DRAKE BULLDOGS at NORTHERN IOWA PANTHERS
7:05 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 1 UNI-Dome, Cedar Falls, Iowa

GAME SIGNIFICANCE: Drake opens its 112th season of intercollegiate football with a tall order facing what should be the Bulldogs' strongest test of the season playing at Northern Iowa.

This marks the seventh 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 2004 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: For the first time since becoming a nonscholarship football program in 1986, Drake's regular-season schedule will feature back-to-back games with Gateway Conference schools. After opening the season at Northern Iowa, Drake will travel to Illinois State Sept. 10.

SEASON OPENERS: The Bulldogs sport a 66-39-6 record (.628) in season openers. Drake owns an 8-6-2 record (3-5-1 road/5-1-1 home) in season openers during Rob Ash's 16-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 (523) among the 123 schools which play NCAA Division I-AA football. Only 22 schools have recorded 500 or more victories.

The game at Northern Iowa will be the 1,013th game in school history with Drake owning a record of 523-460-29 for a winning percentage of .532.

DRAKE IN NATIONAL RANKINGS: Drake is ranked No. 1 in a pair of preseason NCAA I-AA Mid-Major polls.

After finishing at No. 2 in last season's final Mid-Major poll, Drake begins the 2005 season as the No. 1 team in The Sports Network I-AA Mid-Major Top 10. The Bulldogs received seven of a possible 17 first-place votes and 148 points to earn their first No. 1 nod.

The Bulldogs also are ranked No. 1 in the Football Gazette preseason I-AA Mid-Major poll.

Drake, which is coming off a 10-2 season where it won the Pioneer Football League, is a preseason Mid-Major No. 1 for the first time in school history, and in fact claims the No. 1 ranking for the first time.

The Bulldogs began the 2004 season at No. 10, but were in every poll during the season and sat at No. 2 for the last four weeks.

Monmouth (N.J.), last season's recipient of The Sports Network Cup emblematic of the nation's top mid-major program, begins the 2005 season at No. 2 in the country. Monmouth's eight-first place votes led all teams in the poll, but the Hawks placed second to Drake with 140 points. Monmouth, the defending champions of the Northeast Conference, was ranked in the top five throughout the 2004 season, including the last four weeks at No. 1.

Rounding out the top five are No. 3 Dayton, No. 4 Duquesne and No. 5 Robert Morris. Dayton spent six weeks at No. 1 in 2004, while Duquesne was the preseason pick for the top spot a year ago and has won the last six Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference titles. Closing out the Top 10 is No. 6 Central Connecticut State, No. 7 San Diego, No. 8 Morehead State, No. 9 Wagner and No. 10 Albany.

The Northeast Conference placed five teams in the poll, while the Pioneer Football League had four. Duquesne was the lone representative from the MAAC.

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.

In the Football Gazette poll, Morehead State was ranked No. 2, followed by Duquesne, Monmouth, Robert Morris, San Diego, Central Connnecticut, Dayton, Albany (N.Y.) and LaSalle.

PFL COACHES PICK DRAKE, MOREHEAD STATE: The Pioneer Football League's coaches have tabbed Drake and Morehead State to win their respective divisions in the PFL's preseason poll. Drake is picked first for the first time since divisional play began, while it is the fourth time in five seasons Morehead State has been chosen as the PFL South winner.

Drake, the 2004 PFL champion, received five of the nine possible first-place votes in the PFL North Division. Dayton and San Diego split the four remaining first-place votes and were picked second and third, respectively. Valparaiso and Butler were picked to finish in a fourth-place tie.

Morehead State, the three-time PFL South Division defending champion, received five first-place votes. Second-place Jacksonville picked up three first-place votes while Austin Peay, which was picked third, claimed one first-place vote. Davidson rounds out the four-team PFL South.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENT: Northern Iowa returns 35 lettermen, including 14 starters, from last years 7-4 team which finished third in the Gateway Conference with a 5-2 mark. Despite winning six consecutive games to end the year, UNI was passed over for the NCAA I-AA playoffs.

Seven players were named to the 2005 preseason Gateway all-conference team senior running back Terrance Freeney, senior wide receiver Justin Surrency, senior linebacker Brett Koebcke and junior cornerback Dre Dokes, along with honorable mention selections, senior center John Schabilion, junior offensive guard Tyler Rawlins and senior nose tackle Kevin Stensrud.

UNIs strength comes from the returning experience on offense. Freeney has been named to the Walter Payton Watch list for the third year in a row which is presented to the top player in NCAA I-AA football. The Cedar Falls native transferred to his hometown school in 2003 and made an impact right away with 1,261 yards and 16 touchdowns. Early injuries hampered his 2004 campaign, but Freeney still managed to rush for 1,100 yards and seven touchdowns

Surrency was the teams leading receiver last year with 46 catches, including seven touchdowns. Quarterback Eric Sanders completed over 63 percent of his passes for 15 touchdowns en route to being named the leagues Freshman of the Year, and three starters return in the offensive line along with several experienced reserves. Junior Brian Wingert was 2004 NCAA I-percentage leader in field goals after making 14-of-18 of his attempts.

Koebcke was the teams top tackler with 41 solos and 19 assisted tackles, including six tackles for loss and two sacks. Dokes recorded a team-high four interceptions for the second year in a row and is the second-leading returning tackler.

PANTHERS RANKED 12TH IN PRESEASON I-AA POLL: Northern Iowa was ranked 12th in The Sports Network preseason I-AA Top 25 poll.

The Panthers also were picked to finish third in the Gateway Conference preseason poll conducted by league coaches, media and sports information directors.

THE SERIES: Drake owns a 25-17-1 lead in the series which started in 1900 with the Bulldogs claiming a 50-0 home victory. The two schools haven't played since 1985 when Drake earned a 24-9 home victory.

THE COACHES: Rob Ash, a 1973 graduate of Cornell (Iowa), enters his 17th year as Drake coach and is the school's winningest football coach with a 110-57-2 record (43-40-1 road/67-17-1 home).

Under Ash, Drake has enjoyed 12 winning seasons, including 11 years of at least seven wins. Ash, 52, has a 20-year overall collegiate coaching record of 161-93-5 (.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.

Mark Farley, a 1987 graduate of Northern Iowa, begins his fifth year as head coach at his alma mater owning a 33-16 record (.673 percentage). He served as an assistant coach at Northern Iowa from 1989-97 and at Kansas from 1997-2000. Farley has led the Panthers to appearances in the 2001 and 2003 NCAA I-AA playoffs along with a share of two Gateway Conference championships.

DRAKE REUNION: Former Drake All-American lineman Craig Wederquist is in his first year as assistant defensive line coach at Northern Iowa. Wederquist earned first team All-American honors by The Associated Press as an offensive tackle at Drake in 1982. He was a key starter on the 1981 Bulldog team which posted a school-record 10-1 mark under coach Chuck Shelton, including an 18-17 victory at Kansas State.

A native of Urbandale, Iowa, Wederquist also served as defensive line coach at Drake in 1985. Wederquist was an assistant coach at Nevada-Las Vegas from 2000-04 and was head coach at Tarleton State from 1997-99 after serving as its defensive coordinator and linebackers coach in the 1996 season. He was promoted to defensive coordinator at the University of the Pacific in 1995 after serving as defensive line coach in the 1994 campaign.

He coached the offensive line at Iowa Wesleyan in 1993, the defensive line at Colorado State in 1992, and the defensive line at Utah State from 1989-91 and the offensive tackles and tight ends in 1988. He was the special teams coordinator and offensive line coach at Central Missouri State from 1986-87 and the running backs coach at Graceland College in 1984.

2005 CO-CAPTAINS: Senior quarterback Connor Jostes (Iowa City High) and junior linebacker Nick Ross (Atlantic) have been named co-captains of the 2005 Drake football team.

Jostes, who has passed for 4,865 yards including 40 touchdowns during his career, will enter 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.).

Jostes has thrown at least one touchdown pass in 20 of the 22 games he has started in his career, including the last three games of the 2004 campaign.

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 (Des Moines East) has been selected to The Sports Network 2005 Preseason 1-AA Mid-Major All-America football team.

Phaydavong is coming off a banner rookie campaign in 2004 when he was the only freshman named to 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 82-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 will start against Northern Iowa: 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).

FOND MEMORIES OF UNI-DOME: Drake teammates Zach Brower, Cody Shelley and Logan Rees won't forget their last visit to the UNI-Dome. The trio helped lead West Des Moines Valley to its second straight Iowa Class 4A title with a 17-7 victory past Cedar Rapids Washington in 2003.

Drake co-captains Connor Jostes and Nick Ross will be making their first appearance in the UNI-Dome since leading their respective high schools to appearances in the state championship games. As a senior , Jostes led Iowa City High to runner-up in the 2001 Iowa Class 4A state playoffs, falling to West Des Moines Dowling, 35-15. He gained 230 yards total offense, including 215 passing, in the championship game, while kicking a school record three field goals of 23,20 and 38 yards.

Ross led Atlantic to a 27-0 victory past Mount Vernon in the 2002 Iowa Class 3A state football championship game played in the UNI-Dome. Current Drake teammates - freshman redshirt cornerback Andy Green (Atlantic) and sophomore safety Jacob Craig (Mount Vernon) also played in that 2002 Class 3A championship game.

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.

The 67-man travel squad includes just one true freshman reserve center Quinn McVey (Bettendorf).

STARTERS BY CLASS: Just six seniors are projected to start for the Bulldogs in their season opener at Northern Iowa. Quarterback Connor Jostes is the lone senior to start for an offense which features six sophomore starters (LG-Dave Pammer; OC-Matt Huber; RG-Anthony Swope; RT-Matt Haas; TE-Dan Marx; HB-Scott Phaydavong) and four junior starters (SE-Shea Moroni; FL-Tyler Putnam; LT-Kevin McVey; FB-Matt Goodwin).

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) and two freshmen (CB-Justin Colbert, SS-Andy Green).

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 entering the season opener at Northern Iowa. Kevin, the eldest who is a redshirt junior, will make his starting debut at left offensive tackle. 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.

WHAT'S IN STORE: 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 will face 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.

"I have always believed that the tougher schedule you play in the preseason the better you are going to be prepared for the conference season. That is what worked for us last year, " said Ash whose team nearly upset Southwest Missouri State from the Gateway Conference in the 2004 opener before falling, 31-26.

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 (Hoffman Estates, Ill.) rushed for 516 yards in 116 attempts (4.4 avg.), while leading the team with 12 touchdowns. Sophomore Poul Collins (Cedar Rapids Washington), who rushed for 137 yards in just 23 carries (6.0 avg.).

Junior fullback Matt Goodwin (Cambridge, Ill.) was the team's third leading rusher last year with 169 yards in 34 carries (5.0 avg.) despite missing four games. Willie Cashmore (Kansas City, Mo.), 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 (Maple Grove, Minn.), 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 (Cambridge) a transfer from the University of Iowa, also is expected to play tight end.

Junior Shea Moroni (Glen Ellyn, Ill.) 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 (Sioux City West) and Brandon Millard (Mason City) also should see increased playing time.

UNTESTED LINE: But how quick a young, unproven offensive line can develop will hold a key to the 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 (Mount Prospect, Ill.) 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.

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 will enter 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 (Kansas City, Mo.), 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, will enter 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.) returns for 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 needs 40 punts to become just the second player in Drake history to punt 200 times in a career, joining Fred Dunn who had 237 punts from 1966-69. 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.

ABOUT THE PFL: The 2005 season marks the 13th 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.