The Calvin University football team will host Kalamazoo College on Saturday in a conference contest presented by The DeNooyer Automotive Family. The contest will serve as the official dedication game for Knight Stadium with a halftime ceremony set to dedicate the new facility. Saturday's contest will mark the third meeting between the two schools with the teams having split the two prior meetings. Ranked 23rd nationally, Calvin enters the game at 5-0 overall and 2-0 in the MIAA while Kalamazoo comes in at 2-3 overall and 1-1 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 Calvin Box Office online at: Calvin-Kalamazoo Football Tickets.

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

The Calvin live stream stream broadcast can be found online at: Calvin-Kalamazoo 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/Kalamazoo 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 5-0 (2-0 MIAA) start for its best start in its early program history. They take on the Hornets of Kalamazoo. Kalamazoo is 2-3 on the year including 1-1 in the MIAA. The Hornets are coming off a 23-16 road win at Albion October 3.

A Look at the Series – Saturday's contest marks the third meeting between the two teams with Kalamazoo winning the 2024 matchup 33-31 in Kalamazoo with Calvin winning the return meeting last fall in Grand Rapids 24-16.

A Look at Last Year – Calvin defeated Kalamazoo 24-16 in front of more than 2,500 Calvin Homecoming fans at Calvin Soccer Stadium last fall. Calvin led 17-10 at halftime and used a six-yard fourth quarter touchdown run from Hunter Hogan to seal the win. Hogan rushed for 115 yards and a touchdown while Seth Anderson and Carter Bylsma had two touchdown grabs for the Knights. Thomas Vaccaro was 26 of 31 passings for 235 yards and two touchdowns. Kalamazoo quarterback Dawson Skupin was 30 of 49 passing for 347 yards. Conner Bell had 44 yards rushing and a touchdown for the Hornets.

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.

National Rankings – Calvin is ranked No 23 in the latest American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) D3 Top 25 poll, marking the first time Calvin has received a national ranking. In addition, the Knights are ranked 12^th in the first Division III National Power Index (NPI) poll. The NPI rankings use a metric algorithm based on wins and losses as well as the records of opponents played during the season. It is used for seeding purposes for the 40-team NCAA III playoffs as well as to determine the 13 teams that receive at-large bids to the NCAA III playoffs.

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 7pm.  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 7:30pm 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 14-11 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 Kalamazoo Head Coach– Kalamazoo is under the direction of first-year head coach John Krajacic. Krajacic is no stranger to Kalamazoo football as he was a four-year letterwinner for the Hornet football team from 2000-2003. He joined the Kalamazoo coaching staff in 2008 and has been on staff since. He served as offensive coordinator through last fall before elevated to the head coaching spot after previous head coach Jamie Zorbo stepped down to focus on his duties as Kalamazoo's Director of Athletics. Krajacic was officially named Kalamazoo head football coach on December 19, 2025.

More on Kalamazoo– Kalamazoo returns a 2025 Second Team All-MIAA selection in senior defensive tackle Nolan Jannenga. He has 13 tackles and a sack in 2026. Senior Brayden Ledin has been the starting quarterback for the Hornets, completing 64 percent of his passes for 1,073 yards and nine touchdowns. Senior Trey Richey has also seen time at quarterback for Kalamazoo and has a team-leading 149 rushing yards with one touchdown. Senior Aaron Zekman is the leading receiver, hauling in 25 balls for 349 yards and four touchdowns. Senior Carsen Moat has 17 catches for 224 yards. Senior linebacker Zach Sykes is the leading tackler with 52 tackles including 29 solo. Sophomore linebacker Grant Anderson has 27 tackles. Senior linebacker Raymond Cargill has 25 tackles.

Game Five Rewind – Calvin is coming off a 17-12 victory at Adrian on October 3, marking its first-ever win over the Bulldogs. Calvin quarterback Thomas Vaccaro threw a pair of touchdown passes including a late third-quarter strike to Hunter Hogan that gave the Knights a 17-6 lead and proved good enough for the eventual win. The touchdown toss was the 21^st of the season for Vaccaro – marking a new Calvin single-season record. Vaccaro was 23 of 37 passing for 211 yards and two scores while rushing for 70 yards on 11 carries. Junior wide-out Luke Michmerhuizen had eight catches for 86 yards and a touchdown with Hunter Hogan catching three passes for 42 yards and a touchdown. Junior Kaden McCullough had 11 tackles and Carson Schnurstein 10. Senior Peter Markvluwer had three tackles, two sacks, a forced fumble, a blocked kick and one pass break-up.

The Thomas Vaccaro File – Calvin senior quarterback Thomas Vaccaro is third in the NCAA III stats in passing touchdowns (21) and total points responsible for (138). He is ninth in pass completion percentage (.715). He leads Calvin in passing yards (1,469) and rushing yards (251).

More Calvin in the NCAA III Statistics  – After five games, Calvin has the No. 3rd-ranked overall offense in Division III, averaging 534.2 yards a game. In addition, Calvin has the 5th-ranked passing offense, averaging 328.6 passing yards per game. Calvin has the 10^th-ranked scoring offense at 45.2 points a game. Hunter Hogan is ranked fifth in total touchdowns (11) and receiving touchdowns (8) and eighth in total points (66).

MIAA and D3football.com Honor Roll – Peter Markvluwer was named MIAA Defensive Player of the Week on October 5 and then landed a spot on the D3football.com Team of the Week on October 6. 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 (6) in the September 26 win over Olivet. He now has the Calvin single-season record for touchdown passes (21) with games still left on the schedule. Hunter Hogan established a new Calvin record for the longest rushing touchdown with his 69-yard first quarter burst on Sept. 5 at Otterbein. On September 19 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 24 career games at Calvin and scored 26 touchdowns (11 rushing, 15 receiving) 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 1,102 yards on the ground and 1,331 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 (131), receiving yards (1,626) and receiving touchdowns (18). 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 24 when it hosts Albion College at 1 p.m. at Knight Stadium.