pass and ran for another.

at Lawrence 22, Illinois College 18 – After falling behind 7-0, Lawrence scored the game’s next 22 points on two Bryan Althouse field goals (34, 22), a touchdown run by quarterback Eric Aspenson (13-23, 135 yards, 132 yards rushing), a 21-yard interception return by defensive tackle Jeremy Reider and a safety. Illinois College blocked a punt for a safety and receiver Michael Jennings (4 rec, 76 yards) caught his second touchdown of the game to get the Blueboys back in it, but Lawrence’s Andy Frelich sealed the game with an interception.

Lake Forest 44, Beloit 36 – This contest proved to be a game of runs, as Beloit led 14-0 after the first quarter, before the Foresters put 22 points on the scoreboard in the second and third quarters, respectively, to take a 44-17 lead. Beloit answered with 19 fourth quarter points, but the Foresters ran the clock out before the Bucs would have a chance to drive for the potential tying score. Dan Carter (9 rec, 164 yards) starred for Lake Forest, catching three of quarterback Jeff Ziemnik’s (18-26, 272 yards) four touchdown passes. Beloit quarterback Joe Davis (15-26, 165 yards) paced the Bucs, throwing two touchdown passes and running for another score.

at St. Norbert 49, Knox 14 – St. Norbert’s John Rappel became the first player in school history to return two interceptions for touchdowns in a game, as the senior cornerback sparked the Green Knights with scores from 35 and 22 yards out. Green Knight quarterback Cody Craig (14-20, 253 yards) threw three touchdowns, one of which was caught by Judd O’Connell (4 rec, 121 yards). A.J. Phillips added 81 yards and two scores, while Knox quarterback George Nicholson ran for both Prairie Fire touchdowns.

at Monmouth 42, Grinnell 0 – The Fighting Scots jumped out to a 21-0 first lead and led 28-0 at the break. Alex Tanney (26-40, 232 yards) threw three touchdown passes and running backs Jeff Davis (24 car, 131 yards) and Clay Bricker (20 car, 87 yards) each scored once. Monmouth defensive back Sean Wells intercepted three passes in the game, helping limit Grinnell to 36 yards passing. Grinnell quarterback Joey Snyder ran for 48 yards to pace the Pioneers.

Ripon 48, at Illinois College 17 – Tygh Walters enjoyed a career day in a matchup of conference unbeatens, as Ripon’s junior quarterback threw four touchdown passes and ran for two more en route to 177 yards passing and 120 rushing. Illinois College led 3-0 and 10-7 early on before Ripon ran off 28 straight points that included two scores in a 13 second span. Red Hawk Scott Perkins added 107 yards on the ground, while Ted Bartels caught a pair of TD passes. Pete Jennings (16-39, 197 yards) threw a pair of touchdown passes for the Blueboys.

Monmouth 6, at Carroll 3 – Monmouth’s Nate Palkovic was the hero, as the senior kicker connected on both of his field goal attempts, a 36-yard kick in the second quarter and the game-winner from 25 yards out with 4:28 left in the game. Carroll kicker Brian Jachimek hit from 36 yards to account for the Pioneering scoring, but a delay of game penalty with eight seconds left denied him the opportunity to try to tie the game with a 44-yard kick. The Fighting Scots gained 233 yards of total offense, while Carroll managed 157 yards.

St. Norbert 36, at Lake Forest 6 – The Foresters got the board first on a one-yard TD run by Bryan Rategan, but the Green Knights closed with 36 unanswered points. Cody Craig’s (20-34, 246 yards, 2 TD) 34-yard touchdown pass to Judd O’Connell (8 rec, 119 yards) started St. Norbert’s scoring and running back A.J. Phillips (23 car, 80 yards) ran for two more TDs before halftime. The Green Knight defense limited Lake Forest to 149 yards of offense in the game.

at Knox 24, Beloit 17 – Knox scored 17 straight points after falling behind 3-0 and then scored a touchdown midway through the fourth quarter to go up 24-10. Beloit added a late score, but Knox picked up a first down and ran the clock out. Knox fullback Aaron Willits ran for a game-high 169 yards, while quarterback George Nicholoson (6-11, 175 yards) threw a pair of TD passes to wingback Brent Newman (5 rec, 171 yards, 6 car, 69 yards). Jordan Ehlen led Beloit with 78 yards rushing and a touchdown.

at Grinnell 24, Lawrence 19 – Grinnell took a 14-0 lead into halftime after an 83-yard touchdown from Ben Remington (15-30, 222 yards, TD) to Nick Merklin (9 rec, 115 yards) and a short run from Marquis Bradley. After Lawrence opened the second half with 10 straight points, Bradley scored again from two yards out to give the Pioneers a 21-13 lead. The teams traded field goals in the fourth quarter before Lawrence drew closer on a touchdown pass from Nick Maxam to Wes Otte. Lawrence had one more chance, driving to the Grinnell 26, but Maxam was intercepted by Ben Westfeld to seal the win.

at Carroll 42, Grinnell 0 – Senior running back Bryce Crocker (23 car, 147 yards, 3 TD) scored three first half touchdowns en route to a 28-0 halftime advantage. Senior quarterback Chris Rogers (13-16, 167 yards) added a 13-yard touchdown pass to senior tight end Josh Gould (6 rec, 69 yards) in the second half. Jake Zeh recorded three sacks to lead the Carroll defense. Grinnell senior wide receiver Nick Merklin caught four passes for 89 yards.

at Monmouth 45, Beloit 0 – The Fighting Scots’ offense produced 575 yards in the game, as Monmouth built a 21-0 halftime lead behind a trio of rushing touchdowns. In the end, Monmouth running backs Jeff Davis (25 car, 175 yards) and Clay Bricker (9 car, 58 yards) ran for two scores apiece, while Alex Tanney completed 24-of-35 passes for 316 yards and a TD. Nick Wright (4 rec, 112 yards, TD) was Monmouth’s top receiver, while Jordan Ehlen led Beloit with 66 yards rushing on 12 carries.

at St. Norbert 40, Lawrence 11 – St. Norbert quarterback Cody Craig (17-29, 253 yards) threw four of his five touchdown passes in the first half, as the Green Knights went into halftime up 35-0. Wide receiver Judd O’Connell (6 rec, 166 yards) hauled in three scores, while Joe Kandraviv and A.J. Phillips also reached the endzone for the Green Knights. Jesse Peterson scored on a six-yard for Lawrence, while the team’s other two scores were unconventional, coming on a two-point Derek Micke return off a blocked St. Norbert extra point attempt and a safety.

at Ripon 28, Knox 10 – Ripon opened up the game with 21 first quarter points, as running backs John McGuire and Scott Perkins (20 car, 109 yards) scored rushing touchdowns. Red Hawk quarterback Tygh Walters (6-8, 149 yards) opened and closed the games scoring with a pair of TD passes, hitting Ted Bartels for 57 yards in the first quarter and Perkins for 22 in the fourth. Running back Grant Guimond scored Knox’s lone TD on a 25-yard pass in the second quarter and Jack Dippold added a 28-yard field goal in the third. Ripon safety Vince Spratte intercepted a pair of passes in the game.