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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.
Photo by Jacob Knox, Hope College Class of 2029