Box Score RICHMOND, Ind. — A pair of touchdowns in the final period gave the Earlham College football team its first victory of the season on Saturday as the Quakers beat Manchester College 31-21 in Darrell Beane Stadium.

“The game of football is can be about highs and lows,” Earlham Head Coach Gerry Keesling said. “Last week, we didn't do a very good job and this week we did.”

The Quakers bounced back after falling to Rose-Hulman 61-24 in the season opener. “Our guys understand now that everything doesn't go your way for four quarters,” Keesling said. “You have to be ready to grab the momentum once you lose it. It was nice to get the first win in front of a crowd here at home.”

After leading 17-14 at halftime, the Quakers did lose some of their momentum as Manchester grabbed a 21-17 lead in the third quarter.

Earlham quarterback Dorian Jenkins led the offensive response and found Kyle Ripperger for a 7-yard touchdown pass on a fourth down play at the 14:14 mark of the final stanza.

“Dorian Jenkins grew up a lot and our offensive line was phenomenal,” Keesling said.

On top 24-21, Earlham forced the Spartans to punt on their next two possessions. “Our defense did a great job of keeping them out of the end zone,” Keesling said.

After the second time the Quakers defense stopped the Spartans, Jenkins capped a 5-play, 42-yard drive with a 9-yard run to give Earlham its decisive 10-point margin.

Manchester (0-2) started the game with a 14-play, 74-yard drive that lasted 7:41 and gave the Spartans a 7-0 advantage.

On the ensuing possession, the Quakers were force to punt after three plays.

For the Spartans, the pivotal moment of the contest and perhaps their season occurred as Earlham linebacker Adam LaFollette sacked Manchester quarterback Caleb Grimes. Grimes suffered a broken leg on the play. “I feel bad about the injury to their quarterback,” Keesling said. “That probably changed what they we doing.

After the sack on third down brought Manchester's punting unit on the field, the Quakers countered with a 6-play, 37-yard drive that ended with Max Crumley-Effinger tying the Earlham record with a 48-yard field goal. John Richey set the mark in 1988.

In the second quarter, the Quakers took a 10-7 lead when Kevin Powers scored on a 1-yard run at the 11:14 mark. Manchester went back on top with a touchdown at 7:45.

Powers added his second score of the contest with another 1-yard run as the Quakers went on top 17-14 with 4:28 remaining in the first half.

Manchester took a 21-17 lead with the only score in the third period to set the stage for Earlham's 14-point fourth quarter.

Jenkins finished the day with 12 completions in 19 attempts for 234 yards and one score. He also rushed for 37 yards and one touchdown.

Bryant Foreman led Earlham's receivers with four catches for 62 yards. Ripperger had three receptions for 72 yards, while Jaysn Murphy also three grabs for 28 yards. Chris Owens had two catches for 72 yards, including one for 37 yards on third down play that set up the go-ahead score early in the fourth quarter.

LaFollette led Earlham's defense with 12 tackles and three sacks. Cale Gulliford finished with 11 tackles, while Austin Manahan added 10. John Metcalf also had an interception.

Earlham (1-1) heads to Anderson University next Saturday night for the first road game of the season. The non-conference contest begins at 7 p.m.

Box Score