The Calvin University football team will travel to Adrian College for a key Saturday conference contest slated to start at 3 p.m. contest at Adrian's Docking Stadium. Saturday's contest will mark the third meeting between the two schools. Calvin enters the game at 4-0 overall and 1-0 in the MIAA while Adrian comes in at 2-2 overall and 0-1 in the MIAA. 

Calvin is under the direction of head coach Trent Figg who guides his 112-member roster in year three this fall. 

Tickets - Tickets are available through the Adrian Box Office online at: Calvin-Adrian Football Tickets.

How to Watch/Listen:  Saturday's game can be followed by Live stream, live audio and live stats.

The Adrian live stream stream broadcast can be found online at: Calvin-Adrian Live Stream Broadcast.  In addition, Saturday's game will air on Grand Rapids radio Station 96.1 FM The Game iHeart Radio at: 96.1 The Game iHeart Radio. An audio stream will also be available through Michigan Sports Radio (Michigansportsradio.com).

Live statistics of the game will be produced at: Calvin/Adrian Live Stats.

The Lead-Up – Calvin is in season three under head coach Trent Figg. The Knights are coming off a 7-3 campaign in 2025 after producing a 2-8 record in year one (2024). Calvin finished fourth in the 2025 MIAA standings with a 4-3 conference record and was picked to finish fourth in the 2026 MIAA preseason coaches' poll. Calvin returns 72 letterwinners including 10 starters on offense and eight starters on defense from its 2025 campaign. Calvin is off to a 4-0 (1-0 MIAA) start for the second straight year. They take on the Bulldogs of Adrian. Adrian is 2-2 on the year including 0-1 in the MIAA. The Bulldogs are looking to snap a two-game losing skid, having fallen at Mt. St. Joseph 35-24 on September 19 and dropping a narrow 27-24 decision at Alma last Saturday. Adrian took third in the MIAA last year, finishing 8-2 overall and 5-2 in the MIAA, losing only to Hope (19-17) and eventual MIAA champion Alma (35-34).

A Look at the Series – Saturday's contest marks the third meeting between the two teams with Adrian winning both prior meetings. Adrian handed Calvin a 30-10 defeat in 2024 at Docking Stadium and then toppled the Knights 48-17 last fall at Calvin Soccer Stadium.

A Look at Last Year – Adrian defeated Calvin 48-17 last October at Calvin Soccer Stadium. Adrian led 35-0 at halftime and never looked back in rolling up 528 yards of offense including 322 through the air. Adrian quarterback Noah Beaudrie was 25 of 33 passing for 322 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for 36 yards and three scores. Tyler Morgan led the Adrian ground game with 72 yards. Braiden Whitaker had 11 catches for 164 yards for the Bulldogs. Thomas Vaccaro was 14 of 25 passing for 151 yards and a touchdown for Calvin. Luke Michmerhuizen caught six passes for 68 yards and a touchdown. Hayden Slegers had 41 yards rushing and a touchdown for the Knights.

MIAA/Non-Conference – The MIAA was 14-10 in non-conference games in September with Calvin, Hope and Olivet leading the list with 3-0 starts. Adrian and Trine were both 2-1 with Kalamazoo 1-2. Albion and Alma were both 0-3.

Inside Calvin Football / MIAA Football Pulse -  Beginning October 13, join Calvin head football coach Trent Figg  for this year's  edition of Inside Calvin Football,  on 96.1 The Game and Michigan Sports Radio.  The show is live from Big E's Sports Grille on East Beltline and begins at 7 p.m.  Fans are welcome to attend to meet players, coaches and other Calvin fans. Starting on September 24, WXSP-TV and WOOD-TV+ bring The MIAA Football Pulse – a 30-minute television program providing fans with up-to-date coverage, expert insights, highlights, and exclusive interviews from across the MIAA. The MIAA Football Pulse airs Thursday, September 24 at 7:30 p.m. on WXSP-TV and on demand at WOOD-TV+.   It's powered by People Driven Technology, Van Wyk Risk Solutions and Culver's.

Radio/TV -Catch the Knights all season long ,home and away, on 96.1FM The Game and Michigan Sports Radio.   Home games are televised live on WXSP-TV.

The Calvin Coach-Head coach Trent Figg was hired on January 6, 2023. He has a career won-loss record of 13-11 heading into Saturday. Figg is a native of Chillicothe, Missouri, located an hour-and-a-half from Kansas City. He is a 2008 graduate of William Jewell College where he was a four-year member of the football program as a special teams ace and defensive back. He later earned his master's degree from Northwest Missouri State in 2013. He began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at (then NAIA) William Jewell and later had stints as the special teams coordinator and defensive coordinator at D2 Southern Arkansas, defensive coordinator at William Jewell and special teams coordinator at Missouri State. He later spent two years (2019-21) at the University of Hawaii, serving as chief of staff of the football program and later associate head coach. In 2022, he served as the lead offensive analyst for the University of Oregon football program under head coach Dan Lanning. Figg and Lanning are former teammates and roommates at William Jewell College and stood up for each other at their respective weddings.

A Look at the Adrian Head Coach– Adrian head coach Joe Palka is in his third year as head coach of the Adrian Bulldogs. He led Adrian to a 6-4 record in year one and an 8-2 mark in year two. He is 16-8 at the helm of the Bulldogs heading into Saturday. He was hired in November of 2023 after previously serving as head football coach of Saline High School. He is the 24^th head coach in Adrian College football history. Palka had been head coach of Saline since 2012, compiling a won-loss record of 112-21 with 11 consecutive playoff appearances and 18 high school playoff victories. At Saline, he was the head coach of current Notre Dame starting quarterback C.J. Carr. From 2004-2006, he was the recruiting coordinator, special teams co-coordinator and secondary coach at Eastern Michigan University. He is an Eastern Michigan University graduate where he was a three-year starter at linebacker after walking on to the team originally.

More on Adrian– Adrian features a trio of preseason D3football.com All-Americans in senior defensive back Ethan Burrows (1^st Team), senior offensive lineman Joe Pruchnic (1^st Team) and sophomore punter Cooper Tracey (2^nd Team). Tracey was a standout freshman pitcher/outfielder for the 2026 Adrian baseball team that reached the semifinals of the NCAA III Baseball World Series. He batted .316 while making 14 pitching appearances out of the Adrian bullpen.  Burrows meanwhile was an Academic All-American last fall for Adrian while majoring in criminal justice. He was a First Team All-MIAA, All-Region and All-America selection in 2025 for Adrian. He has 22 tackles including 2.5 for loss. Junior Bennett Glide has a team-leading 30 tackles. Sophomore Michael Brown has two interceptions. Junior fullback Trey Bruggeman leads the ground game on offense, rushing for 270 yards and two touchdowns. Junior Jake Wright is the starting quarterback for the Bulldogs, completing 72.65 percent (85 of 117) of his passes for four touchdowns and 744 yards. Junior wide receiver Braiden Whitaker is his primary target, hauling in 43 catches for 401 yards and three touchdowns. Whitaker was a First Team All-MIAA selection in 2025.

Braiden Whitaker File – Adrian junior wide receiver Braiden Whitaker is second nationally in receptions per game (10.75) and 16^th in total reception yards (401). A year ago, he had 11 catches for 164 yards in Adrian's 48-17 win over the Knights at Calvin Soccer Stadium.

All-MIAA at Adrian – Adrian returns a total of seven 2025 All-MIAA selections. Returning First Team All-MIAA selections include senior offensive lineman Joe Pruchnic, junior wide receiver Braiden Whitaker, senior defensive lineman Andrew VanDyke, senior safety Ethan Burrows and sophomore punter Cooper Tracy. Returning Second Team All-MIAA selections include senior defensive lineman Chris Jackson and senior linebacker Maddox Woods.

Game Four Rewind – Calvin quarterback Thomas Vaccaro threw for a school-record six touchdown passes, all in the first half. The senior signal caller completed 28 of 37 passes for 365 yards and six touchdowns while also rushing for 18 yards a touchdown.

The Thomas Vaccaro File – Calvin senior quarterback Thomas Vaccaro leads NCAA III in passing touchdowns (19) and total points responsible for (126) and points-per-game (31.5). He is ranked third in total offense per game (359.8). He is fourth in passing yards (1.258), seventh in passing efficiency (210.2), ninth in passing yards-per-game (314.5) and 14^th in passing yards per-attempt (10.40).

More Calvin in the NCAA III Statistics  – After four games, Calvin has the No. 1-ranked overall offense in Division III, averaging 590.8 yards a game. In addition, Calvin has the 4th-ranked passing offense, averaging 358.0 passing yards per game. The Knights also have the 25th-ranked rushing offense with an average of 232.8 yards per game on the ground. Calvin has the 7t^h-ranked scoring offense at 52.2 points a game. Hunter Hogan is ranked fourth in total touchdowns (10) and points (60), second in touchdown receptions (7) and 24^th in total reception yards (368).

MIAA and D3football.com Honor Roll – Thomas Vaccaro was named MIAA Offensive Player of the Week on Sept. 28 for the first time in his career and was then named to the D3football.com National Team of the Week September 29. Hogan was named MIAA Offensive Player of the Week on Sept. 14 for the second time in his career on Sept. 14 while senior free safety Caden Kolanowski was named MIAA Defensive Player of the Week for the first time the same afternoon. On Sept.15, Kolanowski earned a national honor, landing a spot on the D3football.com National Team of the Week.

Record Breakers – Thomas Vaccaro broke a Calvin single-game record for touchdown passes last Saturday (6) in the win over Olivet. Hunter Hogan established a new Calvin record for the longest rushing touchdown with his 69-yard first quarter burst. Last Saturday at Franklin, Hogan set another single-game record, this time for most receptions in a game with 13. Paul Hubbard set a Calvin record for the longest kick return with a 45-yard return in the Sept. 5 game at Otterbein.

Snarling Schnurstein – Calvin is led by preseason All-American linebacker Carson Schnurstein who was picked as a D3football.com All-America Second Team choice last month. Schnurstein was named to the 2025 All-MIAA First Team and to the D3football.com All-Region IV Second Team last fall. He amassed a Calvin single-season record 115 tackles last fall, 52 solo and 63 assisted. He was amongst the NCAA Division III leaders in tackles throughout the 2025 campaign. He tallied 14.5 tackles for loss and six quarterback sacks. He was also credited with three interceptions, three forced fumbles, four quarterback hurries and two pass breakups.

More Conference Accolades – Schnurstein was one of four Calvin players to receive All-MIAA honors last year with all four returning. The remaining trio include junior running back/slot receiver Hunter Hogan, junior offensive lineman Brayden Steinbacher and senior defensive lineman C.J. Sheets. Hogan, Steinbacher and Sheets were all named to the 2025 All-MIAA Second Team.

Hogan's a Hero – Calvin junior Hunter Hogan is coming off a big sophomore campaign. He atoned for a team-leading 1,454 all-purpose yards in 2025. He rushed for 868 yards on 155 carries with eight rushing touchdowns including a long of 65 yards. He added 451 receiving yards by way off 39 receptions with two receiving touchdowns. He was also credited with 135 yards of kick return yardage. He had back-to-back 200-yard games on the ground in September, rushing for 215 yards on 34 carries in a 34-7 win over Concordia (Wisc.) and came back with 233 rushing yards on 41 carries in a 43-40 overtime win over Heidelberg the following week. Hogan has played in 20 career games at Calvin and scored 17 touchdowns across those contests.

1,000 Yards Times Two – Hogan became the first player in Calvin history to eclipse the 1,000 yard mark in both rushing and receiving in the Sept. 12 win over St. Norbert. He now has 1,092 yards on the ground and 1,289 yards receiving in his three-year Calvin career.

Calvin Quarterback Room – Calvin returns senior quarterback Thomas Vaccaro who grabbed the starting role last year and never let up. A native of Franklin, Tennessee, Vaccaro was 177 of 286 (61.89%) through the air for 1,794 yards and 17 touchdowns while throwing just six interceptions. He is backed up by sophomore Beau Harris and freshmen Noah Escobedo and David Dirksen. Junior Drake Irwin has moved to tight end but also has strong experience at quarterback.

Family Tree – Calvin's leading returning receiver is junior Luke Michmerhuizen who snagged 57 catches for 618 yards and eight touchdowns in 2025 including a walk-off overtime touchdown grab to defeat Heidelberg 43-40. He is Calvin's career leader in receptions (123), receiving yards (1,540) and receiving touchdowns (17). The 6-7 Michmerhuizen is the second member of his immediate family to be a Calvin varsity athlete as his older sister Nicole was a multiple All-American for the Calvin women's track and field team including a national champion in the 10,000 meter run in 2013. His father Mark Michmerhuizen is an associate professor in the Calvin engineering department. Sister Nicole was a chemical engineering and biochemistry student at Calvin, an Academic All-American and later a PhD recipient from the University of Michigan in the field of pharmacology. Luke is also an engineering student at Calvin.

MIAA Preseason Poll – Calvin was picked to finish fourth out of eight teams in the 2065 MIAA preseason poll with champion Hope selected as the MIAA's pre-season favorite with defending champion Alma picked  second. 2026 MIAA Preseason Poll: 1. Hope, 2. Alma, 3. Adrian, 4. Calvin, 5. Trine, 6. Albion, 7. Kalamazoo, 8. Olivet.

A Look at Calvin – Calvin features a 112-man roster this fall which includes 35 freshmen and 19 sophomores, 49 juniors, seven seniors and two grad students as part of its 112-man roster. 13 players feature from other states including Illinois (4), Texas (2), California (1), Louisiana (1), Tennessee (1), North Carolina (1), Florida (1), New Mexico (1) and New York (1) with the remaining 103 coming from Michigan.

The Calvin Offense by the Numbers – (50 total) - Quarterbacks (5), Running Backs (8), Wide Receivers (13), Tight Ends (5), Offensive Lineman (19). (Calvin also has 5 kicker/punters)

The Calvin Defense by the Numbers – (57 total)-  Defensive Linemen (21), Linebackers (11), Defensive Backs (25).  

Double Duty – The Calvin roster features a pair of two-sport Calvin varsity athletes in sophomores Paul Hubbard (DB) and Gavin Currie (WR). Both are also members of the Calvin men's track and field team and helped the Knights capture 2026 MIAA Indoor and Outdoor titles. Currie was a hurdler and scored in the 60 meter hurdles (fifth place) at the MIAA Indoor Meet. Hubbard competed in the long jump at the MIAA Indoor and Outdoor Championships and placed second in the event with a leap of 22-3 ½ to earn a spot on the All-MIAA Second Team for outdoor track and field.  

OK-Red Flavor – The Calvin football team has a strong representation from the Ottawa-Kent (OK) Red Conference as 17 players hail from the West Michigan based conference. The individuals include players from Caledonia (Reed Vogeler), Hudsonville (Cooper Roberts), Rockford (Seth Anderson, Drake Irwin, Mike Liggett, McCoy Baxter, Gavin Currie), Jenison (Zaiden Chirco, Rowan Stewart, Trevor Martens), East Kentwood (ShaMar White, Breylon Cox, Gabe Wolf), Grand Haven (Logan Minier) and Grandville (Aven Kaat and Keegan Kroll).  

Oh Brother – The roster features a set of brothers out of Grand Rapids Northview High School in sophomore offensive lineman Andre Johnson and freshman defensive lineman Keandre Johnson.

Cousin Connection – Junior quarterback/punter Drake Irwin and junior wide receiver Jude Klunder are first cousins.  

Portage Power Plant – The Calvin defense features three Portage Central High School graduates that will all see significant time this weekend including senior linebacker Carson Schurstein and freshmen defensive backs Gavin Grueter and Nolan Bloomquist. 

Classroom Distinction – The 2025 Calvin football team features 13 individuals that were named to the 2025-26 MIAA Academic Honor Roll for maintaining a 3.50 grade point average or above for the entire academic year while earning a varsity letter. Those 13 individuals include: Paul Bouma, Drake Irwin, Brady Jacobs, Brok Jones, Caden Kolanowski, Leighton Kolk, Luke Michmerhuizen, Nathan Mikesell, Micah Pobursky, Tanner Steffens, Brayden Steinbacher, Thomas Vaccaro and Reed Vogeler.  

Transfer Portal – Calvin has 11 players that have transferred over from other collegiate football programs. Those nine individuals are senior C.J. Sheets (Davenport University), senior Sam Gallo (Concordia, Mich.), junior Aiden O'Brien (Hope College), junior M'khi Guy (Wayne State University), senior Justin Evans (Davenport University), senior Dominique Williams (Olivet), sophomore Logan Ginter (Fort Lewis College), senior Thomas Vaccaro (Samford University), junior Tyler Porte (Central Michigan University), junior Carter Bylsma (Dordt University) and sophomore Brock Sperling (Western Illinois University).  

Traveling from Out-of-State – Calvin features 15 players from outside Michigan. Those players include senior C.J. Sheets (Longwood, Fla.), junior Hayden Slegers (Ontario, Ca.), freshman David Dirksen (Davis, Ca.), freshman Kaeson Pressley (Los Angeles, Ca.), senior Thomas Vaccaro (Franklin, Tenn.), freshman Noah Escobedo (Oak Lawn, Ill.), sophomore Christian Flutman (Orland Park, Ill.), freshman Joseph Gray (Chicago, Ill.), sophomore Edward Van Dellen (Evergreen Park, Ill.), junior Max Lenters (Palos Heights, Ill.), sophomore Brock Sperling (Palos Heights, Ill.), freshman Rike Niyongabo (Dillon, S.C.), sophomore Logan Ginter (Evergreen, Colo.), freshman Brayden Cartier (Chandler, Ariz.) and junior Jaden Lewis (Spring, Tx.).  

High Schools Represented – The high schools with the most represented players are: Hudsonville Unity Christian (7), Rockford (6), Holland Christian (4) and Chicago Christian (4).

A Look Ahead – Calvin returns to action on October 17 when it hosts Kalamazoo College at noon at Knight Stadium.