A perfect start led to a perfect conclusion of a perfect regular season for the Hope College football team Saturday afternoon.
The Flying Dutchmen needed just 13 plays to score five first-quarter touchdowns, and Hope went on to defeat the University of Olivet, 48-12, at Cutler Field to clinch an outright MIAA championship and wrap up the first 10-0 regular season in the 122-year-history of the Hope football program.
Ranked No. 15 in both the d3football.com and American Football Coaches Association NCAA Division III polls, the Flying Dutchmen will find out on Sunday, Nov. 17, whether they will receive a first-round bye in the NCAA playoffs that get underway next weekend.
The playoff pairings will be announced at 5 p.m. on the selection show that will be streamed on ncaa.com.
Head coach Peter Stuursma expressed pride in his team's accomplishment of a rare feat.
"These guys just have captivated that whole crowd that you saw, they've captivated our campus and our institution. They've played so hard each and every week," Stuursma said. "I don't know that everyone totally understands the ups and downs of a season, from the day we moved in to a bye week, or travel on an away trip, or injuries here and there. It's what team sports are all about, it's what these guys are all about. They just have an incredible will to win. They made history today. I'm just so proud of them."
The outright MIAA championship is the 15th all-time for the Hope football program, and the third unbeaten regular season in school history. The Flying Dutchmen went 8-0-1 in 1975 and 9-0 in 1984, both under legendary head coach Ray Smith.
"I literally just took a step back and watched them all celebrate. Why? Because I just want to soak up their joy, their energy, for what they did and what they accomplished," Stuursma said.
Once again, Hope struck early with a big play on its first snap from scrimmage. Senior quarterback Ben Wellman (Bloomington, Illinois / Bloomington) went deep to his favorite target, fifth-year senior wide receiver Grant Holtzer (Okemos, Michigan / Okemos), who got behind the Comets' secondary, hauled in the pass and took it to the end zone for a 70-yard touchdown strike.
On Olivet's ensuing possession, the Hope defense that has stonewalled opposing rushing attacks all season came up big again. On a fourth-and-1 from the Comets' 34, the Hope front line dropped MIAA rushing leader Dontal Wright for a 9-yard-loss, and the Flying Dutchmen took over at the Olivet 25.
Three plays later, senior running back Tyler Amos (Portage, Michigan/Portage Northern) scored on a 2-yard touchdown run for a 14-0 Hope lead.
Moments later, Hope quickly took over inside the Olivet 25 after a failed fake punt. It took the Flying Dutchmen just one play to score again as Wellman found sophomore H-back Seth Luhmann (Rochester, Michigan / Stoney Creek) wide open on a wheel route out of the backfield for a 22-yard touchdown pass.
Before the quarter ended, Amos scored again on a 9-yard touchdown run and freshman running back Kal Motter (Lawton, Michigan/Lawton) hit paydirt on an 18-yard touchdown run, the latter of which was set up by a 42-yard interception return by sophomore defensive back Austin Harvey (Rockford, Michigan/Rockford).
Hope gained 200 yards in those first 15 minutes in taking a 35-0 lead. The Flying Dutchmen have now outscored their opponents in the first quarter this season 181-7.
"It's a special group, a super-special group of guys," Holtzer said. "I'm just blessed to be part of the team. I wouldn't want to do it with any other group of guys. This group of guys is super bought in, everybody wants it. Everyone has the same desire and passion, and it's just different from the teams I've played for before. This is a unique group."
In the second quarter, Hope showed it could grind it out as well as hit on big plays. The Flying Dutchmen drove 74 yards in 14 plays and took up more than seven minutes of the clock.
Freshman running back AJ Martel (Mason, Michigan / Mason) finished the drive off with a 2-yard touchdown run, and Hope led 41-0 at halftime. Stuursma rested his starters in the second half and gave the rest of his team valuable in-game reps.
"To me, that says a lot about our seconds and our thirds and our fourths, that those guys deserve a chance to play. They've been working their tails off to be in there playing, and they showed up today," Stuursma said. "It's a big thing we have with our team – keep showing up, show up for your buddies, show up for your teammates, show up for your families, show up for what this team stands for and be the standard/"
The Flying Dutchmen added one more score in the third quarter when junior wide receiver Travis Myers (Ada, Michigan / Forest Hills Northern) took a short pass from sophomore quarterback Zach Trainor (Milford, Michigan / Walled Lake Western), broke an Olivet tackle and dashed down the sideline for a 67-yard touchdown play.
Hope finished the game with 441 yards total offense, again almost evenly split between rushing (206 yards) and passing (235). Wellman completed 7 of 9 passes for 137 yards and two touchdowns, while Trainor added 98 yards through the air. Motter led the ground game with 61 yards on 10 carries. Nine different receivers caught at least one pass.
Meanwhile, the Flying Dutchmen defense completely stuffed an Olivet rushing attack that came in averaging more than 230 yards a game, holding the Comets to minus-2 yards rushing. Wright was limited to 22 yards on 17 carries.
Hope also intercepted three passes and recorded four quarterback sacks.
In addition to Harvey, the Dutchmen received interceptions from sophomore linebacker Bryce Debri (DeWitt, Michigan/DeWitt) and senior linebacker Luke Stewart (Wilmette, Illinois/New Trier).
No. 15 Hope rolls at Olivet for first 10-0 regular season
/seasons/2024/boxscores/20241116_llb2.xml
2024
Hope
48
Olivet
12
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 16 Hope (10-0) | 35 | 6 | 7 | 0 | 48 |
| Olivet (3-7) | 0 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 12 |
Nov 16, 2024