For the fourth consecutive week the Flying Dutchmen on Saturday, Sept. 22, will be playing an undefeated opponent. Hope hosts Illinois Wesleyan University at Holland Municipal Stadium. Kickoff will be 1 p.m.

 

The game will broadcast on 92.7THEVAN and streamed on the internet.

 

The nationally ranked Illinois Wesleyan Titans bring a 2-0 record to Holland while the Flying Dutchmen will be seeking to snap a two-game losing streak. The series started in 1992 with Illinois Wesleyan owning a 7-1 advantage, including a 35-0 victory a year ago. With an enrollment of 2,050 students, Illinois Wesleyan is a member of the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW). The Titans this week are ranked 15th in the Division III poll of the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA). Hope is coming off a record-setting 63-47 loss to Concordia-Chicago. Illinois Wesleyan did not play last Saturday.  Two weeks ago the Titans defeated MIAA member Alma 53-7.

 

Quarterback Michael Atwell is the MIAA Offensive Player of the Week. A junior from Geneseo, Ill. (Geneseo HS), Mike completed 27-of-53 passes for a career-high 445 yards and five touchdowns in Hope’s game against Concordia, Ill. last Saturday. He also had a rushing touchdown in the game.

 

Junior tailback Shawn Jackson Comstock Park (Comstock Park HS) is closing in on a career milestone. Last Saturday he rushed for 159 yards to raise his career total to 1,637 yards. His career total ranks 11th on Hope's all-time rushing list. The tenth best career total is 1,715 yards by Bill Blacquiere from 1974-77. The all-time career leader is Brandon Graham who rushed for 4,362 yards from 1995-97. Over his career Shawn has rushed for over 100 yards in nine games, including twice this season.

 

Beyond The Game: Hope athletic teams at their home contests this week are observing Cancer Awareness Week. All proceeds from fund raising initiatives are going to the Hope Cancer Research Fund in support of student researchers. … The pre-game Saturda will include a celebration of the improvements made to Holland Municipal Stadium and the anticipated transfer of ownership of the stadium from the City of Holland to Hope College. President Jim Bultman and Holland Mayor Kurt Dykstra will offer remarks. Hope's first game at Holland Municipal Stadium was a 20-2 victory over Wabash  on September 15, 1979… The Commisisoner's Cup of the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) will be formally presented to Hope at halftime by MIAA Commissioner David Neilson. The Commissioner's Cup is presented annually to the MIAA-member college that has the best cumulative performance in all the league's sports for men and women. Hope has won the Cup 12 consecutive years. The dedication of Hope’s new Vande Poel-Heeringa Stadium Tennis Courts will follow the football game