HOLLAND - Hope College football coach Peter Stuursma isn’t much on stats; he’s more of a letters guy - like W and L. But even he says it’s hard to ignore what a number the Flying Dutchmen have done to the scoreboards so far.
After six games the team has:
- Averaged 52.8 points a game, second among all NCAA teams nationally;
- Set a school record for points in a game in an 80-6 win over Defiance (Ohio) on Sept. 14. They followed up with their second-most points last Saturday against Finlandia (79-12);
- Scored 58 points in the first half last week against Finlandia, a school record;
- Scored 50 points or more four times this season, already a school record with four regular-season games to go.
You get the idea. The scoring average has jumped more than 13 points a game from last season when the Flying Dutchmen finished 8-2.
So, what's going on for the 5-1 team?
All the pieces fit. Stuursma pointed to a third-year offensive coordinator in Andrew Hawken, an offensive line that’s filled with experience and a senior quarterback in Mason Opple who’s in his third year as a starter.
"When you put those elements together, there's a lot of reason for optimism," he said.
And, back to a couple more stats: They also average less than three penalties, convert 52 percent on third down and have not had a turnover.
Individually, Opple's not a bad place to start, since Stuursma said he's "the backbone; the one who makes it all go."
"What I've learned as a college football coach is that if you have a three-year starter at quarterback, you have a pretty good chance," the coach said of the former Hudsonville High School standout. "The experience he has is immeasurable."
For example, the offense can go up tempo in an instant, because everyone is on the same page.
"We run the ball but the difference is Mason Opple is making great throws," Stuursma said.
Hope averages 439 yards a game, with 258 coming on the ground. The team averages just under 20 passing attempts a game.
Opple has more than 130yards more than anyone else rushing (524 yards with seven TDs) to go along with 14 touchdowns and no interceptions on 65-of-100 passing attempts.
"It really doesn't matter to me how we get into the end zone," Opple said. "With this offense, we pound the run but we have a lot of weapons."
He’s protected by an offensive line that includes Zach Smith (senior three-year starter at center), Tim Ivery (senior and three-year starter at tackle), Brady Anderson (junior three-year starter at tackle), Brady Eding (junior two year starter) and (senior Noah de Velder, third year).
Making it work is Hawken, the OC who arrived just before the start of 2017. A former player at Michigan State, the Grandville native was hopeful for a big step forward. He was comfortable with the offense and now had the experience to go with it. He couldn't wait to unwrap it.
"That's always one of the challenges to get the right pieces and get the right guys in the right spots," he said. "Having those experienced guys and being around for a few years now, it definitely helps make things easier and more exciting the possibilities."
The Flying Dutchmen lost their opener to Millikin, 27-21, before the run of five in a row just in time for their biggest test of the season. They play at Olivet 1 p.m. Saturday. The Comets are 6-0 and also undefeated in the MIAA at 3-0.
It's worth noting that in Stuursma's three previous seasons, there has always been one conference loss, against Trine. The Flying Dutchmen erased that with an emphatic 51-0 win two weeks ago, but Olivet is allowing a conference low 246 yards and 80 against the run.
"It'll be challenge," Stuursma said. "They're aggressive and make you make decisions.
“But what I like is what we can do,” he added. “There’s that old saying, ‘balance, balance.’ I don’t buy into that. You know what I want to be balanced in? I want to win way more than we lose.”