DRAKE BULLDOGS (7-2) vs. UPPER IOWA PEACOCKS (2-7)

12 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 6 Drake Stadium (18,000), Des Moines, Iowa

GAME SIGNIFICANCE: Drake hopes to ride the momentum from winning the North Division title of the Pioneer Football League when it plays host to Upper Iowa in the inaugural meeting between the schools.

A 13-6 victory last Saturday at then top-ranked Dayton allowed the Bulldogs to win the North Division crown and play for the PFL championship at Morehead State, winner of the South Division title, Nov. 20.

Drake is riding a six-game winning streak, including road victories at Jacksonville, Butler and Dayton.

MORE ON THE WINNING STREAK: The six-game winning streak by Drake is the longest since the Bulldogs reeled six straight victories in 1998. It also marked the first time Drake has won seven games in a season since posting a 7-4 record in 2000.

The Bulldogs have enjoyed a 10-game winning streak under Coach Rob Ash, winning the last seven games of the 1995 campaign and the first three games to open the 1996 season.

AMONG NCAA I-AA LEADERS: Drake ranks 19th in overall victories (520) among the 123 schools which play NCAA Division I-AA football. Only 22 schools have recorded 500 or more victories.

The game against Upper Iowa will be the 1,019th game in school history with Drake owning a record of 520-460-29 for a winning percentage of .528.

THE DOG POUND: The Bulldogs own a 53-11-1 record at Drake Stadium dating back to 1992. Drake has won 21 of its last 27 home games.

DRAKE MOVES IN NATIONAL RANKINGS: Drake has jumped from No. 4 to No. 1 in the latest CollegeSportsReport.com 1-AA Mid-Major poll released Monday. The Bulldogs are ranked No. 2 in two other national mid-major polls Sports Network and Football Gazette.

Monmouth (N.J.) is ranked No. 1 in the Sports Network and Football Gazette mid-Major polls.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENT: Upper Iowa, in its first year as an NCAA Division II member, has been idle since suffering a 45-12 home loss to South Dakota Oct. 23. The Peacocks have 12 starters back from its 2003 team which posted a 1-9 record.

Sophomore quarterback Jay Lehman has passed for 1,142 yards including seven touchdowns. Senior flanker Jesse Montalto has caught a team-high 50 passes for 689 yards including seven touchdowns. Junior Gary Glasby has rushed for 470 yards (4.3 avg.) including six touchdowns.

Junior linebacker Travis Smith paces the defense with 96 tackles. Junior outside linebacker Sam Gorham has a team-high three interceptions.

THE COACHES: Rob Ash, a 1973 graduate of Cornell (Iowa), is in his 16th year as Drake coach and is the school's winningest football coach with a 107-57-2 record (65-17-1 home/42-40-1 road).

Under Ash, Drake has enjoyed 12 winning seasons, including 10 years of at least seven wins. Ash, 52, has a 20-year overall collegiate coaching record of 158-93-5 (.620), ranking eighth among NCAA I-AA active football coaches in terms of victories. Ash posted a 51-36-3 mark at Juniata (Pa.) College from 1980-88.

Courtney Messingham, a 1990 graduate of Northern Iowa, is in his second year as head coach at Upper Iowa, owning a 3-16 record. Messingham was an assistant coach at Southwest Missouri State from 1999-2002, including the last three years as offensive coordinator. The Bears led the Gateway Conference in total offense in 2001, averaging 420 yards per game. He also was an assistant coach at Truman State from 1995-98 and served as offensive coordinator at Iowa Lakes Community College in 1993-94 and St. Ambrose in 1991-92.

TEAM LEADERS: After nine games, junior quarterback Connor Jostes (Iowa City High) has passed for 1,565 yards, including 12 touchdown strikes. Freshman Scott Phaydavong (Des Moines East) paces the team in rushing with 1,038 yards in 166 carries (6.3 avg.), while freshman Michael Bialas (Hoffman Estates, Ill.) has gained 374 yards in 84 carries (4.4 avg.) with 10 touchdowns. Matt Goodwin (Cambridge, Ill.) follows with 96 yards in 24 carries (4.0 avg.).

Thirteen players have caught passes for the Bulldogs, led by senior Jason Jones (Kansas City, Mo./Hickman Mills) who has 28 receptions for 374 yards including four touchdowns. Junior tight end James Mickley (Geneseo, Ill.) has 25 receptions for 369 yards (14.8 avg.), while sophomore Shea Moroni (Glen Ellyn, Ill.) has 23 receptions for 253 yards (11.0 avg.).

Sophomore outside linebacker Nick Ross (Atlantic) leads the defense with 78 tackles, including 46 solo hits. He has three tackles for 14 yards in losses and two quarterback sacks for 15 yards in loss along with two interceptions.

Senior outside linebacker Eric Papp (Cedar Lake, Ind.) has 70 tackles, including 43 solo hits, and a team-high three interceptions. Senior middle linebacker Brian Conway (Waukee) has 57 tackles including a team-high 8.5 tackles for losses totaling 47 yards, while sophomore free safety Ryan Frehse (Denison) follows with 55 tackles.

Senior safety Curtis Martindale (Ottumwa), Conway, Frehse, and Ross have two interceptions apiece.

Junior end Pat Forliti (Lakeville, Minn.) and junior tackle Nick Pilling (Denison) lead the team with 3.5 quarterback sacks apiece.

YOUTH MOVEMENT: Four freshmen Michael Bialas (371), Clay Cleveland (27), Scott Phaydavong (1,038) and Poul Collins (66) have accounted for 83.3 percent (1,502) of Drake's total rushing yards (1,804) this fall.

Bialas rushed for a career-high 93 yards in 15 carries, including touchdown runs of 11 and 27 yards, while playing in just half of the Morehead State game Sept. 25.

MORE ON PHAYDAVONG: When Scott Phaydavong rushed for a game-high 87 yards in 16 carries at Dayton last Saturday, he became the first freshman in Drake history to rush for more than 1,000 yards in a season. Phaydavong has gained 1,038 yards rushing which ranks No. 5 on the school single-season nonscholarship rushing list.

There have been eleven 1,000-yard single-season rushers in Drake's overall history, but none of the players were freshman.

FORCING TURNOVERS: Drake's defense already has collected 15 interceptions this season, seven more than its entire 2003 output of eight pass thefts. The Bulldogs have forced opponents into 23 turnovers this fall. Drake forced opponents into 18 turnovers for the entire 2003 campaign.

DEFENSIVE STAND KEYS VICTORY: Using a goal line defensive stand on the last play of the game, Drake earned a 13-6 victory at Dayton, the No. 1 ranked team in the NCAA 1-AA Mid-Major poll, to win the outright North Division title of the Pioneer Football League Saturday.

Dayton, which had a five-game winning streak snapped, had marched from its own 27 yard line with 1:20 remaining down to the Drake two-yard line before tailback Steve Verthoff fumbled the handoff from quarterback Brandon Staley on the last play of the game. Drake reserve strongside linebacker James Adams recovered the fumble in the endzone.

Dayton had the ball at the 2-yard line with 31 seconds left after marching 71 yards in less than a minute. After a spike on first down, the Flyers came up short on a run up the middle, then threw an incompletion in the end zone to set up the fourth down play.

Drake had 298 yards total offense against a Dayton team that led the NCAA I-AA ranks in total defense, allowing opponents only 211.4 yards per game.

With winds gusting up to more than 50 miles per hour from the south endzone, field position proved crucial. Drake took advantage of the wind in the first and third quarters.

A one-yard touchdown plunge by freshman Michael Bialas with 32 seconds left in the first quarter gave Drake a 7-0 lead, capping a 10-play 58 yard drive.

A 26-yard field goal by junior Tyler McGlade (Council Bluffs/St. Albert) increased the score to 10-0 with 6:23 left in the second quarter. McGlade also made a 25-yard field goal with 7:20 left in the third quarter.

Bialas added 61 yards rushing in 16 carries, while junior quarterback Connor Jostes added a season-high 46 yards in 11 carries.

ADAMS EARNS PFL HONORS: Drake sophomore strongside linebacker James Adams (Kansas City, Mo./Park Hill) has been selected as the Pioneer Football League Defensive Player of the Week for his efforts in the Bulldogs' 13-6 victory at Dayton Saturday.

Adams came off the bench in the first quarter to key a defense that allowed Drake to clinch the North Division title. Adams collected a career- and game-high 12 tackles, including 11 solo hits. He had two tackles for six yards in losses.

However, he saved his biggest play for game's end when he recovered a Dayton fumble in the Bulldogs' endzone to preserve Drake's victory.

STILL MORE DEFENSE: Senior safety Curtis Martindale added 11 tackles against Dayton, while sophomore weakside linebacker Nick Ross collected eight tackles.

Sophomore defensive end Kevin Jennings (Lockport, Ill.) and sophomore middle linebacker Brian Conway had quarterback sacks of eight yards and seven yards, respectively.

MORE DRAKE-DAYTON LEFTOVERS: The six points scored by Dayton were the fewest by a Flyers team in a home game since suffering a 42-6 home loss to Yale Sept. 16, 2000...Drake's victory was just its second in 11 trips to Dayton...Dayton had entered the game, having won 30 of its last 35 home games at Welcome Stadium.

DON'T YOU DARE: Drake leads the Pioneer Football League in fourth down conversions, making 10 of 15 for 66.7 percent. The same is true when called upon defensively. Opponents have converted only two of 13 fourth downs against Drake's defense for 15.4 percent which also is the best figure in the PFL.

'DOG TAGS: Drake has scored on 25 out of 32 possessions when it has reached inside the opponent's redzone (20-yardline). The Bulldogs converted all four opportunities in its opener at Southwest Missouri State as well as San Diego and all three opportunities at Jacksonville. Opponents have converted 19 of 25 redzone opportunities.

HORVATH RISES TO THE OCCASION: Covering the last two games, Drake junior punter Ryan Horvath (Overland Park, Kan./Blue Valley North) has punted nine times for 414 yards a whopping 46.0 average. Three punts were more than 50 yards, including a school nonscholarship record 72 yard punt against Valparaiso. Horvath also had a 67-yard punt at Dayton.

Horvath punted four times for a 50.2 yard average against Valparaiso and five times for a 42.8 average at Dayton unloading a 44-yard punt into a 50-mile hour wind.

Horvath, a two-time first-team all-league selection, is averaging 39.2 yards, with a long of 72 yards and six punts inside the opponents' 20 yardline. He owns a 40.3 career punting yard average with 15 punts over 50 yards.

Horvath punted six times for a whopping 44.2 yard average in the opener at Southwest Missouri State, including a long punt of 51 yards. He came back with a 41.3 yard average in three attempts against William Penn. Horvath also handled the placekicking chores midway through the 2003 season, converting eight of 13 kicks.

Horvath set Drake single-season nonscholarship records for punting yardage (2,555), while tying a mark for punts in a season (63) last year.

THEN THERE'S MCGLADE: Drake junior Tyler McGlade has made nine of 13 field goals, surpassing his combined total of seven field goals from the 2002 and 2003 season. He hit a career-long 46-yard field goal against Wisconsin-Platteville Sept. 18.

McGlade set Drake single season nonscholarship records for extra points (43) and extra points attempts (45) as a freshman in 2002.

JOSTES KEYS VALPARAISO ROMP: Junior quarterback Connor Jostes threw two touchdown passes and ran for another as Drake coasted to its fifth straight victory with a 37-10 Pioneer Football League romp past Valparaiso Oct. 23.

Senior outside linebacker Eric Papp had two interceptions to set up two Drake scores. The Bulldogs pounded out 357 yards total offense, while limiting Valparaiso to 190 yards total offense.

Drake scored two touchdowns within a 1 minute 47 second span to open the game and never looked back. Jostes threw a six-yard touchdown strike to tight end Dan Marx (Maple Grove, Minn.) to cap a nine-play, 65-yard drive with 11:45 left in the first quarter.

The Bulldogs increased the margin to 14-0 with 9:58 left in the first quarter on a 25-yard reverse run by Jason Jones.

Papp halted a Valparaiso scoring threat with an interception at the Drake six-yardline, returning it 46 yards to the Crusaders' 48. Six plays later, junior Tyler McGlade (Council Bluffs/St. Albert) kicked a 41-yard field goal to stake Drake to a 17-0 lead with 4:40 remaining in the first quarter.

Early in the second quarter Papp had a six-yard interception return to the Valparaiso 20 yardline which set up an 18-yard touchdown sprint by Jostes to give the Bulldogs a 23-0 cushion.

Jostes connected on a two-yard touchdown pass to Marx with 43 seconds left in the first half to push the lead to 30-0.

Freshman running back Michael Bialas rounded out Drake's scoring with a 28-yard touchdown gallop with 11 minutes left in the third quarter.

Drake freshman Scott Phaydavong, the leading rusher in the PFL, gained for a game-high 92 yards rushing in just 13 carries while playing just the first two quarters of the game.

Jostes completed 12 of 16 passes for 128 yards against a Valparaiso pass defense which was ranked sixth nationally allowing 135.4 yards per game. Marx and sophomore Shea Moroni caught three passes apiece for Drake.

Sophomore linebacker Nick Ross led Drake with eight tackles, including five solo hits.

Reserve linebacker James Adams and Papp added seven tackles apiece.

JONES EARNS PFL HONORS; Drake senior receiver Jason Jones was named co-recipient of the Pioneer Football League special teams player of the week after returning a kickoff 73 yards for a touchdown at Butler Oct. 16.
Jones returned the kickoff on the first play of the fourth quarter after Butler was forced to kick to Drake following a team safety. Jones also caught four passes for 71 yards.

It marked the second straight week a Drake player has earned Pioneer Football League player of the week honors. Drake freshman Scott Phaydavong shared PFL offensive player of the week honors Oct. 9 after rushing for a career-high 209 yards along with two touchdowns in a 41-38 home victory past San Diego.

ROOKIE DUO STUN BUTLER: Freshman Michael Bialas rushed for three touchdowns as Drake reeled off 43 straight points en route to earning its fourth straight victory with a 43-6 Pioneer Football League romp past Butler Oct. 23.

Bialas had a pair of touchdown runs from two yards out to stake Drake to a 20-6 halftime lead. Bialas' first touchdown capped an eight-play, 47-yard scoring drive with 14:16 left in the second quarter to give Drake a 7-6 lead it would never relinquish.

Drake freshman Scott Phaydavong, the leading rusher in the PFL, enjoyed his fifth straight 100-yard rushing game with 119 yards. Phaydavong broke loose on a 44-yard touchdown jaunt down the right sideline with 8:11 left in the period to give Drake a 13-6 advantage.

Quarterback Connor Jostes threw an 11-yard scoring strike to Tyler Putnam (Oakland/Riverside) with 2:02 left in the third quarter giving Drake a 34-6 lead.

Drake sealed the victory when it recorded a team safety on the last play of the third quarter when long snapper Colin Chelovich snapped the football past punter Bob Farmer out of the endzone. Drake's Jason Jones then returned the ensuing kick 73 yards for a touchdown. Jones and junior tight end James Mickley each caught four passes for Drake.

DEFENSE DOMINATES BUTLER: Drake's defense forced three turnovers, while limiting Butler to just five yards rushing in 36 attempts. The Bulldogs also recorded five quarterback sacks totaling 29 yards in losses.

Reserve cornerback Riley Yemm (Fort Collins, Colo. ) returned an interception 56 yards down to the Butler four yardline to set up Drake's third touchdown of the game late in the second quarter. Two plays later Bialas scored his second touchdown.

Drake's defense thwarted a fourth down and three-yard gamble by Butler that fell short at the 38 yardline midway in the third quarter. Drake then capitalized by marching 62 yards in seven plays, capped by a three-yard scoring plunge by Bialas to increase the lead to 27-6.

Sophomore middle linebacker Brian Conway led Drake with 11 tackles, including seven solo hits. He had an eight yard quarterback sack and one tackle totaling five yards in losses. Linebacker Eric Papp added six tackles, including five solo hits, for the Bulldogs. Linebacker Nick Ross added seven tackles, including six solo hits. Tackle Brant Parriott (Newton) recovered a fumble for Drake, while safety Curtis Martindale also had an interception.

PHAYDAVONG SHARES PFL HONOR AGAIN: Drake freshman Scott Phaydavong was named the co-recipient of the Pioneer Football League offensive player of the week after rushing for a career-high 209 yards, including two touchdowns, in a 41-38 victory past San Diego Oct. 9.

Phaydavong shared the honor with Davidson running back John Leverett who rushed for 259 yards with three touchdowns in a 29-26 loss to Jacksonville.

Phaydavong, who enjoyed his fourth 100-yard plus rushing game of the season, gained 107 yards on the ground in the first quarter alone, including a five-yard touchdown run with 3:13 left that gave the Bulldogs a 14-7 lead.

Phaydavong had a 43-yard scoring jaunt with 4:58 left in the first half that staked Drake to a 20-14 lead.

Earlier, he added a 49-yard run that helped set up Drake's first touchdown - a three-yard scoring plunge by freshman Michael Bialas with 13:02 left in the first quarter.

Phaydavong was named the PFL Player of the Week after rushing for 173 yards in 29 carries as Drake defeated Morehead State, 42-12, Sept. 25. His 64-yard, second-quarter touchdown extended Drakes lead to 21-12 from which they would never look back.

Drake junior quarterback Connor Jostes was named the PFL Co-Offensive Player of the Week after passing for 234 yards, including three touchdowns against Southwest Missouri State Aug. 26. Jostes shared the PFL honor with Austin Peay running back Chris Fletcher. Jostes threw touchdown passes of seven and 12 yards to All-American receiver Jason Jones that gave Drake a 20-10 lead in the third quarter. Jostes also rifled a 14-yard touchdown pass to sophomore Tyler Putnam that pulled Drake within 31-26 with 4:03 remaining.

DRAKE -SAN DIEGO GAME HOLDS TO FORM: Judging by past history, Drake's 41-38 victory against San Diego held true to form.

The teams combined for 761 yards total offense and it marked the third straight time in the series that the teams combined to score more than 70 points.

There were five lead changes in the game before Drake junior quarterback Connor Jostes rolled out to throw a 21-yard touchdown pass to tight end Daniel Marx (Maple Grove, Minn./St. Margarets) with 3:38 left in the game which accounted for the final margin.

San Diego's John Koker had a 44-yard field goal attempt go wide right with 20 seconds remaining that could have sent the game into overtime.

In a matchup between the top two running backs in the PFL, Drake's Scott Phaydavong out dueled San Diego's Evan Harney who entered the game leading the league in rushing with a 116.0 yards per game average. Phaydavong rushed for a career-high 209 yards, including two touchdowns. He gained 107 yards on the ground in the first quarter alone including a five-yard touchdown run with 3:13 left that gave the Bulldogs a 14-7 lead.

A one-yard touchdown plunge by freshman Michael Bialas pulled Drake with 28-26 with 7:15 left in the third quarter. A two-yard option run by Jostes gave the Bulldogs a 32-28 lead with 1:35 left in the third quarter. Jostes then threw a two-point conversion pass to Marx to make it 34-28.Jostes passed for 200 yards with tight end James Mickley catching five passes for 98 yards.

PAPP LEADS DEFENSE: Linebacker Eric Papp led the Bulldogs a season-high 12 tackles against San Diego, including 11 solo hits, against San Diego. Sophomore linebacker Brian Conway and senior safety Curtis Martindale added nine tackles apiece.

DRAKE IN PFL OPENERS: Drake also improved its record to 9-3 in PFL openers, including a 4-2 record against San Diego (4-0 home/0-2 road).

DEFENSE PASSES JACKSONVILLE TEST: Drake's defense came up with two interceptions in the fourth quarter to thwart scoring drives as the Bulldogs snapped a nine-game road losing streak with a 20-7 victory at Jacksonville Oct. 2.

Drake sophomore free safety Ryan Frehse stopped a Jacksonville drive early in the fourth quarter with an interception at the Bulldog 46 yardline. The Bulldogs then sealed the victory when senior strong safety Curtis Martindale intercepted a Jacksonville pass at the Drake 20 yardline with 43 seconds left in the game.

Jacksonville, which entered the game leading the PFL in rushing, was held to 101 yards on the ground in just 32 carries 244 yards below its average per game. Frehse led Drake with seven tackles, including five solo stops while also breaking up one pass. Linebacker Nick Ross, senior linebacker Adam Lackey (Chesterfield, Mo.), junior cornerback Jace Denison (Thornburg) added six tackles apiece. Ross had two quarterback sacks for 15 yards in losses.

FAST START: The Bulldogs scored on their first possession of the game at Jacksonville when freshman Michael Bialas plunged into the endzone from two yards with 9:23 left in the first quarter to cap a 13-play, 80-yard drive.

Drake rolled up 383 yards total offense with quarterback Connor Jostes completing 16 of 25 passes for 246 yards passing.

Drake stretched its lead to 17-0 in the second quarter after forcing a Jacksonville turnover. With the Dolphins marching, Drake strongside linebacker James Adams (Kansas City, Mo./Park Hill) stripped the ball from running back James Brant at the Bulldogs' 25. Drake cornerback Jace Denison picked up the loose football, returning the fumble 32 yards to the Jacksonville 43.

Four plays later Connor Jostes spotted Jason Jones for a 33-yard touchdown pass with 7:35 left in the second quarter.

Junior Tyler McGlade (Council Bluffs/St. Albert) kicked field goals of 39 and 35 for the Bulldogs. Bialas and freshman Scott Phaydavong gained a game-high 70 yards apiece for Drake.

GETTING DEFENSIVE: Drake's defense forced Morehead State into four turnovers, including three interceptions. Drake dominated the second half, limiting Morehead State to just 38 yards total offense in 18 plays along with just two first downs. After Drake linebacker Brian Conway intercepted a pass at the Morehead State 25 yardline midway in the fourth quarter, Drake needed just four plays to increase its margin to 42-12 when Connor Jostes tossed a nine-yard scoring strike to tight end James Mickley.

Weakside linebacker Nick Ross and Conway led Drake with six tackles apiece. Freshman Tyler Marley (Kansas City, Mo.) had an interception late in the fourth quarter for the Bulldogs.

LIGHTNING QUICK: It took only two plays into the game for Drake to grab a lead it never relinquished. Linebacker Nick Ross intercepted an errant pass from quarterback Brian Yost, returning it 22 yards for a touchdown with 14:13 left in the first quarter. It was the third quickest touchdown to start a game in Drake football history.

It took William Casey only eight seconds into the game to return a onside kick 45 yards for a touchdown at Southern Illinois Oct. 14, 2000. On the first play from scrimmage, Brant Alley ran 69 yards for a touchdown against Sioux Falls College, Nov. 14, 1987 with just 18 seconds elasped in the game.

ON THE MOVE: Quarterback Connor Jostes threw two touchdown passes, while freshman Scott Phaydavong rushed for a career-high 173 yards in Drake's 42-12 victory past Morehead State Saturday. The Bulldogs piled up a season-high 490 yards total offense, including a Pioneer Football League season-high 334 yards rushing.

Phaydavong sprinted 64 yards for a touchdown with 3:19 left in the second quarter to give Drake a 21-12 lead. Jostes threw a three-yard touchdown pass to Daniel Marx with 59 seconds left in the third quarter extending Drake's advantage to 28-12.

JONES EARNS PFL HONOR: All-American receiver Jason Jones also was honored as the Pioneer Football League player of the week by CollegeSportsReport.com for his effort at Southwest Missouri State. Jones caught a game-high eight passes including scoring receptions of seven and 12 yards from quarterback Connor Jostes. It marked the fifth time in his career that Jones had caught at least two touchdowns in a game.

"He was the one player that Southwest Missouri State knew about and they paid more attention to him as the game went along," added Drake Football Coach Rob Ash. "They finally started double-teaming him and Connor (Jostes) was able to find other receivers."

The Bulldogs were able to hold on to a 13-10 lead at halftime after thwarting a Bears' drive to close out the half when Ross intercepted a pass at the Drake four yardline. Love led Drake with 32 yards rushing in 14 carries.

PRESEASON ALL-AMERICAN: Drake senior offensive guard Grant Knowles (Lee's Summit, Mo./Lee's Summit North) was among 26 players selected for the 2004 Sports Network Preseason I-AA Mid-Major All-America team.

Knowles, who is entering his third year as a starter, is one of 18 returning starters back for the Bulldogs. Knowles, who stands 6 feet 3 inches and weighs 298 pounds, was a key figure on Drake's offensive line that allowed the Bulldogs to average 440.1 yards per game last season.

"Grant Knowles is a powerful, agile, intelligent lineman," said Drake Football Coach Rob Ash. "He is a devastating run blocker, both straight ahead and when he pulls on traps and kickouts. He also is a skilled pass protector. Grant is one of the best linemen I have coached since Felix Gallagher was an All-American (1997) here.He is very deserving of All-American recognition, not only because of his skill as a player, but because of his tremendous work habits, which have helped him get bigger and stronger, and more dominating, every season."

2004 CO-CAPTAINS: Senior linebacker Eric Papp, senior linebacker Adam Lackey and senior guard Chris McDonnell (Midlothian, Ill.) are co-captains this season. Lackey and McDonnell served as captains last year. Lackey earned honorable mention All-Pioneer Football League honors in 2002 and was redshirted last season. McDonnell also earned honorable mention all-PFL honors in 2002, while playing offensive tackle. Papp also was an honorable mention all-PFL choice in 2002. Papp, in his third year as a starter, switched positions, moving from cornerback to linebacker during spring drills. He was named Drake's co-defensive player of the year in 2002 after leading the team with 101 tackles, including 81 solo hits.

SIZING UP THE ROSTER: There are 110 players on the Drake football roster including 12 seniors, 15 juniors, 23 sophomores and 60 freshmen (31 redshirts). There are players from nine states: 44 from Iowa, 24 from Illinois, 16 from Missouri, eight from Minnesota, eight from Colorado, seven from Kansas and one each from Indiana, Nebraska and Wisconsin. The 60-man travel squad to Southwest Missouri State included just three true freshmen: running backs Michael Bialas and Jacob Craig (Mount Vernon, Iowa) and defensive lineman Robert McEwen (Littleton, Colo.).

WHERE'S THE BEEF: There are eight players on the Drake roster who tip the scale at over 300 pounds. The veteran trio of tackle Mark Wilke (6-2, 310), guard Grant Knowles (6-3, 304) and guard Chris McDonnell (6-3, 317) start on the offensive line. Others include Anthony Swope (Chicago, Ill.) (6-1, 300); Brandon Jaeger (Minneapolis, Minn.) (6-1, 302); Joe Cerullo (Tinley Park, Ill.) (6-2, 312); Dave Pammer (6-3, 300); and Mike Dale (Davenport) (6-4, 315).