By Greg Chandler
The Hope College football team used a big-play offense and a relentless defense Saturday afternoon as the Flying Dutchmen romped to a 67-0 victory over Kalamazoo College in the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association opener for both teams.
It was the 100th meeting between the two schools, and the fifth straight victory for Hope (1-0 MIAA, 4-1 overall) in the Wooden Shoes Rivalry with the Hornets (0-1, 1-4).
The 67 points were the most ever by the Flying Dutchmen against Kalamazoo in the history of the rivalry, topping the 57 points scored in a 57-7 defeat of the Hornets in 2007.
The Flying Dutchmen rolled up 680 yards of total offense in the game – 308 on the ground in 42 attempts and 372 through the air. Hope had 12 plays of 20 or more yards, including five that resulted in touchdowns.
"I was so proud of the way our guys executed," Hope head coach Peter Stuursma said after the game. "I felt we needed that. We needed an explosion like that. We needed to gel, we needed to come together and do that, both offensively and defensively."
Hope scored on seven consecutive possessions to start the game Junior kicker Dylan Hillger of Holly, Michigan (Lake Fenton HS) opened the scoring with a 25-yard field goal midway through the first quarter.
On Hope's next possession, junior quarterback Chase Brown of Comstock Park, Michigan (Comstock Park) went deep downfield, connecting with sophomore wide receiver Terrell Harris of Whitehall, Michigan (Whitehall HS) on a 59-yard touchdown strike.
After the Hope defense forced a three-and-out, the Flying Dutchmen struck quickly again, as senior running back Brandon Anderson of Cassopolis, Michigan (Ross Beatty HS) dashed 55 yards along the far sideline for a touchdown, as Hope led 17-0 after the first 15 minutes.
In the second quarter, junior running back Kenyea Houston of Chicago, Illinois (Westinghouse Prep) scored on a 23-yard touchdown run; junior running back Daniel Romano of Royal Oak, Michigan (Shrine Catholic HS) found the end zone on a 9-yard run and Brown tossed two touchdown passes to junior wide receiver TJ McKenzie of Muskegon, Michigan (North Muskegon HS), covering 31 and 36 yards, as Hope rolled to a 45-0 halftime lead.
"We had the right play calls from an offensive standpoint against what they were giving us," Stuursma said.
Meanwhile, the Hope defense shut down the Hornets' offense, limiting Kalamazoo to 108 total yards for the game, the fewest they had allowed since allowing 103 yards in a 41-0 shutout of Defiance (Ohio) College in September 2018.
Hope held Kalamazoo to 43 yards rushing and harassed the Hornets' two quarterbacks into a combined 10-for-29 passing performance for 65 yards. Hope played without two starting cornerbacks who missed the game with injuries.
"When you get pressure on the quarterback, that helps those young guys (in the secondary) get experience and confidence back there," Stuursma said.
The Flying Dutchmen held Kalamazoo with a third-down conversion in 15 attempts in the game. Junior safety Adam Vander Kooy of Indianapolis, Indiana (Brebeuf Jesuit HS) intercepted two passes.
In the third quarter, Hope scored on a 10-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Joey Stark of Troy, Michigan (Troy Athens HS) to junior wide receiver Ian Rampersad of Grand Rapids, Michigan (Forest Hills Northern HS), and a 2-yard touchdown run by sophomore running back Elijah Smith of Hastings, Michigan (Hastings HS).
The Flying Dutchmen closed out the scoring in the fourth quarter when sophomore wide receiver Kareem Williams of Kalamazoo, Michigan (Portage Northern HS) took a short pass from freshman quarterback Chance Strickland of Mason, Michigan (Mason HS) and went eight yards for a touchdown.
Brown completed 10 of 13 passes for 274 yards and three scores, while Stark was a perfect 7-of-7 through the air for 86 yards and a touchdown. Rampersad had four receptions for 74 yards, Williams had four catches for 38 yards, Harris had three grabs for 100 yards, and McKenzie three receptions for 77 yards.
Anderson led the Hope ground game with 64 yards on four carries, while Houston added 59 yards on 10 carries.
Senior defensive end Drew Althouse of Ludington, Michigan (Ludington HS) had four tackles, including 1.5 tackles for loss, and two quarterback hurries. Junior safety Brady Howe of Holland, Michigan (Holland Christian HS) also had four tackles, as did senior linebacker Jeremiah Purnell of Wyoming, Michigan (Wyoming HS) and junior linebacker Adam Gill of Grand Rapids, Michigan (Forest Hills Northern HS).
Freshman linebacker Luke Palmer of Fort Wayne, Indiana (Homestead HS) had 1.5 tackles for loss, and sophomore defensive end Marcus Arens of Rockford, Michigan (Caledonia HS) had two quarterback hurries.
In addition to his field goal, Hillger was 9-for-9 on extra-point kicks and also ran in a two-point conversion after fielding a low snap on another PAT try. He also made a touchdown-saving tackle on a Kalamazoo kickoff return.
Hope has a bye next weekend and returns to action Saturday, Oct. 16 for an MIAA road contest at Olivet College. Kickoff is 1 p.m.