A determined and senior-led Hope College football team capped a ferocious six-game run to close the regular season Saturday, bolstering its bid for an at-large berth to the NCAA Division III playoffs with a 63-6 victory against the University of Olivet at Ray and Sue Smith Stadium.
The nationally-ranked Flying Dutchmen (9-1) reached the nine-win mark for the second consecutive season and the third time under head coach Peter Stuursma with a Senior Day victory.
"They have given us so much — in very different ways," Stuursma said of his 21 seniors. "Some are starters. Some are not starting at all. The key component is that they've given everything they could possibly give to this program, to us as a staff, to the team and to the institution of Hope.
"I love that we replaced 15 starters from last year's team that went to the third round of the NCAA Tournament, and we went 9-1. That's the standard they want to play for, and it starts with the seniors."
Stuursma was also proud of how his senior-led team rebounded following a controversial overtime loss to Alma College that drew nationwide attention. The second-place Flying Dutchmen finished one game behind Alma in the standings after the Scots edged Adrian College, 35-34, at home on Saturday.
"If you remember, I sat right in there [after the Alma loss] and said, 'We're built for this, we're built to respond,'" Stuursma said. "Now we go full circle — we finish the regular season 9-1. It's just so obvious how proud I am of them because that was hard to swallow, especially with all the social media and everybody saying we should have been awarded the win. Doesn't matter. You can't change that. That's life. Sometimes life isn't fair.
"We said that game won't define us. We took care of business and did all that we could do."
On Sunday, the Flying Dutchmen are expected to receive one of 13 at-large berths for the NCAA Division III playoffs. The 40-team field is scheduled to be announced at 5 p.m. on NCAA.com.
Hope entered the week ranked 14th in the NCAA's NPI rankings which help determine the postseason field. The Flying Dutchmen also were 15th in the American Football Coaches Association national rankings and 16th in the D3football poll, although national rankings do not factor into postseason consideration.
The Flying Dutchmen outscored opponents 304-79 during their winning streak. The Orange and Blue also posted back-to-back shutouts and went 11 quarters without giving up a point.
Against Olivet, Hope allowed only a touchdown on a 43-yard halfback pass from Caleb Rudd 3 minutes, 49 seconds into the second quarter. Sophomore defensive lineman Jake Punches (Farwell, Michigan / Clare) blocked the PAT kick for a 21-6 Hope lead.
The Orange and Blue grabbed a 7-0 lead 19 seconds into the game after junior defensive end Tate Bezeau (Saline, Michigan / Saline) forced and recovered a fumble on Olivet's first play from scrimmage.
On the next play, junior quarterback Alex Thole (Schoolcraft, Michigan / Schoolcraft) fired a 28-yard strike to junior receiver Kaden DeHorn (Caledonia, Michigan / Caledonia) for a touchdown. Thole completed 16 of 26 passes for 300 yards and two touchdowns. Olivet intercepted him twice.
Thole's 45-yard strike to junior Trevor Griffiths (St. Joseph, Michigan / St. Joseph) with 15 seconds remaining in the first half capped an 80-yard, 20-second scoring drive that put Hope ahead 35-6 at halftime.
The Orange and Blue overwhelmed Olivet (1-9, 1-6 MIAA) with a season-best 696 yards of total offense despite three turnovers.
Seven different Flying Dutchmen scored touchdowns. Freshman running back Trey Goike (White Lake, Michigan / Orchard Lake St. Mary's) posted career bests with 104 rushing yards and three scores on runs of 50, 8 and 13 yards.
No. 16 Hope soars past Olivet for Senior Day victory
/seasons/2025/boxscores/20251115_wd9p.xml
2025
Olivet
6
Hope
63
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Olivet (1-9) | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| No. 18 Hope (9-1) | 14 | 21 | 7 | 21 | 63 |
Nov 15, 2025