The Hope football team kicks off Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) play today at 2 p.m. when it hosts reigning league champion Adrian at Ray & Sue Smith Stadium.

Both teams enter with 3-1 overall records. Here is a look at the matchup.

COACHES

Hope — Dean Kreps, 19th Season (97-83) | Adrian — Jim Deere, fourth season (25-10)

GAME NOTES

Today is the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association opener for both teams. Hope  tied for third in the MIAA preseason coaches poll, while reigning league champion Adrian topped it with four of seven possible first-place votes. Hope received two first-place votes.

The Hope-Adrian rivalry dates back to 1938. Hope leads the all-time series 49-22-1, but Adrian won last season 24-0 at home.

Homecoming is a tradition that started at Hope in 1928. The Flying Dutchmen own a 50-29-3 record in homecoming games. Adrian was last a homecoming opponent in 2003, and Hope won 33-7. 

Senior quarterback Michael Atwell of Geneseo, Ill., (Geneseo HS) ranks third in all of NCAA Division III with a MIAA-leading 1,306 passing yards this season. He trails leader Matt Grimard of Bethany (W.V.) by just 41 yards. Atwell is 12th in the country with 10 touchdown passes in four games. Atwell became the fourth quarterback in Hope history to eclipse 5,000 career passing yards last week. He also was named one of 170 candidates for the National Football Foundation (NFF) Scholar-Athlete Award this week.

Several Hope players rank among the elite in MIAA statistical leaders as league play kicks off. Senior running back Shawn Jackson of Comstock Park (Comstock Park HS) is second in rushing at 112.5 yards per game, while junior receiver Taylor Brynaert of Washington, Mich. (Romeo HS) sits third in receiving yards at 85.0 and fifth in receptions at 6.25. On defense, five from Hope rank in the top 10 for tackles —senior linebacker Tim Klaus of Saugatuck (Saugatuck HS) in sixth at 82, junior linebacker Cody Lindemulder of Mulliken (Lakewood HS) in seventh at 7.8, junior defensive back Kirby Crook of Beech Grove, Ind. (Beech Grove) in ninth at 7.5 and senior safety Santino DiCesare of Dorr (Wayland HS) in 10th at 7.2.

2013 TEAM STATISTICS 

HOPE—CATEGORY—ADRIAN

31.5—Points Per game—25.0

12.2—Opponents Points Per Game—8.5

155.8—Yards Rushing Per Game—176.2

333.8—Yards Passing Per Game—121.2

489.6—Total Offense Per Game—297.5

127.0—Opponent's Rushing Per Game—81.2

129.8—Opponent's Passing Per Game—175.2

336.8—Total Defense Per Game—256.5

8/8—Turnovers/Takeaways—14/10