DRAKE BULLDOGS at SOUTHWEST MISSOURI STATE BEARS
6 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 2 Plaster Field (16,300), Springfield, Mo.

GAME SIGNIFICANCE: Drake opens its 111th season of intercollegiate football with a tall order facing what should be the Bulldogs' strongest test of the season playing at Southwest Missouri State.
This marks the sixth straight year that Drake, a nonscholarship NCAA I-AA program, will play a fully-funded NCAA I-AA scholarship team from the Gateway Football Conference. Drake played at Western Illinois in 1999 and 2002 and traveled to Southern Illinois in 2000, Southwest Missouri State in 2001 and Illinois State in 2003. Drake did manage a 31-7 victory against Florida Atlantic, a fully-funded NCAA I-AA program, in 2001.

ANALYZING THE SCHEDULE: Drake will play 11 games this fall, including a record-tying seven home games for the second straight year.

SEASON OPENERS: The Bulldogs sport a 66-38-6 record (.654) in season openers. Drake owns an 8-5-2 record (3-4-1 road/5-1-1 home) in season openers during Rob Ash's 15-year coaching tenure at the school. Drake has lost its last three season openers which were played on the road at scholarship opponents: Truman State, 40-29, 2001; Western Illinois, 64-7, 2002; at Illinois State, 27-13, 2003.

AMONG NCAA I-AA LEADERS: Drake ranks 19th in overall victories (513) among the 123 schools which play NCAA Division I-AA football. Only 20 schools have recorded 500 or more victories.
The game at Southwest Missouri State will be the 1,001st game in school history with Drake owning a record of 513-458-29 for a winning percentage of .528.

DRAKE IN NATIONAL RANKINGS: Drake has been ranked No. 10 in both The Sports Network 1-AA Mid-Major Top 10 preseason poll and Don Hansen's I-AA Mid-Major Top 20 preseason poll.
Rob Ash, entering his 16th year as head coach, has 20 starters back from last year's squad which posted a 6-6 record.
Duquesne, which was ranked No. 1 in the final 2003 The Sports Network Mid-Major poll, was ranked No. 1, receiving 15 first-place votes. They also received the top nod in Don Hansen's poll.
Five opponents that Drake will play this fall were ranked in the The Sports Network top 10. Dayton, receiving four first-place votes, was ranked No. 2. Morehead State, which won the South Division of the Pioneer Football League last year, was ranked No. 3, followed by San Diego ranked No. 4 and Valparaiso ranked No. 6.
In Don Hansen's poll, Morehead State was ranked No. 2, followed by Valparaiso ranked No. 3, Dayton ranked No. 4, San Diego ranked No. 6 and Jacksonville ranked No. 18.
Drake will play host to Morehead State Sept. 25. Drake also will entertain Valparaiso Oct. 23, which won a share of PFL North Division crown and then defeated Morehead State, 54-42, to win the PFL championship. The Bulldogs entertain San Diego Oct. 9 and play at Dayton Oct. 30. Drake travels to Jacksonville Oct. 2.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENT: Southwest Missouri State returns 37 letterwinners, including 14 starters, from last year's squad which posted a 4-7 mark, including a 1-6 seventh-place tie in the Gateway Conference.
Senior end Steve Watson, a second-team all-league performer, keys a defense that led the conference in both passing defense efficiency as well as pass defense. Waton led the Bears with 82 tackles last year, including 36 solo hits and four quarterback sacks.
Junior quarterback A.J. Porter ranked second in the Gateway Conference in passing efficiency with a 104.6 rating while passing for 1,373 yards including 13 touchdowns. Senior Cody Pratt is back after ranking third in the league in rushing with 1,223 yards (111.2 avg.), including 11 touchdowns.
Senior Steven Rush was second in the league in all-purpose running last year, averaging 127.6 yards per game. He also led the conference in kickoff returns (29.4 avg.), while ranking third in the league in receptions (35-720, 65.5 avg., seven touchdowns).

BEARS PICKED 7TH IN PRESEASON POLL:Southwest Missouri State was picked to finish seventh in the Gateway Conference preseason poll conducted by league coaches, media and sports information directors.

THE SERIES: Southwest Missouri State owns a 4-0 lead in the series which originated in 1983 with the Bears earning a 22-11 victory in Des Moines. Southwest Missouri State won the long encounter played in Springfield, Mo., by a 63-14 verdict in 2001 which marked the last time the teams played.

THE COACHES: Rob Ash, a 1973 graduate of Cornell (Iowa), enters his 16th year as Drake coach and is the school's winningest football coach with a 100-55-2 record (40-34-1 road/54-15-1 home).
Under Ash, Drake has enjoyed 10 winning seasons, including nine years of at least seven wins. Ash, 52, has a 20-year overall collegiate coaching record of 151-91-5 (.651), 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.
Randy Ball, a 1973 graduate of Truman State, begins his sixth year as head coach at Southwest Missouri State, owning a 24-31 record. He is the winningest coach in Western Illinois history, constructing a 64-41 record as head coach from 1990-98 with the Leathernecks advancing to the NCAA I-AA playoffs in 1991, 1996, 1997 and 1998. Ball is the winningest coach in Gateway Conference history with an 88-72-1 record.

DRAKE REUNION: Former Drake assistant Dennis Darnell is in his first year as offensive coordinator at Southwest Missouri State. Darnell was an aide on two Bulldog staffs. He served as Drake's offensive line coach from 1975-79 and four years as the team's offensive coordinator under head coaches Jack Wallace (1975-76) and Chuck Shelton (1977-79).
After stints at Wake Forest (1980) and Southeast Missouri State (1981-82), Darnell returned to Drake, serving as offensive line coach under Shelton from 1983-85.

PRESEASON ALL-AMERICAN: Drake senior offensive guard Grant Knowles (Lee's Summit, Mo./Lee's Summit North) is 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."
The Pioneer Football League led all Mid-Major leagues with 10 selections, including three from San Diego. Nine players were selected from the Northeast Conference and seven from the MAAC, headlined by the quartet from Duquesne.

2004 CO-CAPTAINS: Senior linebacker Eric Papp (Cedar Lake, Ind.), senior linebacker Adam Lackey (Chesterfield, Mo.) and senior guard Chris McDonnell (Midlothian, Ill.) have been elected to serve as co-captains for the upcoming 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 will be entering his third year as a starter but he has 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. He enters his senior campaign with four career interceptions.
" I am very excited about the three players that our team has selected to be captains for the 2004 Drake football team," said Drake football coach Rob Ash. "Naturally, these young men are all excellent football players, but each of them brings a different type of leadership to the program. Chris McDonnell is a natural, up front leader; comfortable speaking not only to the team but also to the administration -- an outstanding external leader representing football on campus as well as on the field.
"Adam Lackey is a more quiet, leading by example with his obvious dedication and commitment to the game. Eric Papp is the consummate field leader, inspiring everyone around him with his fierce, aggressive, and confident style of play. Together these three leaders will help unify our players and mold them into a positive, determined and competitive team."

WHAT'S IN STORE: Buoyed by 42 returning lettermen, including 20 starters, head coach Rob Ash is counting on experience and depth to lead Drake back into contention for the Pioneer Football League championship.
The experience is no more evident than up front on the offensive line where there are five returning starters headed by senior offensive guard Grant Knowles (Lee's Summit, Mo.), who was named to the Sports Network preseason 1-AA Mid-Major All-America first-team.
Knowles (6-3, 310), along with senior guard Chris McDonnell (Midlothian, Ill.) (6-3, 305) and senior tackle Mark Wilke (Naperville, Ill.) (6-2, 321) are entering their third year as starters on the inside unit which has the potential to develop into the best offensive line during Drakes 18 years of nonscholarship football.
The trio, along with holdovers Chris Parrish (Ames) (6-4, 275) at tackle and James Mickley (Geneseo, Ill.) (6-2, 229) at tight end, were instrumental in allowing Drake to rank eighth nationally in total offense, averaging 440.1 yards per game last year. Keying the offensive attack will be junior quarterback Connor Jostes (Iowa City High), who ranked 11th in the NCAA I-AA in total offense, averaging 279.5 yards per game. Jostes blossomed in his first full year as starter, passing for 2,646 yards while throwing 21 touchdowns.
Senior Jason Jones (Kansas City, Mo.), who also earned first-team All-American honors by The Sports Network, headlines a talented corps of receivers. The speedster emerged as one of the top pass catching threats at the Mid-Major level last season after setting a PFL record with 75 receptions, while also setting school nonscholarship single-season marks in reception yardage (1,267) and touchdown receptions (14).
Sophomore DeCarlos Love (Minneapolis, Minn.) enters the season as heir apparent at running back. Freshman Scott Phaydavong (Des Moines East), a transfer from the Air Force Academy, will be in the mix along with senior Allen Ussin (Wildwood, Mo.) who collected 902 yards in all-purpose running last year. Sophomore Willie Cashmore (Kansas City, Mo.) returns as starting fullback.
Nine starters return on defense. Senior co-captain Eric Papp (Cedar Lake, Ind.), who was the teams third leading tackler last season with 60 stops, moved from starting cornerback to strongside linebacker to give the Bulldogs more speed around the perimeter. Sophomore redshirt James Adams (Kansas City, Mo.) also moved from the secondary to strongside linebacker.
Fifth-year senior Adam Lackey (Chesterfield, Mo.), another co-captain, is back at middle linebacker after a redshirt season. Lackey was an honorable mention all-league choice in 2002. Sophomore Nick Ross (Atlantic, Iowa) has the inside track at weakside linebacker.
Drakes defensive line is battle tested with returning starters Chris Daniels (Overland Park, Kan.), at nose guard; Pat Forliti (Lakeville, Minn.) who moves from tackle to defensive end; Shawn Rodgers (Leavenworth, Kan.), a junior, at defensive end; and Brant Parriott (Newton) and Nick Pilling (Denison) at tackle.
Safety Curtis Martindale (Ottumwa), an honorable mention all-league choice who led Drake with 82 tackles last year, will lead the secondary. Sophomore Ryan Frehse (Denison) is a returning starter at free safety, while junior Jace Denison (Thornburg) is back at cornerback after tying for fourth in the PFL with three interceptions last year.
Junior punter Ryan Horvath (Overland Park, Kan.), a two-time first team All-American, made a smooth transition in handling the placekicking chores midway through last season.

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 (Monkena, Ill.) (6-3, 300); and Mike Dale (Davenport) (6-4, 315).

ABOUT THE PFL: The 2004 season marks the 12th year for the Pioneer Football League. Four members Austin Peay State, Davidson, Jacksonville, and Morehead State joined the league in 2001 with two divisions being formed, charter members forming the North Division and the newest members becoming the South Division.

PRESEASON PFL POLL: Drake was picked to finish third in the North Division of the Pioneer Football League preseason poll.
Dayton and Morehead State were picked to win the North and South Division, respectively. It is Dayton's fourth consecutive preseason No. 1 since the league added the South Division in 2001. Morehead State takes the top spot for the third time in those four seasons.
Dayton received six of the nine possible first-place votes in the PFL North. San Diego and Drake received the remaining first-place votes and were picked second and third, respectively. Surprisingly, 2003 PFL Champion Valparaiso was picked fourth, but just three votes separated the Crusaders from second-place San Diego. Butler rounded out the five-team PFL North.
Morehead State received six first-place votes in the PFL South. Second-place pick Jacksonville received two of the remaining first-place votes and Davidson and Austin Peay were picked third and fourth, respectively.

THE DOG POUND: Drake will enter its Sept. 11 home opener against William Penn owning a 51-10-1 record at Drake Stadium dating back to 1992. The Bulldogs have won 17 of their last 22 home games.