The Calvin University football team will host rival Hope College on Saturday in a conference contest at 1 p.m. at Knight Stadium. Saturday's contest will mark the third meeting between the two schools with Hope winning the two prior meetings. Ranked 20th nationally in the AFCA Coaches' Poll and 25th by D3football.com, Calvin enters the game at 8-0 overall and 5-0 in the MIAA while Hope comes in at 8-0 overall and 5-0 in the MIAA. The Flying Dutch are ranked 8th in the AFCA Coaches' Poll and 9th in the D3football.com Top 25 poll.

Calvin is under the direction of head coach Trent Figg who guides his 111-member roster in year three this fall. 

Tickets - Saturday's game is a sellout.

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-Hope Live Stream Broadcast.  The broadcast will also be aired throughout West Michigan on WXSP-TV. 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/Hope 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 an 8-0 (5-0 MIAA) start for its best start in its early program history. The Knights defeated Trine 51-20 last Saturday. They take on the Flying Dutch of Hope. Hope is 8-0 on the year including 5-0 in the MIAA. The Flying Dutch are coming off a 48-13 win over Kalamazoo last Saturday.

Full House – Saturday's game is a complete sell-out with a crowd of more than 3,600 fans expected to attend.

National Rankings – Both teams enter Saturday's game nationally-ranked. Calvin is ranked 20^th in the AFCA D3 Coaches Poll and 25^th in the D3football.com Top 25 poll. Hope is ranked 8^th in the AFCA D3 Coaches Poll and 9^th in the D3football.com Top 25 poll. In addition, Hope is ranked #11 in the latest Division III National Power Index ratings (NPI) while Calvin is ranked #12.

A Look at the Series – Saturday's contest marks the third meeting between the two teams with Hope winning both prior meetings, winning the 2024 matchup 38-7 at Grand Rapids Christian High School with Hope winning the return meeting last fall in Holland 52-0.

MIAA Title on the Line – A share of the MIAA title is on the line Saturday afternoon as either team will clinch a share of the crown with a win. Trine is lurking just a game behind and hosts Olivet Saturday and will travel to Hope next Saturday. Calvin will travel to Alma on November 14 for its regular season finale.

A Look at Last Year – Hope rolled over Calvin 52-0 at Ray and Sue Smith Stadium in Holland. The Flying Dutch rolled up 597 yards of offense including 260 on the ground in gaining the lopsided win. Calvin was limited to 152 yards of offense – 66 passing and 86 rushing. Quarterback Thomas Vaccaro was 10 of 17 passing for 44 yards with an interception while being sacked three times for Calvin. He also rushed 12 times for 61 yards. Drake Irwin saw time in relief and threw for 22 yards but threw two interceptions and was sacked once. Luke Michmerhuizen had five catches for 30 yards for Calvin. Hope was paced by quarterback Alex Thole who was 21 of 31 passing for 244 yards and a touchdown. He was sacked four times. Kal Motter rushed for 94 yards and two touchdowns. Jonny Rohen-Blanton had eight catches for 71 yards. Reed Vogeler had a Calvin single-game record 19 tackles. Colton Schreur had eight tackles for Hope.

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 17-11 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 Hope Head Coach–  Hope is under the direction of 10th-year head coach Peter Stuursma who is a 1993 graduate of Hope. As a student, Stuursma was a four-year member of the football program at Hope and a team co-captain his senior year. He earned his master's degree from the University of Northern Colorado in 1998 and was a graduate assistant football coach on the school's 1997 Division II National Championship team. He later went on to a decorated high school coaching career at East Grand Rapids High School, leading the school to seven state championships. He has been at the helm of the Hope football program since 2016 and has fashioned a won-loss record of 82-20 that includes three MIAA titles and three NCAA III playoff berths. Of note, Stuursma has ties to Calvin as his grandfather Herman "Fuzz Van Faasen was Calvin's first great point guard in men's basketball, starring on Calvin teams in the late 1930s and early 1940s with Calvin winning a pair of Michigan Ontario Collegiate Conference (MOCC) titles.  Calvin was a member of the MOCC prior to joining the MIAA in 1953.

More on Hope– The Hope offense is led by senior dual-threat quarterback Alex Thole who has thrown for 1,652 yards and eight touchdowns while rushing for 154 yards. The Flying Dutch feature a powerful ground attack that is based around a trio of running backs. Freshman Brody Schuiteman leads the way with 577 yards and 17 rushing touchdowns which ranks second nationally. Junior AJ Martel is right behind with 573 yards and nine touchdowns with sophomore Trey Goike contributing 485 rushing yards and three touchdowns. Senior Trevor Griffiths leads the receiving room with 19 catches for 437 yards and two scores. Senior Kaden DeHorn has 24 catches for 370 yards and two touchdowns with senior Jonny Rohen-Blanton catching 27 balls for 355 yards and three touchdowns. Sophomore linebacker Nolan Vis is the leading tackler for Hope with 53 tackles including 4.5 for loss. Senior safety Tyson Mann has 30 tackles with senior Joey Maheney recording 19 tackles and three sacks.

Game Eight Rewind – Calvin is coming off a 51-20 victory at Trine last Saturday. Calvin put the game way in the first half, leading 42-6 at halftime. Calvin sacked Trine's quarterback six times led by Kaden McCullough who tallied a career-high three sacks. Senior quarterback Thomas Vaccaro was 23 of 34 passing for 370 yards and four touchdown passes while rushing for two more. Junior Hunter Hogan matched a Calvin single-game record for receptions (13) and set a new Calvin single-game mark for receiving yards (183) while hauling in three scores. Junior Luke Michmerhuizen also had seven catches for 120 yards. Junior Carson Schnurstein finished with nine tackles and a sack.

The Thomas Vaccaro File – Calvin senior quarterback Thomas Vaccaro is the NCAA III co-leader in passing touchdowns (37) along with Saint John's quarterback Trey Feeney. He leads the nation in total points responsible for (256). He is fourth nationally in passing yardage (2,542), fourth in passing efficiency (201.0), fifth in passing yards per-game (317.8) and fifth in pass completion percentage (.728). He leads Calvin in passing yards (2,542) and rushing yards (369).

More Calvin in the NCAA III Statistics  – After eight games, Calvin has the fifth-ranked overall offense in Division III, averaging 532.5 yards a game. In addition, Calvin has the 5th-ranked passing offense, averaging 344.0 passing yards per game. Calvin has the 7^th-ranked scoring offense at 47.9 points a game. Hunter Hogan is ranked 7th in total touchdowns (16) and total points (98) and 5th in receiving touchdowns (13).

Hope in the NCAA III Statistics – As a team, Hope is ranked 10^th nationally in rushing offense (270.5) and 14^th in total offense (483.5 ypg), sixth in total offense (529.4). They are 22^nd in scoring offense (41.5) and 14^th in scoring defense (11.1) and 21^st in tackles for loss (3.63). Individually, freshman running back Brody Schuiteman is second nationally in rushing touchdowns (17) and third in total points (102). Senior quarterback Alex Thole is 10^th nationally in completion percentage (.709).

MIAA and D3football.com Honor Roll – Kaden McCullough was named MIAA Defensive Player of the Week on November 2 while junior punter Logan Nap was named MIAA Special Teams Player of the Week the same day. Thomas Vaccaro was named MIAA Offensive Player of the Week on October 19 and to the D3football.com Team of the Week October 20, marking the second time this year he has received both awards. 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. Hunter 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 national honors, 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 (8) in the win over Kalamazoo October 17. He also established a new Calvin single-game record for total yards (404). He now has the Calvin single-season record for touchdown passes (29) 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 which he matched again last Saturday at Trine. He also established a new single-game record for receiving yards (183). 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 26 career games at Calvin and scored 28 touchdowns (11 rushing, 17 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 1,147 yards on the ground and 1,743 yards receiving in his three-year Calvin career. In addition, he has 31 career touchdowns in 27 career games.

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 (148), receiving yards (1,896) and tied for the career lead with Hunter Hogan for receiving touchdowns (20). 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 111-man roster this fall which includes 35 freshmen and 19 sophomores, 49 juniors, six seniors and two grad students as part of its 111-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 (24).

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 have all seen significant time this fall in junior 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 10 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 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 next Saturday when it travels to Alma for a 1 p.m. MIAA contest.