The Rivalry in football finally lived up to the Hope College-Calvin University competitive history, but the Flying Dutch football team did not celebrate afterward for the first time.
The Flying Dutch suffered their first loss in the fledgling series on Saturday, losing the MIAA and nationally ranked showdown at Calvin University, 38-24, on Saturday in front of a sold-out Knights Stadium crowd of 3,786. It was the first game in The Rivalry on Calvin's campus.
Hope — ranked eighth in this week's American Football Coaches Association poll and ninth by D3football — gave up two fourth-quarter touchdown passes that broke a 24-24 deadlock. The Flying Dutch fell to 8-1 on the season and 5-1 in MIAA play.
Calvin — ranked No. 20 by the AFCA and No. 25 by D3football — remained undefeated on the season at 9-0 overall and 6-0 in MIAA games. The Knights beat for the first time in three tries to clinch at least a share of their first MIAA championship and the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III playoffs with one game remaining.
"First of all, congratulations to Calvin. Coach [Trent] Figg, I have great respect for him. They did a nice job. They beat us today," head coach Peter Stuursma. "This one stings, but we're going to wake up tomorrow and go back to work."
The Flying Dutch conclude the regular season on Saturday, Nov. 14, at 1 p.m. against 7-2 Trine University on Senior Day at Smith Stadium. Hope remains in contention for an at-large playoff berth.
Senior receiver
Trevor Griffiths (Stevensville, Michigan / Lakeshore) caught a career-high eight passes for 117 yards, including a 43-yard touchdown reception from quarterback
Alex Thole (Schoolcraft, Michigan / Schoolcraft). Thole completed 20-of-32 passes for 245 yards but was sacked four times.
Running back Brody Schuiteman (Jenison, Michigan / Jenison) gave Hope a 7-0 lead with a 5-yard run 2 minutes, 53 seconds into the first quarter. The Flying Dutch capitalized when senior safety Tyson Mann (Grandville, Michigan / Grandville) forced Calvin quarterback Thomas Vaccaro's fumble at the Knights' 32-yard line.
The rushing touchdown was Schuiteman's 18th of the season, tying him for second all-time at Hope with running back Chance Strickland (2024) and quarterback Mason Opple (2018).
Thole scored on a 6-yard run to pull Hope even at 24-24 with 3:30 remaining in the third quarter.
Calvin charted into the lead when Vaccaro connected with receiver Luke Michmerhuizen on a 39-yard strike down the Knights' sideline with 6:59 to go.
Calvin forced a third consecutive Hope punt, then three plays later, Vaccaro hit a streaking Michmerhuizen for his third touchdown of the day, a 64-yard score with 4:08 remaining.Â
Michmerhuizen finished with six receptions for a career-high 155 yards. Vaccaro completed 21-of-29 passes for 357 yards while rushing for 56. Despite committing two turnovers, including a linebacker Nolan Vis interception of Vaccaro, the Knights outgained Hope, 540-368.
"We didn't want them to beat us with this dink-and-dunk stuff, and so that's why we were trying to back off a little bit on that," Stuursma said of the strategy to rush three. "If you look back on the games that he's played, he's been the leading rusher. Why? Because if the first look isn't there, then he's going to tuck and go right up the middle. He doesn't usually scramble side to side, so we wanted to try to keep that in. The two things that hurt us were the two over-the-top to the big kid [the 6-7 Michmerhuizen]. We just didn't make a play, and he did."
