Hope College is heading into the final two weeks of the regular season in sole possession of first place in the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association football race.
The Flying Dutchmen used a suffocating defense and another strong, balanced offensive attack on Saturday to post a 27-3 victory over Alma College at Bahlke Field.
Hope's win, combined with Trine University's 31-24 loss on Saturday at Albion College, put the Flying Dutchmen (4-0 MIAA, 7-1 overall) one game ahead of the Thunder and Britons heading into the final two games of the season/
The Flying Dutchmen host Albion Saturday, Nov. 6, at Ray and Sue Smith Stadium, followed by a Saturday, Nov. 13 matchup with Trine at Zollner Stadium in Angola, Indiana.
"This one had me nervous all week, just because they were coming off of their bye," head coach Peter Stuursma said after the game. "They were fresh, they were getting guys healthy again, and their defense was good and opportunistic."
Despite losing two starting offensive linemen with injuries in the contest, the Flying Dutchmen churned out 474 yards of total offense. It was the fifth straight game in which Hope has gained more than 400 yards of total offense – and had two running backs go over 100 yards rushing for the second consecutive week.
Meanwhile, after giving up a 22-yard pass completion on the first play of the game, the Hope defense did not allow another first down the rest of the first half and held the Scots to just 14 yards of total offense in the first 30 minutes.
The Flying Dutchmen opened the scoring late in the first quarter as junior quarterback Chase Brown of Comstock Park, Michigan (Comstock Park HS) scored on a 1-yard sweep around right end.
Sophomore running back Elijah Smith of Hastings, Michigan (Hastings HS) carried the ball six times on the drive, accounting for 36 of the 43 yards needed to reach the end zone. Junior placekicker Dylan Hillger of Holly, Michigan (Lake Fenton HS) booted the extra point for a 7-0 Hope lead.
The Flying Dutchmen then executed a successful onside kickoff, recovering the kick at the Alma 43. Hope then drove back into the red zone, leading to a 23-yard field goal by Hillger for a 10-0 lead.
The Hope defense came up big in the second quarter after a return of a short punt gave the Scots the ball at the Dutchmen 22. Hope limited the Scots to two yards on three plays, forcing Alma to settle for a 37-yard field goal.
Hope responded with a 59-yard, 10-play drive just before the end of the half, with Hillger splitting the uprights on a 30-yard field goal, his fifth consecutive field goal without a miss this season, and the Dutchmen led 13-3 at halftime.
Alma had another opportunity to pull closer early in the third quarter after the Scots stopped Hope on a botched punt attempt inside its own 25-yard-line.
But a holding penalty on the Scots, followed by a sack by junior linebacker Adam Gill of Grand Rapids, Michigan (Forest Hills Northern HS) and senior defensive end Drew Althouse of Ludington, Michigan (Ludington HS), pushed Alma out of field goal range.
"We gave them a short field and our defense stood on their head again," Stuursma said. "That's two weeks in a row that our defense has really come to play. I'm just real proud of our guys' effort."
Alma's defense hung tough, picking off two passes in the second half to increase the Scots' total to 24, tops among all NCAA Division III teams. But Hope's ground attack would wear down the Scots, and the Flying Dutchmen pulled away.
Hope drove 92 yards in 12 plays, taking up 6 minutes, 37 seconds, with Smith hitting paydirt on a 13-yard touchdown run with 10:59 remaining in the game for a 20-3 lead.
Then, senior running back Daniel Romano of Royal Oak, Michigan (Shrine Catholic HS) put the exclamation mark on Hope's win by dashing 44 yards for a touchdown with 7:19 remaining.
Romano, who won MIAA Offensive Player of the Week honors a week ago with his 244-yard rushing effort against Adrian, went over the 100-yard mark for the third time this season with 125 yards on 17 carries.
Smith, who entered the season as the No. 4 running back on Hope's depth chart, became the fourth different back to top the century mark this season with a career-high 104 yards on 25 carries.
"That says a lot about the depth of our running backs," Stuursma said. "It also says a lot about what we're doing up front schematically and our guys blocking.
"Coach (Dave) Lidgard (running backs coach) has said it all along – we feel good about the backs that we put in there. At any point and time, they have a chance to make plays. That's what you want. When you're down to No. 4 and he goes for 100 yards, that's outstanding. That's a big, big positive for us."
Brown completed 19 of 27 passes for 220 yards, with junior wide receiver Terrell Harris of Whitehall, Michigan (Whitehall HS) leading the Flying Dutchmen with eight receptions for 76 yards.
Junior wide receiver TJ McKenzie of Muskegon, Michigan (North Muskegon HS) caught five passes for 74 yards.
Hope ran 84 offensive plays to 44 for Alma, and held the football for a season-high 38:42.
The Hope defense limited the Scots to five first downs, 139 yards of total offense, and did not allow the Scots to convert a single third down in 11 attempts. Alma's three quarterbacks combined for just seven completions in 22 attempts for 75 yards.
Senior linebacker Jeremiah Purnell of Dorr, Michigan (Wyoming HS) led the Flying Dutchmen with five tackles, and sophomore cornerback Mohamed Kamara of Kalamazoo, Michigan (Kalamazoo Central HS) picked off his first career interception.