DRAKE BULLDOGS (3-1, 1-0 PFL) vs.
MOREHEAD STATE EAGLES (0-4, 0-1 PFL)
1 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 30
Drake Stadium (14,000), Des Moines, Iowa

GAME SIGNIFICANCE: Drake, off to its best start since the 2000 team won its first five games to open the season, will play host to Morehead State for homecoming.

It will be the first time these teams have faced each other since the 2004 Pioneer Football League championship game when the Bulldogs earned a 20-17 victory at Morehead State Nov. 20, 2004.

The Bulldogs are riding a three-game winning streak following a 21-7 Pioneer Football League opening victory at Valparaiso. Morehead State rolled up 501 yards total offense, but committed five turnovers, in a 49-37 home loss to Missouri-Rolla last Saturday

TICKETS: Individual adult tickets are $10 for the Bulldogs' game against Morehead State. Drake faculty and staff tickets are $8 with a limit of six. Youth tickets for those, 13 to 18, are $5. Kids, 12 and under are free, with a paid adult. For ticket information call 515-271-DOGS or order the tickets online at www.drakebullogs.org

JOHNNY BRIGHT FIELD DEDICATION: Drake plans to formally dedicate the Johnny Bright Field during special pregame ceremonies starting at 12:40 p.m.

The Field Turf football field at renovated Drake Stadium will be known as "Johnny Bright Field", recognizing the greatest football player in Bulldog history. Bright, who finished fifth in balloting for the 1951 Heisman Trophy, is the only Drake player inducted into the National Football Foundation College Football Hall of Fame.

His running and passing wizardry enabled him to lead the NCAA in total offense in 1949 and 1950, setting an NCAA record of 2,400 yards in 1950 for a per game average of 266.7 yards, which also was an NCAA record. He also set the NCAA career total offense record of 5,983 yards. Bright concluded his collegiate career playing in the East-West Shrine All-Star game and the Hula Bowl.

Bright, who died of a heart attack in 1983 at the age of 53, set 20 Drake records in football, basketball and track from 1949-51.

IOWA'S BEST CELEBRATES 25TH ANNIVERSARY REUNION: The 1981 Drake football team, which became the first Iowa Division I school to win 10 games in a season, will hold a 25-year reunion in conjunction with the Bulldogs' homecoming game against Morehead State Sept. 30.

Drake posted a school-record 10-1 mark under Coach Chuck Shelton and was co-champions of the Missouri Valley Conference. Drake won its first seven games to open the season, including an 18-17 victory at Kansas State.

RADIO: Saturday's game against Morehead State will be broadcast on KRNT Radio (1350 AM) with Scott Pierce handling the play by play and Robb Hill providing commentary.

The weekly Rob Ash Radio Show at Blu Bistro Italiano is broadcast on Tuesdays from 7 to 8 p.m. on KRNT Radio (1350 AM).

ROB ASH TV SHOW: Weekly highlights of Drake football are televised Sundays at 10:30 p.m. on KDSM Fox 17, in Des Moines.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENT: Morehead State has 15 starters back from last year's squad which posted an 8-4 record, falling to San Diego, 47-40, in the Pioneer Football League championship.

Junior offensive tackle Grant Jennings and sophomore return specialist Nick Feldman were named to the 2005 Football Gazette I-AA Mid-Major All-American team

The Eagles led the PFL in rushing offense and are ranked 10th nationally, averaging 231.3 yards per game. Sophomore Eric Fitzpatrick paces a balanced attack with 284 yards (10.5 avg.) in just 27 carries with three touchdowns. He also ranks eighth nationally, while leading the PFL in kickoff returns, averaging 30.7 yards. Senior fullback Jabari McGee has rushed for 261 yards in 55 carres (4.7 avg.).

Junior quarterback Brian Yost, who was named the 2005 PFL South Division Offensive Player of the Year, has passed for 500 yards this fall, including four touchdowns. Senior Daniel Vagni has caught a team-high 11 passes for 111 yards.

Morehead State gained 342 of its 501 total yards on the ground against Missouri-Rolla. Fitzpatrick rushed for 135 yards on nine carries with touchdown runs of 19 and 35 yards, while also catching a 49-yard touchdown pass. McGee rushed for 95 yards, including a 16-yard touchdown run. Morehead State, which owned a 24-14 halftime lead, lost four fumbles and had one interception.

THE SERIES: Drake owns a 2-1 record in the series which began in 2003 when Morehead State claimed a 34-17 home victory. The Bulldogs have won the last two games, including a 20-17 victory Nov. 20, 2004 to win the Pioneer Football League championship.

THE LAST TIME: Drake 20, Morehead State 17 (Nov. 20, 2004, Morehead, Ky.) Then freshman Scott Phaydavong rushed for a game-high 178 yards, including an 82-yard touchdown in the first quarter, as Drake withstood a fourth quarter rally by Morehead State to capture the 2004 Pioneer Football League championship .

The Bulldogs, posting their ninth straight victory, became just the second team in school history to win 10 games in a season, matching the accomplishment of the 1981 Drake squad which went 10-1 under coach Chuck Shelton.

Drake roared to a 20-3 lead following a 37-yard field goal by Tyler McGlade with 42 seconds left in the third quarter. Then, the Bulldogs had to fight off two touchdowns by Morehead State in the final four minutesA two-point conversion pass from Tyler Cvitkovic to Dana Calhoun pulled Morehead State to within 20-17 with 28 seconds left.

Looking for a chance to tie the game to send it into overtime, Morehead State attempted an onside kick but Drake's Tyler Putnam recovered the kick at the Eagles' 49 yardline with 25 seconds left.

Drake's defense forced two turnovers, stifling a Morehead State drive on the first series of the game.The Eagles took the opening kickoff, marching down to the Drake 15 yardline before senior safety Curtis Martindale recovered a fumble at the six yardline to stop the drive.

The Bulldogs scored on their first three possession and never looked back. Phaydavong set the school's single season nonscholarship rushing record when he broke loose on the 82-yard touchdown burst with 8:20 left in the first quarter to give Drake a 7-0 lead.

Phaydavong, enjoying his eighth 100-yard plus rushing game, finished the season with 1,539 yards to surpass the previous mark of 1,486 yards set by Johnathan Taylor last season.

Morehead State pulled within 7-3 following a 40-yard field goal by Adams Jones with 5:05 remaining.

Jostes rifled a 28-yard touchdown pass to Jason Jones on a third and seven situation with 23 seconds left to give Drake a 14-3 lead. McGlade converted a 45-yard field goal to make it 17-3 with 10:34 left in the second quarter.

Then sophomore linebacker Nick Ross led Drake's defense with a game-high 10 tackles, while also forcing a fumble.Junior cornerback Jace Denison halted another Morehead State scoring opportunity with an interception in the second half.Drake's defense also recorded four quarterback sacks for 20 yards in losses.

THE COACHES: Rob Ash, a 1973 graduate of Cornell (Iowa), is in his 18th year as Drake head coach and is the school's winningest football coach with a 119-62-2 record (47-43-1 road/ 72-19-1 home).

Under Ash, Drake has enjoyed 12 winning seasons, including 11 years of at least seven wins. Ash, 55, has a 20-year overall collegiate coaching record of 170-98-5 (.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.

Matt Ballard, a 1979 graduate of Gardner-Webb, owns a 72-61 record in 13 years as head coach at Morehead State. He has an overall collegiate career record of 107-82-1, including a 35-25-1 mark in six years (1988-93) as head coach at Union College

He is the four-time defending Pioneer Football League South Division Coach of the Year, having led the Eagles to four consecutive division crowns. Ballard also was the National Coach of the Year (1998) for NCAA Division I-AA Mid-Major schools and Coach of the Year among NCAA Division I-AA Independents. The 1998 Eagle squad was ranked number one among Division I-AA Mid-Majors by The Football Gazette.

He has directed MSU to NCAA Division I-AA national statistical championships in scoring offense (1997 and 2000), total offense (2000) and punt returns (1997). Ballard, 47, was an assistant coach at Morehead State for four seasons (1984-87) before accepting the head coaching position at Union.

DRAKE IN NATIONAL RANKINGS: Drake remained at No. 7 in the latest NCAA Division I-AA Mid-Major poll by The Sports Network. The Bulldogs also stayed at No. 8 in Don Hansen's Weekly Football Gazette NCAA Division I-AA Mid-Major poll for the second straight week. The Bulldogs entered their season opener, ranking fifth in both preseason polls.

San Diego, the choice to win the Pioneer Football League title in the recent coaches preseason poll, was ranked No. 1 in both polls.

DRAKE TEAM LEADERS: After four games, junior running back Scott Phaydavong (Des Moines East) leads Drake with 512 yards rushing (5.6 avg.) in 96 carries with four touchdowns. Sophomore quarterback Derek Retherford (Johnston) has completed 47 of 83 passes for 707 yards, including four touchdowns.

Senior Shea Moroni (Glen Ellyn, Ill.) has caught a team-high 16 passes for 214 yards (13.9 avg.), while senior Tyler Putnam (Oakland/Riverside) has caught 11 passes for 158 yards (17.0 avg.). Junior tight end Dan Marx (Maple Grove, Minn.) follows with nine receptions for 178 yards (18.0 avg.).

DRAKE IN NCAA STATISTICS RANKINGS: Drake's Scott Phaydavong (Des Moines/East) is ranked ninth in the nation in rushing, according to the latest NCAA I-AA football statistics released Sunday.

Phaydavong has rushed for 512 yards this season for a 128.0 yard average per game. He also ranks 19th nationally in all-purpose running, averaging 142.3 yards per game.

Drake sophomore safety Andy Green (Atlantic, Iowa) is ranked 25th in pass interceptions with two, averaging .50 per game.

Drake senior defensive end Kevin Jennings (Lockport, Ill.) is 29th in the nation in quarterback sacks, averaging .75 per game.

Drake is ranked No. 16 in total offense, averaging 390.5 yards per game. Drake also is ranked No. 18th in rushing offense, averaging 213.8 yards per game.

DRAKE IN PFL OPENERS: Since the first year of the Pioneer Football League in 1993, Drake has posted a 9-5 record (3-4 road/6-1 home) in its league openers.

UNSUNG HERO SEALS PFL OPENING VICTORY: A 14-yard interception return for a touchdown by reserve linebacker Phillip Williams (St. Louis, Mo./Lutheran) with 26 seconds left sealed Drake's 21-7 Pioneer Football League opening victory at Valparaiso last Saturday.

Williams' heroics were part of a defensive unit that held Valparaiso to just one touchdown after the Crusaders had opened their PFL season with a 42-35 victory at Morehead State Sept. 16.

Clinging to a 14-7 lead with 48 seconds left, Drake was forced to punt giving Valparaiso one final opportunity to tie the game. But on a third-down situation, quarterback Ryan Doerffler's pass was intercepted by Williams, a fifth-year senior who only plays nickel back in pass defense situations.

Drake's Scott Phaydavong enjoyed his 19th career, 100-yard plus rushing game with 128 yards on the ground in 27 carries.Drake grabbed a 7-0 lead, marching 66 yards in just six plays on its opening drive climaxed by Phaydavong sprinting 16 yards along the right sideline for a touchdown with 12:34 left in the first quarter.

After Valparaiso tied the game at 7-7 with 3:40 left in the second quarter, Drake responded with a six-play, 65-yard touchdown drive. A seven-yard scoring run by junior Willie Cashmore (Kansas City, Mo./St. Pius X) with 1:47 left in the second quarter gave Drake a 14-7 advantage it would never relinquish.

Drake quarterback Derek Retherford completed 12 of 22 passes for 166 yards with tight end Daniel Marx and receiver Tyler Putnam each snaring four receptions.

THE DEFENSE RESTS: Drake's defense recorded three quarterback sacks against Valparaiso's Ryan Doerffler, who entered the game ranked third in the NCAA I-AA in passing efficiency. Drake's secondary also broke up a season-high nine passes.

Drake sophomore strong safety Andy Green (Atlantic, Iowa) also thwarted a Valparaiso scoring drive by Doerffler at the Bulldogs' seven yardline early in the third quarter. Junior cornerback Poul Collins (Cedar Rapids, Iowa/Washington) led Drake with 10 tackles, including nine solo hits. Senior linebacker Nick Ross (Atlantic, Iowa) collected nine tackles, including five solo hits. Senior linebacker Jimmy Adams (Kansas City, Mo./Park Hill) had eight tackles, including seven solo hits.

RED ZONE DEFENSE: Drake's defense has played its best when opponents have marched inside the Bulldogs' 20 yardline. Opponents have converted just 58.3 percent of their opportunities in the redzone, scoring on seven of 12 possesions.

Going a step further opponents have converted just 28 percent of their opportunities in the redzone in the last three games, scoring on only two of seven chances.

FRESHMAN WALKER WINS NATIONAL AWARD: Freshman defensive back Stacey Walker (Cedar Rapids Washington) won the Boys and Girls Club of America National Youth of the Year award, which was announced last Wednesday (Sept. 20) at a Congressional Breakfast in Washington D.C.

Walker, a business law major at Drake, appeared on the Sept. 21 NBC Today Show. Last Friday Walker and the other regional finalists met President George W. Bush.

Earlier, Walker was named the Boys and Girls Club of America 2006 Midwest Regional Youth of the Year.

The Youth of the Year program, nationally sponsored by the Reader's Digest Foundation since its inception, is in its 59th year. The program recognizes outstanding contributions to a member's family, school, community and Boys & Girls Club, academic excellence, as well as personal challenges and obstacles overcome. In order to reach the national level of the competition, all five teens garnered the Youth of the Year title at their respective local, state and regional levels. The Reader's Digest Foundation awarded each state finalist with a $1,000 college scholarship and each regional finalist a $10,000 college scholarship.

SHELLEY ON ROLL: Junior defensive end Cody Shelley (West Des Moines/Valley) made his first college start against Wisconsin-Platteville, collecting five tackles, including three solo hits, while also breaking up a pass.

Last Saturday Shelley led Drake with two quarterback sacks, totaling 15 yards in losses, at Valparaiso. Shelley, who has replaced the injured Josh Duvall (Overland Park, Kan./Blue Valley Northwest), in the lineup, finished with four tackles at Valparaiso.

GOODWIN RETURNS TO LINEUP: Drake senior fullback Matt Goodwin (Cambridge, Ill.) rejoined the team prior to the Sept. 16 game against Wisconsin-Platteville after missing the first two games because of mononucleosis. In his 2006 debut Goodwin gained 39 yards rushing in seven carries, while also catching two passes for 28 yards. He has rushed for 356 yards during his career with three touchdowns. His return allowed redshirt sophomore Blake Fuller (Cambridge, Iowa) to move back to his normal tight end position.

AMONG NCAA I-AA LEADERS: Drake ranks 19th in overall victories (532) among the 123 schools which play NCAA Division I-AA football. Only 22 schools have recorded 500 or more victories. The game against Morehead State will be the 1,027th game in school history with Drake owning a record of 532-465-29 for a winning percentage of .532.

PFL COACHES PICK DRAKE THIRD: Drake was picked to finish third in the Pioneer Football League Preseason Coaches' Poll.

San Diego, receiving five of the eight possible first-place votes, was picked to defend its league title, while tallying 45 points. Dayton was selected a close second with 43 points, while earning two first-place votes. Morehead State was picked for fourth followed by Jacksonville, Davidson, Valparaiso and Butler.

For the first time in league history, all eight Pioneer Football League teams will play one another in a round-robin format. The league championship will be determined by regular-season play with the champion meeting the Northeast Conference champion in the first Gridiron Classic.

BALANCED ATTACK KEYS 35-7 VICTORY: In a final tuneup before opening the Pioneer Football League season, the Drake football team rolled up 453 yards total offense en route to an impressive 35-7 home romp past Wisconsin-Platteville Sept. 16.

Sophomore quarterback Derek Retherford threw two touchdown passes, while junior redshirt fullback Willie Cashmore (Kansas City, Mo./St. Pius X) had touchdown runs of two and one yards.

Junior running back Scott Phaydavong enjoyed his 18th career 100-yard plus rushing by netting 106 yards on the ground in 26 carries.

The Bulldogs scored on their first possession, marching 80 yards in 12 plays, capped by Retherford throwing a four-yard touchdown pass to Tyler Putnam with 9:24 left in the first quarter.

On the second play of the second quarter Retherford spotted Putnam open for a 53-yard pass to the Wisconsin-Platteville 41. Five plays later Retherford teamed up with senior Shea Moroni on a 13-yard scoring strike.

Retherford completed 15 of 22 passes for a career-high 250 yards, while Moroni caught a career-high seven passes for 112 yards. Putnam snared five passes for 102 yards. Senior DeCarlos Love (Minneapolis, Minn.) rounded out Drake's scoring with a 12-yard touchdown run with 3:01 left in the game, capping a 13-play, 75-yard scoring march.

THREE AND OUT: Drake had just three offensive possessions in the second half against Wisconsin-Platteville, but made the most by scoring on each drive. The time consuming drives were eight plays, 65 yards; 12 plays, 86 yards, and 13 plays, 75 yards. Drake's final scoring drive lasted 7 minutes 44 seconds, while the other second-half scoring drives were 3:18 and 5:34.

DEFENSE FORCES 4 TURNOVERS: For the second straight game, Drake's defense forced an opponent into four turnovers

Drake's defense forced Wisconsin-Platteville into four turnovers with nose guard Jake Ramos (Waterloo, Neb.) and redshirt freshman Augustine Agyei (Aurora, Colo.) intercepting passes.

Sophomore free safety Andy Green collected a career-high 14 tackles, including 11 solo hits, for Drake.Sophomore defensive back Jacob Craig (Mount Vernon, Iowa) added a career-high 12 tackles, including 10 solo hits, while forcing a fumble. Senior linebacker James Adams (Kansas City, Mo.) had 11 tackles, including seven solo hits, while recovering a fumble. Sophomore Justin Colbert (Pleasant Hill, Iowa/Southeast Polk) also recovered a fumble for the Bulldogs.

ATLANTIC DUO SPARK WIN: The Drake defense forced Upper Iowa into four turnovers en route to a 40-7 home victory Sept. 9 with the Atlantic, Iowa, duo of sophomore strong safety Andy Green and senior linebacker Nick Ross each intercepting passes.

Junior free safety Jacob Craig led Drake's defense with nine tackles, including seven solo hits. Green added six solo hits. Sophomore linebacker Jeremy Gehl (Naperville, Ill.) also recovered a fumble. Redshirt linebacker Calen Hunt (Littleton, Colo.) added five tackles, while forcing a fumble.

A fumble recovery by Drake senior strongside linebacker James Adams at the Bulldog 16 yardline stopped an Upper Iowa drive midway through the second half.

Drake took advantage with an 11-play, 84-yard scoring drive climaxed by a 31-yard touchdown pass from sophomore quarterback Derek Retherford to redshirt junior Brandon Millard (Mason City) with 2:33 left in the first half.

DEPTH PAYS OFF: Junior redshirt Clay Cleveland (Tinley Park, Ill.) and redshirt freshman Mason Bucklin (Solon) rounded out Drake's scoring against Upper Iowa with touchdown runs of 40 and nine yards, respectively, in the fourth quarter.Cleveland rushed for a career-high 61 yards in seven carries, while freshman redshirt Will Yocius (Fox River Grove, Ill.) had a career high 60 yards on the ground in two carries.

PLAYING THE BEST: When Drake opened the season against Northern Iowa, which finished runner-up in the 2005 NCAA I-AA playoffs, it marked the eighth straight year that Drake, a nonscholarship NCAA I-AA program, played 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; Missouri State in 2001 and 2004; Illinois State in 2003 and Northern Iowa in 2005. Drake did manage a 31-7 victory against Florida Atlantic, a fully-funded NCAA I-AA program, in 2001.

IF YOU BUILD IT...: A crowd of 10,107 the most to watch a Bulldogs' home game during their 20-year nonscholarship period attended the Aug. 31 season opener against Northern Iowa at Drake Stadium which underwent a $15 million renovation that included permanent lighting and a new FieldTurf playing surface.

The previous attendance record for a Drake home game during its nonscholarship era of football was 7,908 fans against Dayton Oct. 11, 1997. The biggest crowd ever to watch Drake play during its nonscholarship era was 33,827 Sept. 20 when the Bulldogs earned a 23-22 victory at South Florida. The game was played in Tampa, Fla.

UNI SPOILS OPENER: Terrell Allen returned the game's opening kickoff 97 yards for a touchdown as Northern Iowa spoiled Drake's season opener in the newly renovated Drake Stadium Aug. 31 with a 48-7 victory.

The Panthers rolled up 448 yards total offense with sophomore Corey Lewis pacing the attack with touchdown runs of two and 12 yards. Lewis finished with a game-high 105 yards on the ground in 11 carries.

Northern Iowa, which finished runner-up in the 2006 NCAA Division I-AA playoffs, was making its first appearance at Drake Stadium since 1985.Northern Iowa scored on its first four possessions to enjoy a 24-0 lead before sophomore quarterback Derek Retherford spotted Shea Moroni open for a 22-yard touchdown pass with 4:01 left in the second quarter to account for Drake's lone touchdown.

Drake did march from its own 20 down to the Northern Iowa 14 yardline to start the second half before sophomore Logan Rees (West Des Moines Valley) missed a 31-yard field goal.Retherford, making his first collegiate start, passed for 173 yards for Drake. Moroni caught five passes for 61 yards, while junior tight end Daniel Marx had four receptions for 69 yards. Junior All-American Scott Phaydavong rushed for 94 yards in 25 carries.

DUO PACE DEFENSE: Senior linebacker James Adams and junior cornerback Poul Collins led Drake with nine and eight tackles, respectively. Collins, a converted running back, was making his first collegiate start at cornerback. Junior free safety Jacob Craig recovered a fumble for the Bulldogs.
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SEASON OPENERS: Following a 48-7 loss to Northern Iowa, the Bulldogs sport a 66-41-6 record (.628) in season openers. Drake owns an 8-8-2 record (5-2-1 home/3-6-1 road) in season openers during Rob Ash's 18-year coaching tenure at the school. Drake has lost its last six season openers all of which were played against scholarship opponents: Truman State, 40-29, 2001; Western Illinois, 64-7, 2002; at Illinois State, 27-13, 2003; at Missouri State, 31-26, 2004; at Northern Iowa, 52-17, 2005; and the 2006 opener against Northern Iowa, 48-7.

LEADERS UNDER THE LIGHTS: Drake will play five of its seven home games under the lights this season.Did you know that Drake was the first college to install permanent lighting for its football field? The first game was Oct. 6, 1928, with the Bulldogs beating Simpson, 41-6. White footballs were used in the early years before lighting became more intensified.

2006 CO-CAPTAINS: Senior linebacker Nick Ross and senior wide receiver Shea Moroniwere named co-captains of the 2006 Drake football team. Ross, who also served as co-captain in 2005, is in his third year as a starter at weakside linebacker. He earned All-Pioneer Football League North Division honorable mention honors in 2004, while leading Drake with 94 tackles, including a team-high 57 solo hits. He ranked second on the team in tackles last year with 77, including 50 solo hits, while intercepting one pass and recovering two fumbles.He was Drake's second leading receiver last season, snaring 22 passes for 302 yards including three touchdowns.

PRESEASON ALL-AMERICANS: Drake senior linebacker James Adams, junior offensive lineman Dave Pammer (Frankfort, Ill.) and junior running back Scott Phaydavong have been named to the Football Gazette NCAA I-AA Mid-Major Preseason All-America team, as well as The Sports Network 2006 I-AA Mid-Major Preseason All-America football team. Adams, Pammer and Phaydavong all earned first-team All-Pioneer Football League North Division playing honors last year.

Phaydavong ranked second in the NCAA I-AA in rushing last year with 1,550 yards with eight touchdowns in just 204 carries (7.6 avg.). Phaydavong led the Pioneer Football League in rushing for the second straight year and enjoyed eight straight 100-yard-plus rushing games to close out the 2005 season. He set the Drake school single-season nonscholarship rushing record despite playing in two fewer games and carrying the ball 30 fewer times.

Adams, who is in his third year as a starter, was named Drake's defensive player of the year last season. He led the Bulldogs with 88 tackles last year, including 66 solo hits, three quarterback sacks for 32 yards in losses, two interceptions and one fumble recovery.Pammer is in his third season as a starter on the offensive line. He started at center in 2004 before moving to guard last year. He will start at tackle this fall.

IOWA FLAVOR: The 2006 Drake roster includes 38 players from Iowa, including nine who will start against Northern Iowa: quarterback Derek Retherford (Johnston), halfback Scott Phaydavong (Des Moines East), flanker Tyler Putnam (Oakland/Riverside), offensive tackle Matt Haas (Iowa City West), middle linebacker Brian Conway (Waukee), weakside linebacker Nick Ross (Atlantic), free safety Jacob Craig (Mount Vernon), strong safety Andy Green (Atlantic) and cornerback Poul Collins (Cedar Rapids Washington).

SIZING UP THE ROSTER: There are 101 players on the Drake football roster, including just 10 seniors, 24 juniors, 13 sophomores and 54 freshmen (20 redshirts). There are players from eight states: 38 from Iowa, 30 from Illinois, 18 from Missouri, six from Colorado, four from Minnesota, three from Kansas, and one each from Maryland and Nebraska.

STARTERS BY CLASS: Just six seniors started for the Bulldogs at Valparaiso. Receivers Shea Moroni and Tyler Putnam were the lone senior offensive starters.The offense featured eight junior starters (LT-Dave Pammer; LG-Marco Povich; OC-Matt Huber; RG-Anthony Swope; RT-Matt Haas; TE-Dan Marx; HB-Scott Phaydavong, FB-Willie Cashmore) while quarterback Derek Retherford was the lone sophomore starter.

Defensively, Drake started four seniors (DE-Kevin Jennings; SLB-James Adams, MLB-Brian Conway; WLB-Nick Ross), five juniors (DE-Cody Shelley, DT-Jake Ramos, CB-Tyler Marley, CB-Poul Collins, FS-Jacob Craig) along with sophomore Andy Green at free safety and freshman Andrew Asbell at defensive end.

LAOTIAN CONNECTION: Junior running back Scott Phaydavong is from a close-knit family 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."

WHAT'S IN STORE: Head Football Coach Rob Ash is counting on the return to familiar, but upgraded surroundings, to ignite Drake in the Pioneer Football League which will play a round-robin seven-game schedule for the first time in the 14-year history of the league. Two of Drake's three league home games will be against San Diego and Morehead State which battled in the Pioneer Football League championship game last year.

Thirty-eight letterwinners, including 14 starters, will try to help Drake regain the fortunes it encountered during the 2004 season when the Bulldogs posted a 10-2 record en route to winning the PFL championship.

Graduation claimed just two starters on offense but one hole will hold the key toward the Bulldogs' progress this fall. All attention will be focused on finding a replacement for departed three-year starting quarterback Connor Jostes, who passed for 6,445 yards in his career, including 59 touchdowns. Sophomore Derek Retherford is in his first year as starting quarterback.

The return of four starters on the offensive line, headed by junior Dave Pammer, a first-team All-Pioneer Football League choice who has moved from guard to tackle, should make the transition for the first-year signal caller go smooth. Other returning veterans up front are juniors Matt Huber (center), Matt Haas (tackle) and Anthony Swope (guard), while junior Daniel Marx should continue to blossom at tight end after catching six touchdowns last season.

That group will pave the way for a potent offense headed by junior Scott Phaydavong, who led the PFL for the second straight year with 1,550 yards rushing, including eight touchdowns in just 204 carries for a whopping 7.6 avg. He set the Drake nonscholarship single-season rushing mark despite playing in two fewer games. For the second consecutive year the speedster enjoyed eight 100-yard plus rushing games, highlight by a pair of 200-yard rushing efforts against Wisconsin-Platteville (234) and league champion San Diego (a career-high 244). Senior Matt Goodwin returns at f

The 6-foot 3-inch Marx has developed into one of the top tight ends in the PFL, averaging 21.3 yards per reception, with his role expanding even more this fall in Drake's offensive attack. The team's top eight receivers from a year ago are back, led by senior Tyler Putnam, a two-year starter who caught a team-high 28 passes last year, and senior co-captain Shea Moroni who snared 22 receptions.

TRIO KEYS DEFENSE: Senior linebacker Jimmy Adams, who led the team with 88 tackles en route to earning first-team All-PFL honors last year, spearheads a defense which has five starters back. Drake coach Rob Ash calls Adams, middle linebacker Brian Conway, and weakside linebacker Nick Ross, the best balanced trio that he has encountered during his tenure at Drake. Ross, a co-captain, and Conway, also are entering their third year as starters. Junior cornerback Tyler Marley and sophomore strong safety Andy Green are holdovers in the secondary.