Flying Dutchmen overwhelm Albion 63-0 in dominant MIAA opener

The Hope College Flying Dutchmen (4-0, 1-0 MIAA) unleashed a relentless ground attack and suffocating defense Saturday, rolling past the visiting Albion College Britons (0-4, 0-1) 63-0 in their Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association opener before 2,838 fans at Smith Stadium.

The nationally ranked Flying Dutchmen piled up a season-high 513 yards while holding Albion to just 66. Eight different players scored touchdowns as Hope shut out the Britons for the second straight season.

Martel opens the floodgates

Albion kept the game scoreless for most of the opening quarter before AJ Martel finally broke through, plunging in from two yards with 1:15 remaining.

From there, Hope took over.

Alex Thole opened a 21-point second quarter by connecting with Johnny Rohen-Blanton for a long touchdown strike. Martel later added his second score on a one-yard run before the Flying Dutchmen defense joined the scoring.

Safety Tyson Mann forced an Albion fumble and Tate Bezeau chased it down in the end zone, sending Hope into halftime firmly in command.

Ground game keeps rolling

There was no letup after the break as Hope continued attacking with a deep rotation of running backs.

Trey Goike, Brody Schuiteman, Jack Bollman and Sean Emerson all found the end zone, while quarterback Jack Bullock added another rushing touchdown.

The Flying Dutchmen finished with 329 yards and seven touchdowns on 57 rushing attempts. Goike led the way with 61 yards on eight carries, while Schuiteman added 60 on nine. Bullock needed only two attempts to produce 47 yards, including a 43-yard run.

Martel carried 11 times for 30 yards and his two touchdowns.

Thole nearly perfect through the air

With the running game doing most of the damage, Thole was remarkably efficient when Hope went to the air.

The senior quarterback completed 15 of 16 passes for 175 yards and a touchdown without an interception. Rohen-Blanton caught four passes for a team-high 65 yards and a score, while Trevor Griffiths added 35 yards on two receptions.

Between Thole and Bullock, Hope completed 16 of 17 passes for 184 yards.

Defense gives Albion nowhere to go

As impressive as the offense was, the Flying Dutchmen defense produced an even more lopsided performance.

Albion managed only 31 rushing yards and 35 through the air. The Britons averaged just 1.3 yards per rushing attempt, while quarterbacks Ian Deromedi and Hunter McGuire combined to complete 11 of 21 passes.

The Hope defense spread the work around, with 32 players recording tackles. Mason Gougis, Will Seniura and Carson Ostrander shared the team lead with three apiece, while Seniura also recorded a sack.

Freshman kicker Avery Umphrey completed the afternoon by converting all nine extra points.

The victory marked the first time in the 97-game series that Hope has blanked Albion in consecutive meetings. After last season’s 62-0 victory, the Flying Dutchmen have now outscored the Britons 125-0 over their last two games — another emphatic statement from an unbeaten Hope team that has yet to surrender a touchdown through the first three quarters of any game this season.