Defensive end Tate Bezeau tracked down elusive Mount St. Joseph University quarterback Jaxon Schreiber one last time, securing the game-clinching, fourth-down sack that earned the Hope College football team a 31-28 victory on Saturday.

The 15th-ranked Flying Dutchmen weathered a ferocious pride of Lions during the second half in front of a Ray and Sue Smith Stadium crowd of 3,013 on the inaugural Orange and Blue Weekend.

Hope heads into MIAA play with a 3-0 record. The defending champion Flying Dutchmen host Alma College (1-2) on Saturday, Sept. 27, at 1 p.m. in a matchup of the top two teams in the MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll.

"I said to our guys, 'We need a test like that,'" Stuursma said. "We're very young on both sides of the ball, but I think our guys grew up today. I'm very proud of them." 

Mount St. Joseph, the preseason favorite in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference, battled back from a 28-7 halftime deficit to get the ball back, down three, with 1 minute, 53 seconds remaining.

After a short Schreiber completion to the Lions 27-yard line, senior linebacker Bryce Debri (DeWitt, Michigan / DeWitt) and safety Owen Graham (Caledonia, Michigan / Caledonia) broke up a Schreiber pass to force 4th-and-5. 

Bezeau, a junior from Saline, Michigan (Saline), sacked a scrambling Schreiber for a 2-yard loss and forced a change in possession that allowed the Orange and Blue to run out the final 1 ½ minutes.

Schreiber threw for 367 yards and four touchdowns, including three second-half scores. He often kept plays alive, avoiding being sacked on several occasions.

Hope intercepted Schreiber twice, including a key one with 1:07 remaining in the first half at the Flying Dutchmen 15-yard line.

Junior quarterback Alex Thole (Schoolcraft, Michigan / Schoolcraft) led the Orange and Blue on an 8-play, 85-yard drive that capped a 28-point second quarter. A 3-yard touchdown run from sophomore running back Kal Motter (Lawton, Michigan / Lawton) put Hope up 28-7.

Motter also scored a 17-yard touchdown catch from Thole, hurdling a defender en route to the end zone for the Flying Dutchmen's second touchdown.

Hope also received touchdowns from sophomore running back AJ Martel (Mason, Michigan / Mason) that tied the score at 7-7 and a 6-yard run from Thole.

Mount St. Joseph (1-2) outgained the Orange and Blue, 446-357. The Lions' determined attack, using many passes on out routes, challenged the Hope defense, Stuursma said.

"You've got to be real patient and hang in there," Stuursma said. "You give up a 5-, 8-, or 10-yard out, and you go 'We've got to stop that.' You start playing a bracket-type coverage, they're going to hit you on an out-and-up, the seam or other places. One of the great things our defense did was staying on top. There weren't a lot of big plays other than one 50-50 ball. That quarterback was really good. The way he kept plays alive, he was outstanding."