After the best football season in Drake University’s history, the Bulldogs are back to prove that the 2024-25 season wasn’t a one-and-done year. The team has returned to campus for the fall semester with high ambitions and something to prove.
“Our goal is always to win, and our team motto has been ‘Raise the Bar,’” graduate quarterback Luke Bailey said. “In everything we do, we know we have to raise the bar because we’re the team to beat now.”
With a winning record of 8-4 for the 2023-24 season and a clean 8-0 record in Pioneer League Conference play, the Drake men’s football team had its best season in the school’s history last year. This was the first time that the team won its conference title and made it to the National Football Championship Subdivision playoffs. Although that game against North Dakota State in November of 2023 might not have ended as the men hoped, this season could become payback.
“Coming off of last year, we’re excited,” sophomore Javon Murry said. “We know we have a target on our back on and off the field. Our mindset has changed from not trying to win for other people but winning for the guy next to us knowing the people who really support us [are] us.”
The 2023-24 season was packed with talent from big name schools like North Dakota State and South Dakota State meeting up with the Bulldogs for non-conference play all the way to Butler and San Diego in the division. The team won against some of its biggest conference rivals both home and away.
Knowing that the team will go against more standout teams like South Dakota, Quincy and Eastern Washington in out-of-conference play, both the offensive and defensive line will be preparing for any plays thrown their way. This will be especially important in non-conference play due to the typically harder competition, which can lead to errors. Although this is a time for the team to make mistakes and iron them out, it is also time for them to fix anything that they think could help them going into normal conference play and try out new plays against opponents who rarely meet the team.
The team is working on all aspects of their game, but there is one crucial component they’ve been working on to improve their consistency between plays
“I think a big strength for me and the team is not letting one snap affect the next,” Bailey said. “We’ve been preaching ‘cycle the snap,’ and it’s been crucial to not let one play define an outcome.”
Looking forward to the Bulldogs 2024–25 season, the team will open against Quincy at 6:30 p.m. on Aug. 29 in the Drake Stadium. Despite Quincy being a DII school, it will be important for Drake to stay focused on the goal of the game and the overall goal of the season: raising the bar.
