On a day where Hope College honored its last unbeaten football team, the current version of the Flying Dutchmen made a statement to keep their record unblemished.
Nationally ranked Hope defeated Adrian College 45-0 Saturday afternoon in front of a Homecoming crowd of 4,117 at Ray and Sue Smith Stadium and improved to 7-0 on the season, 3-0 in the MIAA.
The Flying Dutchmen, ranked No. 17 nationally by d3football.com and 18th in the American Football Coaches Association poll, remained in sole possession of first place in the MIAA by posting their second shutout of the season.
Hope heads into a Senior Day showdown with Albion College on Saturday, Nov. 2, at 1 p.m. at Ray and Sue Smith Stadium. The Britons are tied for second in the MIAA with Alma College, one game behind Hope, after a 28-23 win over Kalamazoo College on Saturday.
During Saturday, Hope honored its 1984 football team. That team, coached by Ray Smith, posted a perfect 9-0 record and won the MIAA championship. It was one of only two times in school history that the Dutchmen have gone through a football season unbeaten. The current 7-0 start for the 2024 Dutchmen is Hope's best since that 1984 season.
"I was able to go before the game and talk to them," head coach Peter Stuursma said, referring to the 1984 team. "What I said was pretty clear. We're just a small piece of history right now and that group … is a huge part of that history. It's ironic that it's (been) 40 years for them. We always talk about 'measure us in 40 years and not four,' because this is a short window in these guys' lives. That means a lot looking back, and of course, (remembering) the legend, Ray Smith. He's my guy."
Hope opened the scoring against 5-1 Adrian on its first possession, driving 71 yards in seven plays. Senior quarterback Ben Wellman (Bloomington, Illinois / Bloomington) finished off the drive by connecting with sophomore wide receiver Jonny Rohen-Blanton (Rockford, Michigan / Rockford) on an 11-yard touchdown pass, Rohen-Blanton's first career touchdown.
After Hope stuffed the Bulldogs on a fourth-down quarterback sneak on the next series, the Dutchmen drove 69 yards for their next score. Senior running back Chance Strickland plunged one yard for his 16th touchdown of the season and 40th of his career. Junior Caden Balkon (Byron Center, Michigan / Byron Center) later added a 29-yard field goal and Hope led 17-0 at the half.
In the third quarter, the Flying Dutchmen took advantage of two turnovers deep in Adrian territory – an interception by sophomore safety Brad Raredon (Hudsonville, Michigan / Hudsonville) and a fumble recovery by senior linebacker Cole Luhmann (Rochester, Michigan / Stoney Creek) after a sack by junior defensive lineman Caleb Paarlberg (Caledonia, Michigan / Caledonia).
The plays sparked a 21-point third quarter that erased any hope of a Bulldog comeback.
Wellman threw touchdown passes of 41 yards to sophomore H-Back Seth Luhmann (Rochester, Michigan / Stoney Creek) and 20 yards to Rohen-Blanton, then scooted nine yards to the pylon for another score as the Hope lead grew to 38-0 after three quarters.
"That was an awkward first half because we only had the ball three times, three possessions. We scored on all three possessions, minus the last one where we just ran the time out," Stuursma said. "We said to our guys, 'Listen, we just gotta get a turnover here, we've gotta get the ball back,' and our defense gave us two turnovers right there."
The Flying Dutchmen added one final score in the fourth quarter on a 2-yard touchdown run by freshman running back Kal Motter (Lawton, Michigan / Lawton).
Hope outgained Adrian 434-156 for the contest, with the yardage almost evenly split between passing and rushing. The Flying Dutchmen finished with 223 yards through the air and 211 on the ground, while limiting the Bulldogs to just 26 yards rushing in recording their second shutout of the season.
Wellman finished the day with 269 yards of total offense, completing 15-of-19 passes for 207 yards and three touchdowns while leading the ground game with 62 yards on nine carries. Rohen-Blanton led Hope receivers with a career-high six catches for 69 yards. Cole Luhmann led the defense with 10 tackles.i
It was the first time Hope had recorded two shutouts in a season since 2017. The Flying Dutch had a 49-0 whitewash of Loras (Iowa) College in the opener.
The Flying Dutchmen have outscored their opponents this season 316-50 and have yet to allow a rushing touchdown.
"They're playing fast. We're playing a lot of guys. We're keeping everything in front of us. They might get a big chunk (of yardage) here or there, but we're not folding our tents. We're not giving up big chunks in a row, not giving up the big play," Stuursma said.
No. 17 Hope blanks Adrian
/seasons/2024/boxscores/20241026_137z.xml
2024
Adrian
0
Hope
45
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adrian (5-2) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| No. 16 Hope (7-0) | 7 | 10 | 21 | 7 | 45 |
Oct 26, 2024