Photo: Luke Nankivell
Drake cruised to a victory Saturday on the road, as it dismantled the Campbell Fighting Camels 35-7 to improve to 2-0 in Pioneer Football League play.
A spectacular defensive effort was the main attraction as the Bulldog defense held the powerful Campbell running attack to just 57 yards, and allowed only 286 total yards.
Lightning caused a delayed start to the game and turned the field into a swamp.
“It was a weird game with lightning delays,” said head coach Chris Creighton in a Drake athletics press release. “But I was proud of our guys and how they were able to maintain the momentum and the emotion through all the breaks.”
Drake got going early in the first quarter as sophomore running back Gary Scott Jr. capped off an eight-play drive with a one-yard touchdown run. The second quarter started similarly as the Bulldogs took over on the Campbell 22-yard line after a disastrous fourth down play by Campbell quarterback Dakota Wolf that cost them 26 yards. It took two plays for Drake to increase the lead on an 11-yard touchdown pass from fifth-year senior Mike Piatkowski to senior Nick Rosa.
Drake then had another long drive, going 82 yards in 12 plays but came up empty as sophomore Spencer Lee missed a 24-yard field goal. However, three plays later, Drake put the idea of a Campbell comeback to rest as junior defensive back Derek Temple intercepted a Dakota Wolf pass 27 yards for a touchdown to give the Bulldogs a 21-0 lead at halftime.
Campbell scored its lone touchdown of the day on a 57-yard pass from Wolf to receiver A.J. Artis to open up the third quarter, Drake responded with a Piatkowski two-yard touchdown run to put the lead back at 21 and effectively end the game. Early in the fourth quarter, junior T.J. James scored with a one-yard touchdown run to give Drake a 35-7 lead.
Penalties were a factor for Campbell after being flagged eight times for 98 yards. Drake only committed three penalties for a total of 20 yards. Both teams turned the ball over twice, with Campbell failing to capitalize on either turnover.
Offensively, Drake maintained balance, receiving 258 passing yards from Piatkowski, as well as three running backs with at least 50 yards rushing. Scott led the way with 77 rushing yards, senior Trey Morse had his best game of the season with 68 rushing yards and James added 58 yards to go with his rushing touchdown.
Rosa finished with seven receptions for 92 yards and a touchdown. Behind him, senior Joey Orlando recorded five catches for 57 yards, and both sophomore Michael Hudson and junior Jacob Schmudlach had three receptions for the Bulldogs.
Defensively, six players finished with at least six tackles, with senior Jake Underwood finishing with 10 tackles. Sophomore Brad Duwe recorded the other Bulldog interception. Drake also tallied two sacks on the day.
Drake will take on PFL co-champion San Diego on Saturday, Oct. 6 at 12:30 p.m. at Drake Stadium in what will be the most important conference game of the season for the Bulldogs.
