A running back who began the season No. 4 on the depth chart, going off for more than 200 yards rushing.
A freshman quarterback, pressed into duty as a running back, scoring a critical touchdown.
And perhaps most important, a defense that allowed just one first down and 26 yards of total offense during the second half.
Those ingredients added up to a title-clinching victory for the Hope College football team on a blustery, winter-like Saturday afternoon in Angola, Indiana.
The Flying Dutchmen defeated Trine (Ind.) University 17-13 at Fred Zollner Athletic Stadium to clinch their second Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association championship in three years and their 22nd in school history.
Hope, who finished 5-1 in the MIAA and 8-2 overall, shared the conference title with Albion College, who defeated Alma College 34-7 on Saturday to seal its automatic bid to the NCAA Division III playoffs.
"I think what's special about this is a lot of our players went through a lot (with) the pandemic and were on and off. We didn't play last spring (when the MIAA had its 2020 season)," head coach Peter Stuursma said. "It just makes this feel really special for them. I'm so proud of them, their resilience – the resiliency that they showed, the grit, the toughness. All that stuff matters in the real world."
Hope took advantage of a special team's mistake by Trine to jump out to a quick lead. A bad snap from center on fourth down led to Trine's punter being tackled at the Thunder 3-yard-line. On the next play, sophomore running back Elijah Smith of Hastings, Michigan (Hastings HS), pictured, scored on a run over the right side. Smith finished with a career-high 204 yards rushing on 33 carries.
Junior placekicker Dylan Hillger of Holly, Michigan (Lake Fenton HS) kicked the extra point, and the Dutchmen led 7-0 90 seconds into the game.
Trine got a touchdown late in the first quarter, but missed the extra point, leaving Hope ahead 7-6 after one quarter.
The Flying Dutchmen extended their lead to 10-6 in the second quarter on a 29-yard field goal by Hillger into a strong northwest wind. Smith accounted for 46 of Hope's 58 yards on the drive on six rushing attempts.
The Thunder responded with a fourth-down pass from Alex Price to Adam Gutting for a 39-yard touchdown, and Trine led at the half 13-10.
The second half was largely dominated by the defenses, as both teams struggled to move down the field. But late in the third quarter, Smith broke free for a 48-yard run, his longest of the season, to put the ball into the red zone at the Trine 16.
Smith came out of the game for a breather, and Stuursma inserted freshman quarterback Chance Strickland of Mason, Michigan (Mason HS), pictured at right, at running back. The 220-pound Strickland gained 10 yards on his first carry, then powered his way over the right side into the end zone from six yards out on the following play for his first career touchdown to put the Dutchmen ahead 17-13 with 2:44 left in the third quarter.
"Chance Strickland is a quarterback on our roster, but he's just a tough, tough running back," Stuursma said. "In high school, he was a downhill runner as a quarterback, and we just felt with our depth, we have to find a way to get him the ball, and look what he does."
From there, the Hope defense slammed the door on the Thunder, forcing four straight three-and-outs the rest of the way, including one after Trine intercepted a pass at the Hope 43 early in the fourth quarter. Trine managed just two yards on three plays after the pick, with junior cornerback Ryan Young of Plymouth, Michigan (Salem HS), coming up with a critical pass breakup on third down to force the Thunder to punt.
"Our defense just locked them down," Stuursma said. "We felt like they never threatened after that."
Trine gained 209 yards of total offense and had 10 first downs in the first half. In the second half, the Thunder were held to a single first down in 26 yards of total offense.
"We were rotating a lot of guys through there. Coach (Mike) Ricketts (defensive coordinator) and our defensive staff had a whale of a game plan, and our players executed. That's what it's all about," Stuursma said. "We said all week long it was about players making plays, and our guys did."
Hope took over possession for the final time at its own 18 with three minutes left and Trine still having all three timeouts remaining. But the Flying Dutchmen would not let the Thunder get the ball back. Smith busted loose for a 43-yard gain to put the ball in Trine territory. Two plays later, Hope faced a 3rd and 12 at the Trine 41.
Then with Hope going with an empty backfield for the first time all game, junior quarterback Chase Brown of Comstock Park, Michigan (Comstock Park HS) picked up 10 yards on a draw play to set up a fourth-and-2.
On the next play, Smith found enough of a gap in the Trine defense to gain three yards and a first down. The Thunder couldn't stop the clock, and Brown dropped to a knee twice to close the game out.
Smith, who got his first career start due to injuries to several other Hope running backs, made the most of his opportunity, accounting for about 70 percent of Hope's total offense output of 282 yards.
"What a gutty performance," Stuursma said of Smith, who had his third straight 100-yard game.
"That says two things – one, the depth of our players, the depth of our recruiting process, but it also says a lot about our guys up front – don't forget about our big horses up front," Stuursma said.
Indeed, the offensive line consisting of sophomore left tackle Luke Marsh of Montague, Michigan (Montague HS), sophomore left guard Dylan Clem of Stevensville, Michigan (Lakeshore HS), junior center Cole Harger of Muskegon, Michigan (Oakridge HS), junior right guard Chris Rexroth of Farmington Hills, Michigan (Harrison HS) and senior right tackle Brady Eding of Hamilton, Michigan (Hamilton HS) plowed the way for Hope to gain 231 yards on 43 rushing attempts.
Brown completed 7 of 12 passes for 51 yards, with sophomore wide receiver Terrell Harris of Whitehall, Michigan (Whitehall HS) leading the Flying Dutchmen with three receptions.
Defensively, senior defensive end Drew Althouse of Ludington, Michigan (Ludington HS), pictured at left, led Hope with 10 tackles.
Three other players made seven stops – freshman linebacker Andrew Debri of DeWitt, Michigan (DeWitt HS), junior safety Brady Howe of Holland, Michigan (Holland Christian HS) and junior safety Toby Hulst of Caledonia, Michigan (Grand Rapids South Christian HS).