Drake is a charter member of the Pioneer Football League, a college-football anomaly if there ever was one. The PFL is a football-only, non-scholarship conference that began play in 1993.
Saturday was the second time this season an undefeated PFL team visited Drake Stadium. For the second time, the unbeaten fell. The offense scored 21 unanswered points, John Hugunin set the Drake record for career tackles, and the Bulldogs held off the Flyers late for the 600th victory in program history, 27-17.
The Bulldogs will have to wait until the 2016 season for another chance to claim their first Pioneer Football League title since 2012.
In the third overtime, MSU had its best chance to put the game away after Drake had turned the ball over on its possession. A 23-yard field goal try from Shavi Bash was all it would take. And unlike in the first overtime period, he converted and the Eagles dealt Drake a crushing 38-35 defeat.
After being shut out at San Diego, the Bulldogs made adjustments on both sides of the ball. On offense, head coach Rick Fox would no longer be calling the plays. Offensive assistant coach Brad Pole received the play-calling duties on Monday and he helped provide an emotional spark for the Bulldogs’ offense. Pole got his team fired up before running out of the tunnel before Drake’s 28-24 victory over Jacksonville.