DES MOINES, IOWA -- Senior Scott Phaydavong (Des Moines East) rushed for 146 yards, including a 70-yard touchdown sprint to open the second half, as Drake rolled to a 37-19 Pioneer Football League homecoming victory against Butler Saturday at Drake Stadium.

Junior quarterbacks Cole Ingle (Runnels, Iowa/Southeast Polk) and Derek Retherford (Johnston, Iowa) combined to throw for three touchdown passes as Drake earned its fifth straight victory against Butler.

"It was a good day of work for our kids," said Drake head football coach Steve Loney, whose team improved to 5-1, including a 2-0 league mark. "They came to work all four quarters."

Junior linebacker Jeremy Gehl (Naperville, Ill.) led Drake's defense with an interception and fumble recovery in the second half.

"Gehl is a player we're glad to have back at full speed," added Loney. "He makes good things happen when he is around the ball."

Phaydavong, who enjoyed his 30th career 100-yard plus rushing game, moved into fifth place on the Football Championship Subdivision career rushing list with 5,442 yards.

Butler scored on its first possession of the game, marching 80 yards following the opening kick off with a 14-play time consuming drive that took 6 minutes 12 seconds before Greg Pachacz caught a four-yard touchdown pass by quarterback T.J. Brown for a 7-0 lead.

Drake tied the game at 7-7 with 6:43 left in the first quarter when Ingle threw a four-yard touchdown pass to senior tight end Dan Marx (Maple Grove, Minn.).

After forcing Butler to punt on its ensuing drive, Ingle spotted Zach Brower (West Des Moines, Iowa/Valley) for a 17-yard touchdown strike to give Drake a 14-7 lead with 1:55 left in the first quarter which it would never relinquish.

Drake's Michael Bialas blocked a punt by Mike Morgan into the Butler endzone for a safety to increase the lead to 16-7 with 10:19 left in the second quarter.

After Butler kicked to Drake following the safety, Retherford and freshman reserve quarterback Nate Snead (Altoona, Iowa/Southeast Polk) helped Drake move its lead to 23-7.

The duo engineered a 12-play, 50-yard scoring drive climaxed by a 10-yard touchdown pass from Retherford to senior Willie Cashmore (Kansas City, Mo.) with 4:11 left in the second quarter.

Ironically, it was the first touchdown scored by Cashmore this season after he led the PFL with a school record 18 touchdowns in 2006.

On the third play in the second half, the elusive Phaydavong broke loose on a 70-yard touchdown run allowing Drake to enjoy a 30-10 advantage.

Bialas rounded out Drake's scoring with a four-yard touchdown run with 2:08 left in the third quarter.

Ingle completed 12 of 18 passes for 127 yards. Brower led Drake with four receptions for 86 yards, while Marx and sophomore Augustine Agyei (Aurora, Colo.) caught three passes apiece.

Redshirt freshman linebacker Stephen Platek (Arlington Heights, Ill.) had a game-high nine tackles, including seven solo hits, to lead Drake.

Senior safety Jacob Craig (Mount Vernon, Iowa) and redshirt freshman linebacker Ben Morrison (Long Grove, Ill.) added eight tackles apiece for Drake which will travel to league leader San Diego next Saturday.