Comeback falls short as Hope drops third straight with 28-26 loss to Alma

ALMA, Mich — A fourth-quarter rally by the Hope College football team came short Saturday afternoon as the Flying Dutchmen were defeated by Alma College, 28-26, at Bahlke Field in Alma.

The loss dropped Hope to 0-3 in MIAA play and 3-4 overall heading into the Saturday, Oct. 15, Homecoming game against Olivet College. Kickoff is 2 p.m. at Ray and Sue Smith Stadium

The Scots remained unbeaten on the season at 2-0 in the MIAA and 6-0 overall with their first win over the Flying Dutchmen since 2015.
"I'm searching high and low for answers. I can't find any right now, but I will, with our staff. Because we're going to do the same things we always do, evaluate what we did right and wrong and learn from it, and we've gotta move on. We have to," head coach Peter Stuursma said. 

An early interception by Alma and back-to-back pass interference penalties against Hope led to a touchdown for the Scots on their first possession.
Hope took advantage of a short punt that gave the Dutchmen great field position to score its first points. Senior placekicker Dylan Hillger of Holly, Michigan (Lake Fenton) booted a 38-yard field goal to cut the Alma lead to 7-3 late in the first quarter.

The Scots extended their lead to 14-3 early in the second quarter with a 67-yard, eight-play drive. But then a key defensive play swung the momentum Hope's way.
Freshman defensive back Darion Nundley of Newport, Michigan (Woodhaven) intercepted an Alma pass and returned it 28 yards for a touchdown, his second pick-six of the season. Hillger's extra point pulled the Flying Dutchmen within four at 14-10.

Then later in the second quarter, Hope put together its longest drive of the day, moving 83 yards on 15 plays. Sophomore quarterback Ben Wellman of Bloomington, Illinois (Bloomington) connected with junior wide receiver Terrell Harris of Whitehall, Michigan (Whitehall) on completions of 22 and 25 yards to move the ball into Alma territory.

However, Wellman was injured during that drive and did not return to the game. Sophomore quarterback Chance Strickland of Mason, Michigan (Mason) carried the ball six consecutive plays for 36 yards, culminating in a 2-yard touchdown run that gave Hope a 17-14 lead with two minutes remaining in the first half.

Alma struck back on the opening drive of the second half with a 60-yard touchdown pass, and added a 36-yard TD pass later in the third quarter for a 28-17 lead.

Hope did not quit. The Flying Dutchmen drove into the red zone early in the fourth quarter, and Hillger kicked his second field goal of the day, a 28-yarder, to pull them within one score at 28-20.

After Hope's defense forced a three-and-out, Strickland directed a 63-yard, nine-play drive. He threw a pass into the flat to senior wide receiver TJ McKenzie of Muskegon, Michigan (North Muskegon), and McKenzie powered his way into the end zone from 12 yards out to make the score 28-26 with 5:40 remaining.

However, Alma forced an incomplete pass on the two-point conversion to hang onto the lead.

The Flying Dutchmen got one final opportunity with a little more than four minutes remaining. Strickland converted on two fourth-down plays, but a costly sack proved too much for Hope to overcome. Alma took over on downs and ran the clock out to preserve the win.

Hope finished with 400 yards of total offense, including 256 on the ground. The Flying Dutchmen limited Alma to 320 yards on the ground, well below the Scots' season average.

Strickland led Hope with 133 rushing yards on 39 carries, both season highs for the Flying Dutchmen ground game.

"Chance Strickland had a gutty performance. He's our third-string quarterback, and to come in and do what he did — to will us to even have a chance — was unbelievable," Stuursma said.

Wellman, who made his first collegiate start, completed 13 of 19 passes for 119 yards before he was injured. Harris was Hope's top receiver with 61 yards on four receptions.

Defensively, freshman safety Nick Flegler of DeWitt, Michigan (DeWitt) intercepted a pass. Junior linebacker Mohamed Kamara of Kalamazoo, Michigan (Kalamazoo Central) made 10 tackles, including seven solo stops and two tackles for loss.

Sophomore linebacker Andrew Debri of DeWitt, Michigan (DeWitt) had eight tackles, including six solos.