The Alma College Football team hosted Hope College in the MIAA opener on Saturday at Bahlke Field. The Scots dropped a 38-15 decision and are now 0-1 in the MIAA and 1-4 overall, while the Flying Dutchmen are 1-0 in the league and 3-2 in 2011.

After a short Alma punt, the Flying Dutchmen scored first at the 5:40 mark when RB Shawn Jackson ran eight yards for a score to give the visitors a 7-0 lead. The only other scoring of the first half came when Hope kicked a field goal with 2:07 left in the half for a 10-0 lead at the midway point.  

 Alma Jr. RB Ed Mason fights hard for yards against Hope on Saturday afternoon

Hope converted three Scots turnovers into 21 points in the third quarter to give the visitors a commanding  31-0 lead going into the final frame. The Flying Dutchmen scored two touchdowns within three minutes of the start of the second half.

Fluarry Jackson and Shawn Jackson each scored in the early onslaught against the Scots, while S. Jackson closed out the third quarter scoring with a 20-yard run with 27 seconds remaining. 

 Sr. LB Conrad Bovee makes a tackle against Hope

The Scots cut the lead to 31-7 when they drove 57 yards on eight plays, culminated by a So. QB Jarrett Leister (St. Louis, Mich./Mt. Pleasant) one-yard plunge. After forcing a Hope fumble at the visitors' 23-yard line, Alma scored another touchdown on a six-yard scamper by Jr. RB Ed Mason (Grand Rapids, Mich./Creston). After a two-point conversion, the score was 31-15.

However, the Scots could not get any closer, and the Flying Dutchmen added one more score for the final 38-15  margin of victory.

Offensively for Alma, Leister finished 22 of 50 for 197 yards with two interceptions and Mason had 75 yards rushing on 17 attempts. Sr. WR Barak Henderson (Hot Springs, Ark./Oscoda, Tex.) paced the Scots with eight catches for 92 yards.

On the defensive side of the ball, Sr. LB Anthony Sabatella (St. Clair Shores, Mich./Warren De La Salle) had 18 total tackles, with 2.5 tackles for loss and a quarterback hurry. Sr. S Scotty Cole (Alma, Mich./Alma) finished with 12 tackles and a pass break up and Sr. DL Tony Galarno (Saginaw, Mich./Saginaw Heritage) had 10 tackles, two sacks and two tackles for loss. 

The Scots continue MIAA action next Saturday afternoon, when they travel to Albion College to take on the Britons, beginning at 1:00 p.m. 

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