With the Football College Subdivision playoffs around the corner and a three-peat conference championship on the line, Drake University men’s football has had to keep its eyes on the ball and the prize.
The team might not be the only Bulldog powerhouse in the Pioneer Football League, but on Nov. 1, Drake solidified its rivalry game win over the Butler University Bulldogs in Indiana.
“It really was a big win and such a testament to our guys and the kind of kids they are,” head coach Joe Woodley said. “It’s been a tough 2-week stretch traveling to the East Coast then this long bus ride here, kind of had to break routine a little, but these guys handled it with maturity. Tip of the cap to Butler, they’re a really good football team and they kept punching back, but the ball bounced our way a couple more times, and we’ve just got a fun group to watch.”
In the first quarter of play, just minutes into the game, running back Nick Herman took a 66-yard run down for a touchdown with the help of kicker Harry Balke, Drake took the lead 7-0 early on. Butler then bit back with a touchdown just seven minutes later to even out the score of 7-7 going into the second quarter.
The second quarter saw Drake dominance with quarterback Logan Inagawa throwing a short 11-yard pass to wide receiver Jackson Voth for another clean touchdown. Drake went into halftime up 14-7, but the second half would prove to be more of a nailbiter than Drake would have wanted.
Butler kicked off the scoring in the third quarter with a quick touchdown to bring them within six of Drake, but failed to even the score out due to an incomplete extra point attempt. After some back-and-forth ball possessions and problems for both teams, Drake was able to put up a 51-yard field goal thanks to Balke, who pushed the Drake lead to 17-13 going into the fourth quarter.
Drake secured a touchdown early into the quarter thanks to running back Luke Woodson and Balke’s extra point to advance the Drake lead to 24-13. Butler scored back with seven minutes left in the quarter, but again lost out on the extra point.
Even if Butler had the extra point, they would have needed a touchdown to beat Drake, and with the defense working overtime, Drake came out with the 24-19 win over Butler.
“I’m proud of the team,” offensive lineman Drew Heiss said. “We stayed strong the course of the entire game. We stayed together and made big plays when we needed to, and we earned the right to go 5-0 in the conference.”
This game marks Drake’s fifth win in a row with a perfect 5-0 record in PFL conference play. The Bulldogs lead the conference overall and will look to keep this trend up going into their last three conference games of the season.
Drake will take on 4-2 St. Thomas University on Nov. 8 in Drake Stadium at noon before heading on the road to take on the current 4-2 University of Dayton on Nov. 15. The Bulldogs will then wrap up their regular season play against Morehead State University on Nov. 22 at Drake.
If Tthe Bulldogs were to stay at the top of the conference come the final game, even if the title is shared between them and another team, they would be crowned the PFL champions for the third year in a row and would prepare to take on a FCS opponent over Thanksgiving.
