ANGOLA, IND. -- The Trine University football team suffered a 51-0 loss against Hope (Mich.) College in the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association opener at Fred Zollner Athletic Stadium as part of Homecoming Weekend in Angola, Ind.
Hope (3-1, 1-0 MIAA) looked to make a statement with 459 total yards of offense (250 rushing and 209 passing) and held Trine (3-1, 0-1 MIAA) to 169 total yards (136 rushing and 33 passing). It marked the first time Trine had been held scoreless since the 2008 season and was also the first time the Thunder were shut out at home since that same year, both of which occurred against Wheaton (Ill.) College in the first round of the NCAA Tournament (L, 14-0).
The Flying Dutchmen got the scoring going on their first offensive possession of the game and marched 80 yards in 12 plays to score on a three-yard run by quarterback Mason Opple. On its next drive, Hope put together another scoring drive that included pass plays of 21 yards, 14 yards and ended with an eight-yard completion from Opple that put the visitors ahead, 14-0, after the first 15 minutes.
Hope continued to pile on the points in the second quarter as the Dutchmen struck for 17 points that began with a 46-yard field goal with 10:19 to go in the half. Hope went on to add points on a five-yard TD run and then a seven-yard TD pass play as the Dutchmen went into halftime with a commanding 31-0 advantage.
The second half saw no relief for Trine as Hope maintained its pressure both offensively and on defense. Hope found the endzone on two occasions that started with a 19-yard rush by Kenyea Houston at the 7:20 mark to make it a 38-0 ball game. Later in the period, Opple connected for his third TD toss of the afternoon with a 20-yard strike that put the Dutchmen out in front, 45-0, heading into the fourth quarter.
The final points of the contest came early in the final period when Hope scored a TD after recovering a bad snap on Trine's previous drive and led to a one-yard TD run. The ensuing extra point attempt was blocked by Trine's Christian Warren (Toledo, Ohio/Toledo Rogers), but Hope would go on to win by the final score of 51-0.
Junior Dylan Dowling (Alexandria, Ind./Alexandria) led Trine offensively with a team-high 85 yards rushing on 13 carries (6.5 yards per rush). Senior quarterback Brandon Winters (Toledo, Ohio/Central Catholic) rushed for 24 yards in 10 attempts (2.4 yards per carry).
Defensively, freshman Jake Gladieux (Oregon, Ohio/Whitmer) made a game-high 14 tackles (six solo and eight assists) to go along with one breakup.
Trine will travel to Alma, Mich. to take on Alma College in a MIAA matchup next Saturday, Oct. 12. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m.