GAME SIGNIFICANCE: Drake, under new head coach Steve Loney, opens its 114th season of intercollegiate football with a sizeable roadblock traveling to Illinois State, which is ranked ninth in the preseason Football Championship Subdivision poll.

This marks the ninth straight year that Drake, a nonscholarship program, will play a fully-funded scholarship team from the Gateway Conference. The Bulldogs also will play host to Northern Iowa of the Gateway Conference Sept. 22.

Drake played at Western Illinois in 1999 and 2002 and traveled to Southern Illinois in 2000. The Bulldogs played at Missouri State in 2001 and 2004; Illinois State in 2003 and 2005; and Northern Iowa in 2005 and 2006.

Drake did manage a 31-7 victory at Florida Atlantic, in 2001 a fully-funded NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision program, before a crowd of 33,827 at Tampa Stadium.

SEASON OPENERS: The Bulldogs sport a 66-41-6 record (.624) in season openers. 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 Northern Iowa at home, 48-7, last year.

BRANDING 101: Three classifications ? Division I-A, I-AA and I-AAA ? used to differentiate the administration of a school's football program. During the off-season the use of new Division I football labels was introduced. Division I-AA, which Drake competes in, is now called the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision.

AMONG LEADERS: Drake ranks 19th in overall victories (536) among the 123 schools which play in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). The game at Illinois State will be the 1,032nd game in school history with Drake owning a record of 536-466-29 for a winning percentage of .532.

PRESEASON PFL POLL: Drake has been picked to finish second in the Pioneer Football League Preseason Coaches Poll. San Diego, receiving five of the eight possible first-place votes, was picked to defend its title. The Bulldogs were picked a close second, collecting the remaining three first-place votes, while Davidson got the third-place nod and Dayton was chosen fourth. Morehead State, Jacksonville, Butler and Valparaiso round out the bottom half of the preseason poll.

San Diego, which has won the last two PFL Championships, returns 14 starters and 46 players from last season's squad which posted an 11-1 mark, including an undefeated run (7-0) through the PFL schedule. The Toreros, under the guidance of new head coach Ron Caragher, feature senior quarterback Josh Johnson, who enters the campaign second among active quarterbacks in career passing yards (6,711).

Each PFL team will play a complete round-robin conference schedule, beginning Sept. 29. The PFL champion will host the Northeast Conference Champion in the second Gridiron Classic, Dec. 1.

THE LONEY ERA BEGINS: Steve Loney, who has 30 years of coaching experience at the pro and collegiate levels, was named interim head football coach at Drake University, June 18. Loney succeeded Rob Ash, who served as head football coach at Drake for 18 years before being named head coach at Montana State June 11.

The Marshalltown, Iowa, native has enjoyed success in developing prolific offensive attacks at both the National Football League and collegiate levels, including Iowa State and Minnesota.

Loney served as offensive line coach with the Arizona Cardinals last season. He came to the Cardinals after serving the previous four seasons with the Minnesota Vikings as their offensive line coach (2002-04) before being promoted to offensive coordinator in 2005.

During Loney's four seasons in Minnesota, the Vikings led the NFL in total offense in 2003 and set a team record for yardage in 2004. The Vikings led the NFL in rushing in 2002. Quarterback Daunte Culpepper broke virtually every Vikings' passing record in 2004 and posted the fourth-best passer rating in NFL history.
Loney enjoyed three coaching stints at his alma mater Iowa State as the offensive coordinator and offensive line coach. During his third stay with the Cyclones, Loney's offense produced back-to-back bowl seasons in 2000 and 2001. In 2001, the Cyclones averaged 423.1 yards total offense per game and 26.9 points per outing. In 2000 his offense averaged 424.4 yards per game, the third-best total in school history.

Loney was the offensive coordinator and offensive line coach at the University of Minnesota in 1998 and 1999. Under Loney's guidance in 1999, Minnesota was second in the Big Ten Conference and 11th in the nation in rushing offense. The Golden Gophers averaged 415.4 offensive yards and 31.6 points per game. In addition to setting five school records in 1999, Loney's offense produced All-Big Ten first team rusher Thomas Hamer (1,326 yards) and first-team All-American center Ben Hamilton.

From 1995-97, Loney was offensive coordinator and offensive line coach at Iowa State, where he produced the only tailback in NCAA history to rush for a pair of 2,000-yard seasons in 1995 and 1996, Heisman Trophy finalist Troy Davis. Troy's brother, Darren, followed that feat with 1,005 yards rushing in nine games in 1997.

Loney was assistant head coach and wide receivers coach at Connecticut in 1994 and assistant offensive line coach for the NFL Arizona Cardinals in 1993. From 1989-92 he was the assistant head coach/offensive line coach under Earle Bruce at Colorado State. He helped lead the Rams to the school's first bowl appearance in 48 years.

The 55-year-old Loney was the assistant head coach and tutored the offensive line at The Citadel from 1984-86. He was the head coach at Morehead State from 1981-83 after serving as the offensive coordinator and offensive line coach there from 1979-80.

He was the head coach at Leavenworth (Kan.) High School in 1977-78 and the offensive coordinator/offensive line coach at Missouri Western from 1975-76.

A letterwinner on the offensive line for Iowa State during his collegiate career, Loney was a member of head coach Johnny Majors' 1971 Sun Bowl and 1972 Liberty Bowl teams. After earning his bachelor's degree from Iowa State, Loney launched his coaching career in 1974 at his alma mater as a graduate assistant coach under Bruce while earning his master's degree in secondary school administration.

BRAIN TRUST: Along with Steve Loney, Drake's coaching staff features three assistants who have served as collegiate head coaches.

Assistant head coach Tom Lichtenberg was head coach at Morehead State (1979-80), Maine (1989) and Ohio (1990-95). Defensive line coach Randy Ball is the winningest coach in Gateway Football Conference history, posting a 98-83-1 record in 16 years as a head coach at Western Illinois (1990-98) and Missouri State (1999-2005). Running backs coach Bill Charles was head coach at Westmar College from 1989-92.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENT: Illinois State has 12 starters back from last year's team which posted a 7-4 record, including a 5-2 second-place finish in the Gateway Football Conference.

Denver Johnson, a 1981 graduate of Tulsa, is in his eighth season as head coach at Illinois State, owning a 41-39 record. He also served as head coach at Murray State from 1997-99 where he completed a 21-12 record.

As the top returning tackler in the league, Illinois State's Kye Stewart was selected to the 2007 Sports Network Preseason FCS All-America First Team. Stewart earned first-team all-league honors in 2006, after collecting 126 tackles in 12 games. He led the Redbirds with 11 tackles for loss, while earning GFC Player of the Week honors twice during the 2006 season. Stewart, who was named to the 2007 All-Gateway Preseason Team, needs 51 tackles to become only the 12th player in school history to post 300 or more career tackles at Illinois State.

Behind first-team preseason All-Gateway Conference quarterback Luke Drone, Illinois State has led the league in pass offense the past three seasons. Drone, who passed for 2,961 yards with 21 touchdowns last year, has posted a career passing efficiency rating of 147.2, which is the best in school history. Free safety Tom Nelson, the 2005 Gateway Football Conference Freshman of the Year, led Illinois State with a team-high four interceptions last year.

REDBIRDS RANK HIGH: Illinois State is ranked No. 8 in the 2007 preseason Coaches Football Championship Subdivision (FCS poll). Three other Gateway Conference schools are ranked among the top 11 teams in the preseason poll. Two-time defending national champion Appalachian State received 27 of a possible 28 first-place votes. Youngstown State is the top Gateway school, ranked No. 6. Northern Iowa is ranked No. 9 and Southern Illinois is No. 11.

Northern Iowa has been tabbed to win the 2007 Gateway Football Conference title in a poll conducted by league coaches, media and sports information directors. In the closest pre-season vote in Gateway history, the Panthers received 11 of 28 first-place tallies and a total of 166 points in the poll, followed by Illinois State (160 points and seven first-place votes) and Youngstown State (159/9). The second-place pick for the Redbirds marks their highest pre-season slot since being the pre-season favorite in 2000.

ALL-LEAGUE PERFORMER'S CAREER CLOSES: Illinois State senior fullback Dave Mordis, who was named to the 2007 All-Gateway Conference Preseason First Team, had his collegiate career come to an end Aug. 14 as a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) report revealed a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his left knee.

Mordis was a second-team all-Gateway Football Conference selection last year. He played in 35 games during his Redbird career with 32 starting assignments. In 2006, Mordis hauled in 20 receptions for 185 yards and one touchdown, but he was key blocker for an offense that averaged over 170 rushing yards per game. He was also instrumental in Pierre Rembert's 1,743 rushing yards last season.

THE SERIES: Illinois State, having won the last five games, owns a 5-2 lead in the series. The schools met five straight years on the gridiron before Drake became a nonscholarship program in 1986. Drake won the inaugural meeting in Normal, 13-10, Nov. 14, 1981.

THE LAST MEETING: Illinois State 56, Drake 19 (Sept. 10, 2005, Normal, Ill.) ? Quarterback Luke Drone threw a pair of touchdown passes in the third quarter as Illinois State broke away from a 29-19 halftime lead. Drake, an NCAA I-AA nonscholarship program which was playing its second straight Gateway Conference opponent, 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 senior quarterback 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. However, Drake's point after conversion kick was blocked and returned for a two-point conversion by Illinois State's Ramon Barber.

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 Drake 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 out raced 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 its first possession of the game, a punt by Drake's Ryan Horvath was fumbled by Illinois State's Jason Caeser. Drake reserve Robert McEwen recovered the fumble at the Illinois State 24 yardline. But Drake had to settle for a 36-yard field goal attempt by Horvath which was blocked with 11:47 left in the first quarter.

Scott Phaydavong led Drake with 55 yards rushing in 16 carries. Junior linebacker Nick Ross collected a game-high 13 tackles, while junior linebacker James Adams added 12 tackles.

DRAKE REUNION: Illinois State athletic director Sheahon Zinger was an assistant football coach on the Drake staff under head coach Nick Quartaro, in 1988.

PRESEASON ALL-AMERICAN: Drake senior running back Scott Phaydavong (Des Moines East) was among 26 players selected for the 2007 Sports Network Preseason I-AA Mid-Major All-America team.

CO-CAPTAINS: Senior free safety Jacob Craig (Mount Vernon, Iowa) and junior quarterback Derek Retherford (Johnston, Iowa) have been named co-captains for the Drake football team.

Craig, a first-team All-Pioneer Football League choice last year, will enter his second year as a starter in the secondary. The three-year letterwinner was named the squad's co-defensive player of the year last season.

He is the team's top returning tackler after collecting 59 stops last season, including 40 solo hits, while breaking up six passes. He also forced two fumbles and recovered two fumbles.

Retherford started the first five games last year before suffering a season ending injury. He passed for 916 yards, including five touchdowns. He threw for a career-high 250 yards against Wisconsin-Platteville, including one touchdown.

SIZING UP THE ROSTER: There are 112 players on the Drake football roster including 12 seniors, 14 juniors, 18 sophomores and 68 freshmen (23 redshirts). The roster features players from 10 states: 41 from Illinois, 33 from Iowa, 17 from Missouri, eight from Colorado; four from Kansas and Minnesota, two from Nebraska, and one each from Arizona, Michigan and Oklahoma.

The 55-man travel squad includes just two true freshmen: defensive lineman Eric Rice (Bellevue, Neb.) and quarterback Nate Snead (Altoona, Iowa).

WHAT'S IN STORE: The task at hand facing the Drake football team can be likened to the two-minute offense, getting a lot accomplished in a short amount of time.

That's the challenge facing Steve Loney who was named interim head football coach at Drake June 18. The Bulldogs have 15 starters back from last year's squad which posted a 9-2 record, including a 6-1 second-place finish in the Pioneer Football League.

Senior Scott Phaydavong, a three-time Sports Network I-A Mid-Major first-team All-American who is the school's career rushing leader with 4,702 yards, headlines Drake's offense.

The five-foot 6-inch speedster is the Championship subdivision active career leader in rushing yards per game (142.5 avg.) and yards per carry (6.58 avg.). Last year Phaydavong ranked third in the nation in rushing with a school single-season record 1,613 yards for a 146.6 yard per game average. He led the Pioneer Football League in rushing for a third straight year.

The running game will be buoyed by three-year letterwinner Willie Cashmore (Kansas City, Kan.) at fullback, along with the return of Michael Bialas (Hoffman Estates, Ill.) who was redshirted last year, after rushing for 413 yards with 11 touchdowns as a sophomore in 2005.The bruising Cashmore earned first-team all-league honors after rushing for a career-high 645 yards while leading the league in scoring with a school single-season record 18 touchdowns.

Senior tight end Daniel Marx (Maple Grove, Minn.) who was a 2005 PFL honorable mention selection, and fifth-year senior Travis Hardgraves (Sioux City West) will lead a young receiving corps, trying to replace four-year starters Shea Moroni and Tyler Putnam.

Senior tackle Dave Pammer (Frankfort, Ill.) , a three-year starter, and two-year starting senior guard Anthony Swope (Chicago, Ill.), are the lone holdovers on the offensive line which must look for three new starters. Pammer was a first-team all-league lineman as a sophomore in 2005.

Top contenders who will challenge for playing time on the line include sophomores Jonathan Jones (Bolingbrook, Ill.), Quinn McVey (Bettendorf) and Nick Scott (St. Louis, Mo.), along with veterans Chris Frank (Urbandale) and Jeremy Smith (Altoona).

Junior Derek Retherford, junior Cole Ingle (Runnels) and sophomore Ben Ostermann (Hoffman Estates, Ill.) all started at quarterback last year. Retherford started the first five games before suffering a torn ligament in his right elbow against Morehead State. Retherford did not participate in spring practice.

Ostermann started at signal caller against Waldorf and Butler before Ingle started the final four games of the season.

SECONDARY LEADS DEFENSE: The strength of Drake's defense will be a rock solid secondary which returns all four starters, headed by junior first team All-PFL performers Andy Green (Atlantic) at strong safety and Jacob Craig at free safety. Seniors Poul Collins (Cedar Rapids Washington) and Tyler Marley (Kansas City, Mo.) return at cornerback.

Green, another Sports Network NCAA I-AA Mid-Major All-America first-team choice, ranked ninth in the nation in interceptions last year with five. He also had 52 tackles, including 41 solo hits.

Craig, the team's co-defensive player of the year last fall, is the top returning tackler on defense with 59 stops, including 40 solo hits. Marley, who enters his third year as a starter, shared the team lead with Craig in pass break ups last season with seven. Collins tied a school record with three pass thefts at Jacksonville last year.

Andrew Asbell (Machesney Park, Ill.) was the lone freshman to start for Drake last season, becoming a fixture at defensive tackle. Now he ranks as one of the veterans of a unit where graduation claimed starters Jake Ramos at defensive tackle and Kevin Jennings, a first-team All-PFL choice, at defensive end.

Senior Cody Shelley (West Des Moines Valley) does return as a starter at the other defensive end spot.

Key priorities on defense are to fill holes at all three linebacking positions where graduation claimed three-year starters James Adams, Brian Conway and Nick Ross.

Sophomore Cale Hunt (Littleton, Colo.), who shared the league lead with three forced fumbles, is a top candidate at weakside linebacker. He had 32 tackles last season, including 17 solo shots. Redshirt freshmen John Meehan (St. Louis, Mo.) and Ben Morrison (Long Grove, Ill.) figure to be in the hunt for play time at linebacker, along with junior Jon Isgrig (Newton), who is a transfer from Iowa.

SPECIAL TEAMS: Drake head coach Loney calls special teams the difference between being an average team and a good team. Evry practice session begins with emphasis on the special teams The kicking game features junior Logan Rees (West Des Moines Valley), who made eight field goals, and sophomore punter Brandon Wubs (Hawthorn Woods, Ill.), who ranked third in the PFL with a 37.4 yard average.

FAMILY AFFAIR: First-year freshmen Dan Byers (Fort Collins, Colo.) and Chris Hansen (Urbandale, Iowa) are following in their father's steps at Drake. Dan Byers, a linebacker, is the son of Al Byers, who was a two-time first-team All-Missouri Valley Conference center on the 1976 and 1977 Drake football teams. Chris Hansen, a kicker, is the son of Dave Hansen, who lettered in basketball at Drake from 1962-65.

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