BUTLER BULLDOGS (0-8, 0-2 PFL) at DRAKE BULLDOGS ( 3-4, 0-2 PFL)
1 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 29 Valley HS Stadium (10,000), West Des Moines, Iowa

GAME SIGNIFICANCE: The Drake football team, in the midst of a two-game losing skid, hopes to get untracked when it plays host to Butler Saturday at Valley High School Stadium.

Drake was eliminated from defending its Pioneer Football League North Division title when it suffered a 31-26 loss at top-ranked San Diego Saturday night. Butler is coming off a 23-7 home nonconference setback to St. Joseph's (Ind.) Saturday.

1995 PFL CHAMPS REUNITE: Members of the 1995 Drake football team which posted an 8-1-1 mark en route to winning its first ever Pioneer Football League title (5-0), will return this weekend for a 10-year reunion.

AMONG NCAA I-AA LEADERS: Drake ranks 19th in overall victories (526) among the 123 schools which play NCAA Division I-AA football. Only 24 schools have recorded 500 or more victories.

The game with Butler will be the 1,020th game in school history with Drake owning a record of 526-464-29 for a winning percentage of .532.

DRAKE IN NATIONAL RANKINGS: Drake is ranked No. 8 in the latest Sports Network NCAA I-AA Mid-Major polls. The Bulldogs slipped to No. 9 in the latest Football Gazette Mid-Major poll.

San Diego, receiving all 27 first-place votes, is ranked No. 1 in the Sports Network poll. The Toreros also are ranked No. 1 in the Football Gazette Mid-Major poll. Dayton is ranked No. 2 in the Sports Network poll, followed by Morehead State, Monmouth, Duquesne, Central Connecticut, Marist, Drake, Wagner and Jacksonville.

Morehead State is ranked No. 2 in the Football Gazette poll with Dayton third, followed by Duquesne, Marist, Central Connecticut State, Wagner, Monmouth, Drake, and Albany.

Drake was ranked No. 1 in the NCAA I-AA preseason polls conducted by both The Sports Network and Football Gazette. The Sports Network I-AA Mid-Major Top 10 poll includes the 22 programs of the MAAC, NEC, and Pioneer Leagues, which play at a non-scholarship or limited scholarship level.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENT: Butler has lost its last 14 games dating back to last season.

Junior Billy Nardini and senior offensive tackle Pat Robbins, who both earned honorable mention All-Pioneer Football League North Division last year, key Butler's offense. Nardini has rushed for 527 yards in 126 carries (4.2 avg.) with three touchdowns while surpassing his entire two-year career total of 499 yards rushing entering the 2005 campaign. Senior Phil Vorndron has caught a team-high 33 passes for 487 yards (14.8 avg.) this fall, including a game-high seven passes for 124 yards against St. Joseph's (Ind.) Saturday. Senior Phil Christner, an honorable mention All-PFL North Division selection in 2004, has caught 15 passes for 171 yards (11.4 avg.).

Sophomore linebacker Mike Marzotto, a transfer from Eastern Kentucky, leads the team with 90 tackles, including 45 solo tackles.

THE SERIES: Drake owns a 9-4-1 lead in the series, having won six of the last seven games.

LAST YEAR: Drake 43, Butler 6 (Oct. 16, 2004, Indianapolis, Ind.) Then freshman Michael Bialas rushed for three touchdowns as Drake reeled off 43 straight points en route to earning its fourth straight victory.

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.

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 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 tight end James Mickley each caught four passes for Drake.

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 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. Tackle Brant Parriott recovered a fumble for Drake, while safety Curtis Martindale also had an interception.

THE COACHES: Rob Ash, a 1973 graduate of Cornell (Iowa), is in his 17th year as Drake coach and is the school's winningest football coach with a 113-61-2 record (45-43-1 road/68-18-1 home).

Under Ash, Drake has enjoyed 12 winning seasons including 11 years of at least seven wins. Ash, 52, has a 25-year overall collegiate record of 164-97-5 (.634) 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.

Kim Cartwright, a 1976 graduate of Bowling Green State, is in his fourth year as head coach at Butler, owning a 7-33 record. He served as offensive coordinator at the school from 1998-2001. He has helped coach seven different teams to post-season bowl games. He was on the Penn State staff for the 1979 Sugar Bowl and with Bowling Green for the 1982 California Bowl. In 1984, he helped Purdue to the Peach Bowl and then helped guide Colorado State to the 1991 Freedom Bowl.

He was with Ball State at the 1993 Las Vegas Bowl, helped Michigan to the 1994 Holiday Bowl, and was with the Wolverines at the 1995 Alamo Bowl. He developed five All-American performers and several players who earned spots in the NFL, including quarterback Tom Brady who led New England to victory in the 2002 Super Bowl and Miami quarterback Brian Griese.

HORVATH, PHAYDAVONG HONORED: Drake senior Ryan Horvath (Overland Park, Kan.) and sophomore Scott Phaydavong (Des Moines East) have been named the Pioneer Football League special teams and offensive players of the week, respectively.

Horvath kicked a career best 45-yard field goal at San Diego along with a 39 yarder. He also averaged 44.3 yards for three punts totaling 133 yards. He kicked a 50-yard long punt and place two punts inside the 20 yardline.

Phaydavong rushed 27 times for a career high 244 yards and two touchdowns (64, nine yards) against San Diego which entered the game leading the Pioneer Football League in total defense.

His performance was the best in NCAA I-AA last week and the eighth best rushing performance in the NCAA I-AA this season.

It marked Phaydavong's fifth straight 100-yard plus rushing game and the 13th of his career. It also marked the second straight season in which Phaydavong rushed for more than 200 yards against San Diego after netting 209 yards in a 41-38 victory in Des Moines last year.

TEAM LEADERS: After six games, Scott Phaydavong paces Drake in rushing with 1,040 yards in 153 carries (6.8 avg.), while sophomore Michael Bialas (Hoffman Estates, Ill.) follows with 257 yards in 62 carries (4.1 avg.).

Thirteen players have caught passes for the Bulldogs, led by junior Tyler Putnam (Oakland/Riverside) who has 22 receptions for 287 yards (13.0 avg.). Junior Shea Moroni (Glen Ellyn, Ill.) has 17 receptions for 248 yards and sophomore Travis Hardgraves (Sioux City West) has caught 12 passes for 119 yards. Hardgarves and sophomore tight end Daniel Marx (Maple Grove, Minn.) each have caught three touchdown passes, while Moroni has two touchdown receptions.

Junior linebacker James Adams (Kansas City, Mo.) leads the defense with 72 tackles,
including 50 solo hits with two quarterback sacks for 24 yards in losses. Junior linebacker Nick Ross (Atlantic) has 55 tackles, including 39 solo hits.

Junior middle linebacker Brian Conway (Waukee) has 47 tackles, including two quarterback sacks for 14 yards in losses. Ross has collected a team-high seven tackles for 20 yards in losses. Conway also has recovered a team-high two fumbles.

Senior end Shawn Rodgers (Leavenworth, Kan.) has a team high four quarterback sacks for 29 yards in losses.

2ND HALF RALLY STOPS DRAKE: San Diego reeled off 24 straight points in the second half to erase a 10-7 halftime deficit, en route to a 31-26 Pioneer Football League victory past Drake last Saturday night.

Drake scored 17 points in the second half against a vaunted San Diego defense that had allowed opponents just one touchdown in the entire half all season entering the game.

But the Toreros used a ball-control offense in the second half scoring on their first four possessions. San Diego ran 29 plays in the third quarter compared to just four by Drake.

The Toreros parlayed Drake's only turnover of the game into a lead it would never relinquish. On Drake's first play of the second half, quarterback Connor Jostes (Iowa City High) had a pass intercepted by Josh Brisco at the Bulldog 26 yardline. San Diego took advantage marching 26 yards in eight plays to grab a 24-17 lead following a one-yard touchdown pass from Johnson to Wes Doyle on fourth down.

Drake pulled within 24-20 on a 39 yard field goal by Ryan Horvath with 11:41 remaining in the game. San Diego answered with a one-yard scoring pass to Matt Koller to extend its lead to 31-20 with 10:24 remaining.

A seven-yard touchdown scamper by Jostes with 13 seconds left in the first quarter powered Drake to a 10-7 halftime lead.Jostes, who entered the game with just 30 yards rushing in Drake's first six games, had 47 yards on the ground. A 27-yard scramble by Jostes would set up his touchdown run.

PHAYDAVONG DELIVERS: The loss overshadowed a valiant effort by Drake sophomore running back Scott Phaydavong who rushed for a career-high 244 yards, including two touchdowns.

Phaydavong enjoyed his 13th career 100-yard plus rushing game, including his fifth straight this season.

Three plays after a 36-yard field goal by San Diego's Hutch Parker tied the game at 10-10 with 9:18 left in the third quarter, Phaydavong broke loose for an electrifying 64-yard touchdown run with 8:23 left allowing the Bulldogs to grab a 17-10 advantage.

Phaydavong pulled Drake within 31-26 with 5:19 remaining following a nine yard touchdown jaunt. San Diego ran out the clock to clinch the win.

Phaydavong, who entered the game leading the PFL in rushing with 796 yards, galloped for 94 yards in 14 carries in the first half. Phaydavong had rushes of nine, eight and 18 yards in Drake's first touchdown drive.

ADAMS, GREEN KEY DEFENSE: Junior linebacker James Adams led Drake with 15 tackles against San Diego, while Green finished with a career-high 12 stops. Junior linebacker Brian Conway also had 12 tackles for the Bulldogs.

Freshman redshirt strong safety Andy Green (Atlantic) intercepted a pass at the Drake 26 yardline with 48 seconds left in the second quarter to thwart a potential San Diego scoring drive.

Drake sophomore defensive end Jake Ramos (Waterloo, Neb.) blocked a 43-yard field goal attempt by Parker in the second quarter.

PLAYER PLAUDITS; With five straight 100-yard plus rushing games, Scott Phaydavong has become the ninth player in Drake history to reach the 2,000-yard career rushing mark. He enters the Butler game with 2,579 career rushing yards...Connor Jostes has thrown at least one touchdown pass in 25 of the 29 games he has started in his career, including the last three games of the 2004 campaign. He also has thrown three or more touchdowns in eight games.

STARTERS BY CLASS: Just six seniors are listed in Drake's starting lineup for Butler. Quarterback Connor Jostes is the lone senior to start for an offense which features seven sophomore starters (LG-Marco Povich; OC-Matt Huber; RG-Anthony Swope; RT-Matt Haas; TE-Dan Marx; HB-Michael Bialas, HB-Scott Phaydavong) and three junior starters
(SE-Shea Moroni; FL-Tyler Putnam; LT-Kevin McVey).

Defensively, Drake will start five seniors (DE-Pat Forliti; DT-Nick Pilling; NG-Chris Daniels; DE-Shawn Rodgers; CB-Jace Denison), four juniors (SLB-James Adams, MLB-
Brian Conway, WLB-Nick Ross, FS-Ryan Frehse) along with sophomore Tyler Marley at cornerback and freshman redshirt Andy Green at strong safety. Marley will be making his first start of the season

DAYTON SPOILS DRAKE RALLY: Dayton, ranked No. 1 in all three NCAA Division I-AA Mid-Major polls, scored two touchdowns in a four minute 25 second period late in the fourth quarter to rally for a 25-17 Pioneer Football League victory past Drake Oct. 8 in a home game played at Waukee High School

The Flyers jumped to a 12-0 halftime lead, then watched Drake reel off 17 straight points before making their comeback. Quarterback Kevin Hoyng tossed a one-yard touchdown pass to tight end Matt Champa with 5:38 left in the game to give Dayton an 18-17 lead it would not relinquish.

On their ensuing possession, the Bulldogs came up short on a fourth down gamble when quarterback Connor Jostes threw an incomplete pass to Travis Hardgraves at the Dayton 45 yardline.

Dayton took advantage, marching 55 yards in eight plays to increase its lead to 25-17 following a three-yard touchdown run by Matt Mong with 3:16 remaining.

Drake marched from its own 27 yardline to the Dayton 20 in the waning seconds with an opportunity to tie the game. But on the game's final play, Dayton cornerback Casey Klaus broke up a pass from Drake's Jostes to receiver Tyler Putnam at the Flyers' two yardline.

Drake rolled up 388 yards total offense against a Dayton team which entered the game ranking fifth in NCAA I-AA in total defense allowing just 232.6 yards per game. Jostes passed for 175 yards with Putnam snaring a team-high four passes for 57 yards.

Drake's Scott Phaydavong enjoyed his fourth straight 100-yard plus rushing game by totaling 151 yards in 29 carries. Phaydavong rushed four times for 30 yards to set up Drake's first touchdown a two-yard touchdown burst by fullback Matt Goodwin (Cambridge, Ill.) with 7:44 left in the third quarter to pull the Bulldogs within 12-7.

Senior Ryan Horvath kicked a 36-yard field goal with 11:53 remaining in the game to pull the Bulldogs within 12-10. Then freshman redshirt safety Andy Green returned an interception thrown by Hoyng 19 yards down to the Dayton eight yardline. On first down, Jostes ran an eight-yard option into the endzone to give Drake its first lead at 17-12 with 11:31 left.

TURNOVERS COSTLY: Drake committed a season-high three turnovers with Dayton parlaying a fumble recovery on a punt return into its first touchdown of the game. A three-yard scoring run by Matt Mong capped an eight-play 37-yard scoring drive following the Drake miscue that gave the Flyers a 6-0 lead with 13:15 left in the first half.

ADAMS PACES DEFENSE: Junior linebacker James Adams led Drake with a game-high 10 tackles including three tackles for 14 yards in losses, along with a 12 yard quarterback sack against Dayton. Junior linebacker Nick Ross added nine tackles, while senior defensive end Shawn Rodgers had two tackles for 11 yards in losses.

2005 CO-CAPTAINS: Senior quarterback Connor Jostes and junior linebacker Nick Ross have been named co-captains of the 2005 Drake football team. Jostes, who has passed for 4,865 yards including 40 touchdowns in his career, is in his third year as starting quarterback for the Bulldogs. He earned honorable mention All-Pioneer Football League North Division honors last year. He ranked second in the PFL in total offense with 2,265 yards (188.8 per game avg.). Ross is a returning starter at weakside linebacker who earned All-Pioneer Football League North Division honorable mention honors last year. He led Drake with 94 tackles last year, including a team-high 57 solo hits. He ranked fourth in the PFL with 9.5 tackles for losses totaling 37 yards.

PRESEASON ALL-AMERICAN: Drake sophomore running back Scott Phaydavong was selected to The Sports Network 2005 Preseason 1-AA Mid-Major All-America football team.

Phaydavong was the only freshman named to 2004 The Sports Network 1-AA mid-Major All-America team. He also was the only nonscholarship player named to The Associated Press NCAA I-AA All-American team. He ranked sixth in the final NCAA I-AA rushing statistics with a 128.3 yard average per game, while setting a Drake nonscholarship rushing record with 1,539 yards. Phaydavong enjoyed eight 100-yard plus rushing games climaxed by gaining 178 yards in 20 carries, including an 13-yard touchdown run in Drake's 20-17 Pioneer Football League championship victory at Morehead State Nov. 20. Phaydavong was named the 2004 Pioneer Football League North Division Offensive Co-Player of the Year with San Diego quarterback Todd Mortensen.

IOWA FLAVOR: The 2005 Drake roster includes 39 players from Iowa including 12 who have started the first two games this season: quarterback Connor Jostes (Iowa City High), halfback Scott Phaydavong (Des Moines East, flanker Tyler Putnam (Oakland/Riverside), offensive tackles Kevin McVey (Bettendorf) and Matt Haas (Iowa City West), defensive tackle Nick Pilling (Denison), middle linebacker Brian Conway (Waukee), weakside linebacker Nick Ross (Atlantic), cornerback Justin Colbert (Pleasant Hill/Southeast Polk), free safety Ryan Frehse (Denison), strong safety Andy Green (Atlantic) and cornerback Jace Denison (Tri County-Thornburg).

SIZING UP THE ROSTER: There are 105 players on the Drake football roster including just seven seniors, 16 juniors, 29 sophomores and 53 freshmen (15 redshirts). There are players from eight states: 39 from Iowa, 31 from Illinois, 13 from Missouri, eight from Kansas, six from Colorado, five from Minnesota, two from Nebraska and one from Florida.

LAOTIAN CONNECTION: Two of Drake's top student-athletes running back Scott Phaydavong and senior point guard Linda Sayavongchanh from the women's basketball team are from close-knit families of Laotian heritage.

Three decades ago, Kou Phaydavong, who is Scott's father, was serving as an officer in the Royal Lao Army. When the Communist government took control in the mid-1970's, he was sent to a concentration camp. After escaping, the Phaydavongs headed for America in 1978. Kou and his wife, Kham, didn't want their son Scott to play football until his junior season at East High School in Des Moines.

When Scott turned 18, he honored his parents by getting Chinese characters tattooed on his chest. Translated, the symbols stand for "Determination."

Linda Sayavongchanh was a first-team Class 4A all-state basketball player at Lincoln High School in Des Moines and has been a three-year starter for the Bulldogs, earning all-Missouri Valley Conference honors the last two years.

MY THREE SONS: Meet the brothers McVey from Bettendorf who are listed on Drake's two-deep depth chart. Kevin, the eldest who is a redshirt junior, made his starting debut at left offensive tackle against Northern Iowa. Redshirt sophomore Sean McVey is battling for the top backup spot at right offensive
tackle with redshirt sophomore Brandon Jaeger (Minneapolis, Minn.). First-year freshman Quinn McVey is challenging with redshirt freshman Chris Frank (Urbandale) for the top backup at center.

JOSTES HONORED: Drake senior quarterback Connor Jostes was named the Pioneer Football League Offensive Player of the Week after throwing four touchdown passes in Drake's 58-17 victory at Davidson Oct. 1. Jostes, who played just three quarters, completed 20 of 27 passes for 254 yards.

JOSTES, PHAYDAVONG KEY ROAD VICTORY: Connor Jostes passed for four touchdowns and running back Scott Phaydavong rushed for 177 yards as Drake spoiled Davidson's homecoming with a 58-17 victory Oct. 1.

Drake, which scored 51 unanswered points, piled up a season-high 603 yards total offense, averaging 7.2 yards per play, en route to winning its third straight game. The scoring outburst marked the most points by a Drake football team since a 59-34 victory at Quincy Sept. 26, 1998.

The Bulldogs scored on their last five possessions in the first half, to turn a 17-7 deficit into a 30-17 advantage and never looked back. Phaydavong, who had a 64-yard scoring jaunt in the third q
quarter, enjoyed his 11th 100-yard career rushing game, including his third straight.

Davidson parlayed two interceptions thrown by Jostes to grab a 17-7 lead with 14:00 left in the second quarter following an 11-yard touchdown pass from Ryan Alexander to Jackson Whetsel.

But the running of Phaydavong and the passing of Jostes enabled Drake to score on its next five possessions. Four scoring drives consumed less than 2 minutes 17 seconds each. A one-yard touchdown plunge by sophomore running back Michael Bialas pulled Drake within 17-13. Jostes started the drive with a 27-yard pass to junior Tyler Putnam, while Phaydavong had runs of 29 and 12 yards in the drive.

Jostes closed out the first half with a 19-yard touchdown pass to junior Shea Moroni with just 17 seconds left to push the score to 30-17, while climaxing a five-play 37-yard drive. Redshirt junior Matt Goodwin rounded out Drake's scoring with a two-yard touchdown run with 10:39 left in the game.

HARDGRAVES, HORVATH DELIVER: Sophomore Travis Hardgraves caught a career-high seven passes for 75 yards at Davidson including touchdowns of four and 17 yards from Connor Jostes. The Bulldogs marched 67 yards in 10 plays on their first possession to grab a 7-0 lead following Hardgrave's four-yard reception from Jostes.

Hardgraves made a leaping catch over two Davidson defenders in the right corner of the endzone for his second touchdown catch that gave Drake a 20-17 lead with 7:59 left in the second quarter.

Hardgraves nearly eclipsed his entire career output of eight catches. He had five receptions in 2004 and had caught three passes this fall.

Senior Ryan Horvath tied a career best with a 34-yard field goal to push Drake's advantage to 23-17. Hardgrave keyed that scoring drive with receptions of 18 and 11 yards.

Horvath punted just once for 45 yards, but it was enough to become the school's career nonscholarship leader at 179 punts, bettering the previous mark of 178 by Matt Sneller from 1993-96.

LINEBACKERS KEY DEFENSE: Drake's defense forced Davidson into four turnovers with linebacker Brian Conway returning a fumble 29 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter.

Junior outside linebacker James Adams had 10 tackles for Drake, including a 12-yard quarterback sack. Junior linebacker Nick Ross had six tackles, recovered a fumble and also had an interception for the Bulldogs.

Ross' interception set up a 36-yard touchdown pass from Jostes to redshirt sophomore Brandon Millard (Mason City) with 4:47 left in the third quarter. Redshirt freshman cornerback Justin Colbert (Pleasant Hill/Southeast Polk) also had a second-half interception for Drake.

JOSTES SIZZLES IN HOME OPENER: Connor Jostes completed 16 of 17 passes for 265 yards, including three touchdown strikes in the first half, as Drake overwhelmed Austin Peay, 54-0, in its home opener Sept. 27 at Valley High School Stadium

The Bulldogs, who rolled up 587 yards total offense, scored on their first four possessions of the game. Sophomore Scott Phaydavong galloped for 110 yards rushing in just 17 carries, including a six-yard scoring dash that gave the Bulldogs a 13-0 first quarter lead. Jostes completed his first 15 passes of the game to 11 different players before misfiring on the third play of the third quarter.

Jostes rifled a 22-yard touchdown strike to sophomore fullback Willie Cashmore (Kansas City, Mo./Pius X) to cap a five-play, 63 yard scoring drive with 4:11 left in the first quarter. Jostes increased Drake's lead to 27-0 after tossing a three-yard touchdown pass to Travis Hardgraves with 13:09 remaining in the second quarter. Reserve tight end Blake Fuller (Cambridge, Iowa) ended the first half scoring with a three-yard touchdown reception from Jostes with 2:10 remaining.

Sophomore fullback Michael Bialas continued Drake's onslaught in the second half by bursting free on a three-yard scoring plunge with 11:36 left in the third quarter. Junior reserve DeCarlos Love (Minneapolis, Minn.) added a 16-yard scoring run with 12:44 left in the game.

Moments later after a fourth down and one yard gamble by Austin Peay fell short at its 23 yardline, sophomore Poul Collins (Cedar Rapids Washington) scored his first career touchdown with a 28-yard sprint. Tyler Putnam led Drake with four receptions for 90 yards.

DEFENSE STOPS AUSTIN PEAY: Drake's defense held Austin Peay to just 113 yards total offense in 54 plays. The Governors crossed midfield in Drake's territory just once in the entire game. Meanwhile, Drake averaged a whopping 8.4 yards per play.

Drake senior nose guard Chris Daniels (Overland Park, Kan.) stuffed Austin Peay quarterback Jesse Kellogg for an eight-yard loss on the game's first play from scrimmage.

Freshman redshirt cornerback Jordan Bontrager and sophomore cornerback Tyler Marley (Kansas City, Mo./Park Hill) collected interceptions for Drake. Junior linebacker Nick Ross, sophomore cornerback Justin Colbert and defensive end Tim McNamara (Barrington, Ill.) led Drake with five tackles apiece.

BONTRAGER HONORED: Drake redshirt freshman Jordan Bontrager (Iowa City West) has been named the Pioneer Football League Special Teams Player of the Week after returning a punt 60 yards for a touchdown against Austin Peay last Saturday. Bontrager's heroics staked the Bulldogs to a 6-0 lead when he returned a punt 60 yards for a touchdown with 12:50 left in the first quarter..

PHAYDAVONG KEYS DRAKE TO 1ST VICTORY: Scott Phaydavong rushed for a career-high 234 yards, while sophomore Michael Bialas scored three touchdowns as Drake earned its first victory of the season with a 37-14 verdict at Wisconsin-Platteville Sept. 17. It marked Drake's first victory ever in three outings against Wisconsin-Platteville, while avenging its lone home loss of the 2004 campaign.

Phaydavong, who rushed for 41 yards on his Drake's first play from scrimmage, gained 176 yards in just 16 carries in the first half which was the second highest first-half rushing performance in Drake history trailing a 179 yard effort by Phaydavong in the first half against San Diego last year.

Bialas, who rushed for 49 yards in 18 carries, had touchdown runs of one and two yards in the second quarter. He rounded out Drake's scoring with a seven-yard touchdown burst with 38 seconds left in the game. Connor Jostes staked Drake to a 23-7 lead when he tossed a one-yard scoring strike to fullback Matt Goodwin with 30 seconds left in the second quarter. The Bulldogs rolled up a 456 yards total offense, despite committing four turnovers and accumulating 111 yards in penalties.

DEFENSE RISES TO OCCASION: Outside linebacker James Adams led a Drake defense that registered four quarterback sacks totaling 29 yards in losses, against Wisconsin-Platteville's Brett Nelson. Adams finished with a game-high 13 tackles, including eight solo hits.

Junior middle linebacker Brian Conway tipped a pass from Nelson into the hands of teammate James Adams who returned the interception 35 yards for a touchdown with 11 minutes left in the fourth quarter to give Drake a 30-7 lead. Adams also recovered a fumble and returned it 37 yards to thwart a scoring drive by Wisconsin-Platteville. Conway and weakside linebacker Nick Ross added eight tackles apiece. Freshman redshirt strong safety Andy Green also intercepted a pass in the third quarter for Drake.

HORVATH IS HERO: Drake senior kicker Ryan Horvath punted four times for a 50.8 yard average at Wisconsin-Platteville, while making a 20-yard field goal in the first quarter. He had punts of 46, 51, 54, and 52 yards with two coffin corner punts inside the opponent's 20 yardline.

TRIO RECOGNIZED BY PFL, FOOTBALL GAZETTE: Drake swept the Pioneer Football League Player of the Week honors for Sept. 17.

Running back Scott Phaydavong shared the offensive player of the week honors with sophomore quarterback Josh Johnson who engineered San Diego's 17-14 upset victory against Yale.

Drake junior outside linebacker James Adams was named the PFL Defensive Player of the Week, while senior kicker Ryan Horvath was named the PFL Special Teams Player of the Week. The trio also were recognized as the Football Gazette National Players of the Week at the NCAA 1-AA Mid-Major level.

Phaydavong didnt record a touchdown, but his 28 carries for 234 yards set up four touchdowns as Drake picked up its first-ever victory against Wisconsin-Platteville, 37-14. The 234 yards rushing are the third-most by a I-AA back in a single game this season. His first-half totals of 17 carries and 176 yards were the 10th best performance in I-AA for a single-game.

Adams was everywhere as the linebacker recording 13 tackles (6 solo), including a tackle for loss, forced a fumble, which he then recovered and ran back 28 yards and then tacked on a 35-yard interception return for touchdown. Horvath put together the seventh-best punting performance in I-AA this season, booming four punts for a 50.8 yard-per-punt average (203 total yards). All four punts were over 50 yards and two were placed inside the 20-yard line. Horvath added a 20-yard field goal.

SECOND HALF DOOMS DRAKE: Quarterback Luke Drone threw a pair of touchdown passes in the third quarter as Illinois State broke away from a 29-19 halftime lead en route to a 56-19 victory past Drake Sept. 10. Drake gave Illinois State all it could handle in the first half, owning leads of 6-0 and 12-9 before trailing 29-19 at intermission.

Drake's Connor Jostes threw three touchdown passes in the first half, including two to sophomore tight end Daniel Marx. But Illinois State was able to convert two Drake turnovers into touchdowns in the second half, while the Bulldogs also fell short on two fourth down conversions in the second half. Jostes spotted junior Shea Moroni for a 15-yard touchdown pass with 8:10 left in the first half to give Drake a 6-0 lead, while climaxing a seven-play, 52-yard drive.

However, Drake's point after conversion kick was blocked and returned for a two-point conversion by Illinois State's Ramon Barber. The Redbirds grabbed their first lead at 9-6 with 4:35 left in the first quarter on a 13-yard scoring strike from Drone to Jason Horton.

Drake regained the lead after blocking a punt by Illinois State's Ryan Hoffman and recovering at the Redbirds' nine yardline. On the first play from scrimmage Jostes hit Marx for 'a nine-yard touchdown strike to give the Bulldogs a 12-9 lead with 1:14 left in the first half.

A 43-yard kickoff return by Tyler Putnam set up Drake's final touchdown of the game. Following a 10-yard run by sophomore Michael Bialas, Jostes rifled a 42-yard touchdown pass to Marx who outraced two defenders into the endzone to pull Drake with 26-19 with 2:41 left in the half.

Drake couldn't capitalize on Illinois State's first turnover of the game. After being forced to punt on their first possession of the game, a punt by Drake's Ryan Horvath was fumbled by Illinois State's Jason Caeser. Drake reserve Robert McEwen (Littleton, Colo.) recovered the fumble at the Illinois State 24 yardline. But Drake had to settle for a 13-yard field goal attempt by Horvath which was blocked by Justin Martindale with 11:47 left in the first quarter.

Jostes completed 13 of 24 passes for 130 yards with Putnam and Moroni each snaring four receptions. Scott Phaydavong led Drake with 55 yards rushing in 16 carries. Nick Ross collected a game-high 13 tackles, while linebacker James Adams added 12 tackles.

PFL TO RETURN TO SINGLE DIVISION: The Pioneer Football League will return to a single-division, round-robin format in 2006. The league voted this summer on the move back to a single-division format, which the league used in its first eight seasons. The change resulted from the leagues reduction to eight members for the 2006 campaign Austin Peay State leaves the conference at the conclusion of the 2005 season. The final round-robin schedule will provide seven league games annually for all teams with alternating seasons of four home/three road and three home/four road.

The league grew to its current nine members in 2001 with the addition of four new schools Austin Peay , Davidson, Jacksonville and Morehead State. That expansion also necessitated the formation of two divisions with existing members Butler, Dayton, Drake and Valparaiso, plus San Diego forming the PFL North and the newest members becoming the PFL South.

Additionally, the league created a championship game between the winners of the two divisions. With the change in regular-season scheduling, the PFL Championship will be discontinued after the 2005 championship game hosted by the PFL North champion, Nov. 19. Without a league championship game, the establishment of a NCAA-sponsored post-season opportunity for one or more PFL teams becomes a high priority.

UNTESTED LINE: How quick a young, unproven offensive line can develop will hold a key to Drake's success. Graduation claimed four starters along the offensive line including a trio of three-year starters led by All-American guard Grant Knowles.

Sophomore Dave Pammer, who started at center last year, is the lone returning holdover but he switched to guard during the spring. Sophomore Matt Haas and junior Kevin McVey are the top candidates at the vacated offensive tackle spots. Junior Robbie Larew (Des Moines Roosevelt) also figures to be in the mix for playing time at tackle. Sophomore Matt Huber will challenge for the starting center spot, while sophomores Anthony Swope (Chicago, Ill.) and Marco Povich (St. Louis, Mo.) will fight for the other starting guard position. Povich started at center in the last two games of 2003 , while Huber started in the 2004 season opener.


SIZING UP THE BULLDOGS: Topping the 2004 record-breaking season will be a great challenge for a Drake football program clearly aimed at reloading rather than rebuilding. Head coach Rob Ash welcomes back 45 returning letterwinners, including 15 starters, from last year's squad which posted a 10-2 record en route to winning the Pioneer Football League championship with a 20-17 victory at Morehead State.

Drake has faced its most challenging nonconference schedule during Ash's tenure, opening the season with back-to-back road encounters at Gateway Conference schools Northern Iowa and Illinois State.There's plenty of talent at the skill positions offensively led by senior quarterback Connor Jostes who is entering his third year as a starter and sophomore All-American running back Scott Phaydavong.

The running attack is loaded with depth. Sophomore Michael Bialas rushed for 516 yards in 116 attempts (4.4 avg.), while leading the team with 12 touchdowns. Sophomore Poul Collins, who rushed for 137 yards in just 23 carries (6.0 avg.). Junior fullback Matt Goodwin was the team's third leading rusher last year with 169 yards in 34 carries (5.0 avg.) despite missing four games. Willie Cashmore , who started at fullback as a freshman in 2003 before being redshirted last year because of an injury, also returns at fullback.

Junior Tory Greiner (Williamsburg), a two-year letterwinner, and sophomore letterwinner Dan Marx, have big shoes to fill at tight end for the graduated James Mickley, who was a first-team All-PFL selection last year. Marx caught 13 passes for 192 yards (14.8 avg.) last year including four touchdowns. Freshman Blake Fuller, a transfer from the University of Iowa, also is expected to play tight end.

Junior Shea Moroni is the team's top returning receiver, snaring 28 receptions for 317 yards last year including one touchdown. Junior Tyler Putnam, another two-year letterwinner who has 37 career receptions, could blossom into the team's top game-breaking threat. Sophomore letterwinners Travis Hardgraves and Brandon Millard also should see increased playing time.

TRIO KEY DEFENSE: The nucleus returns from a defensive team which ranked seventh nationally in total defense, 11th in scoring defense and 12th in rushing defense in the final NCAA I-AA statistics. A trio of honorable mention all-conference performers - cornerback Jace Denison, defensive end Pat Forliti (Lakeville, Minn.), linebacker Nick Ross - headline a defense that boasts eight returning starters.

Ross, a co-captain, led the team with 94 tackles last year, including 57 solo hits. Forliti, who had a team-high four quarterback sacks last year, keys the defensive line which returns senior starters Chris Daniels (Overland Park, Kan.) at nose guard and Shawn Rodgers (Leavenworth, Kan.) at defensive end. Daniels and Rodgers are in their third year as starters. Senior Nick Pilling, a three-year letterwinner, has the inside track at the vacated tackle spot.

The linebacker corps returns intact with junior Brian Conway at middle linebacker and James Adams, who emerged midway through last season at strongside linebacker. Adams ranked second on the team with 83 tackles last year, including a team-high 10 tackles for losses which also ranked third in the PFL. Conway, a transfer from Waldorf, made an immediate impact last year, ranking third on the team with 72 tackles.

Denison and free safety Ryan Frehse, who shared the team lead last year with three interceptions, are in their third years as starters in the secondary. Sophomore Tyler Marley (Kansas City, Mo.), who started the last seven games at right cornerback, also returns. Junior letterwinner Phillip Williams (St. Louis, Mo.) is a top candidate to start at strong safety along with redshirt freshman Andy Green.

DOUBLE DUTY FOR HORVATH: Senior punter Ryan Horvath (Overland Park, Kan.) is in his fourth year as Drake's regular punter. And for the second time in three years Horvath is expected to see action as place kicker.

A three-time first-team All Pioneer Football League North division selection as a punter, Horvath made eight field goals and 24 of 27 point after conversion kicks in 2003. Horvath set a school single-season record for punting yardage (2,555) in 2003 and punting average season (41.0) in 2002, while tying the mark for punts in a season (63). He owns a 40.4 career punting yard average with 18 punts over 50 yards including a 72-yard punt against Valparaiso last year which was the longest punt during Drake's nonscholarship era.