GAME SIGNIFICANCE: Drake looks to continue its winning ways when the Bulldogs travel to Wisconsin-Platteville for a nonconference test.
The Bulldogs are coming off a 45-14 home opening victory past Waldorf last Saturday, which extended their winning streak to five games,which is the third longest active string in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision. Only Appalachian State (16 games) and Wofford (seven) have longer winning streaks.

THE LITTLE ENGINE WHO...: Drake already has opened eyes with a 27-24 season opening victory at Illinois State, a fully-funded scholarship program, which was ranked No. 7 in the Sports Network Football Championship Subdivision poll.
One of the biggest wins in the major college ranks occurred this past Saturday when South Florida upset Auburn, 26-23, in overtime. Just 10 years ago Drake, while still a nonscholarship team, earned a 23-22 victory against that same South Florida program before a crowd of 33,827 at Tampa Stadium.

QUARTERBACK CLUB: The Drake Quarterback Club luncheon, featuring head coach Steve Loney, is held every two weeks at Christopher's Restaurant in Beaverdale. The remainidng dates are Sept. 24, Oct. 8, Oct. 22, Nov. 5 and Nov. 12.

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.

DRAKE MOVES TO NO. 1 IN MID-MAJOR POLL: Drake moved up to the top ranking in the latest Sports Network Football Championship Sub-division Mid-Major poll released Tuesday. The Bulldogs and the University of San Diego each received eight first-place votes but Drake earned 161 points overall to 160 by San Diego.

Drake was ranked No. 2 in Sports Network poll last week with 227 points being edged out of the top spot by San Diego which tallied 228 points.Dayton moved up to No. 3 followed by Albany at No. 4, Central Connecticut State, Robert Morris, Stony Brook, Duquesne, Iona and Monmouth being ranked No. 10.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENT: Junior running back Mike Genslinger scored on touchdown runs of three and two yards to power Wisconsin-Platteville to a season opening 16-6 home victory past St. Ambrose last Saturday.

Genslinger, who is one of five returning All-Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference performers, rushed for 156 yards in 33 carries against St. Ambrose. He led the league in rushing last season with 1,028 yards, including a school-record 285 yards against Wisconsin-River Falls with four touchdowns.

Senior center Corey Darmody, a two-time all-league performer, anchors the offensive line which has all five starters back from last year's team which posted a 5-5 record. Senior tackle Marcis Davidson also earned all-league honors last year.The Pioneers have 10 starters back on defense, headed by all-league performers Chris Booze at nose tackle and Matt Eastlick at linebacker.

Mike Emendorfer, a 1986 graduate of William Penn, is in his eighth year as head coach at Wisconsin-Platteville, owning a 29-51 record. During his tenure, the Pioneers have rewritten the record books by establishing 26 school marks and breaking 10 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference records..

THE SERIES: The series, which began in 2003, is tied at 2-2. Drake has won the last two games, including a 37-14 victory in its last visit to Platteville, Wis., Sept. 17, 2005.

THE LAST MEETING: Drake 35, Wisconsin-Platteville 7 (Sept. 16, 2006, Des Moines, Iowa) ? Drake rolled up 453 yards total offense en route to the home victory with quarterback Derek Retherford throwing two touchdown passes, while fullback Willie Cashmore had touchdown runs of two and one yards for the Bulldogs. Junior running back Scott Phaydavong rushed for 106 yards in 26 carries.

Drake's defense forced Wisconsin-Platteville into four turnovers with nose guard Jake Ramos and redshirt freshman Augustine Agyei intercepting passes.

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 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. Sophomore free safety Andy Green collected a then career-high 13 tackles, including 11 solo hits for Drake. Senior linebackers James Adams and Nick Ross added eight tackles with Adams recovering a fumble. Sophomore Justin Colbert also recovered a fumble for the Bulldogs.

HEAD OF THE CLASS: Drake senior running back Scott Phaydavong (Des Moines East) the leading active rusher in ALL of college football and is approaching a milestone this Saturday.

He has rushed for 4,985 yards in his career, needing just 15 yards to hit the 5,000-yard career rushing plateau. He has 757 rushing attempts for a 6.6 rushing average every time he touches the ball.

Phaydavong's next closest competitor in the Football Championship Subdivision is senior Don Champion of Tennessee-Martin who has gained 4,023 yards in 852 carries.

Michigan senior Michael Hart is the active career rusher in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS Division I) with 3,994 yards in 798 attempts.

AGYEI EARNS PFL HONOR: Drake sophomore Augustine Agyei (Aurora, Colo.) has been named the Pioneer Football League Special Teams Player of the Week following his effort in the Bulldogs' 45-14 home opening victory past Waldorf last Saturday Agyei had just two kickoff returns but amassed 150 yards in returns to help lead Drake. He returned the second half kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown and then opened the fourth quarter by returning a kickoff 60 yards.

He ranks third in the latest NCAA Football Championship Subdivision statistics in kickoff returns, averaging 40.6 yards on five kickoff returns. Agyei opened the season by catching the winning touchdown pass with 24.3 seconds left to spur Drake to a 27-24 upset victory at No. 7 ranked Illinois State Aug. 30. This marked the second straight week, a Drake athlete was honored by the PFL.

TEAM LEADERS: After two games senior running back Scott Phaydavong leads Drake in all-purpose running with 283 yards ? all on the ground ? with a whopping 6.7 average per carry.

Junior quarterback Cole Ingle (Runnels/Southeast Polk) has completed 16 of 25 passes for 267 yards, including three touchdowns for a 193.31 pass efficiency rating. Junior Derek Retherford (Johnston) has completed 10 of 17 passes for 93 yards, including one touchdown with a 124.19 pass efficiency rating.

Junior Zach Brower (West Des Moines Valley) has caught a team-high 10 passes for 100 yards, while senior Travis Hardgraves (Sioux City West) has six receptions for 69 yards. Phaydavong and kicker Logan Rees (West Des Moines Valley) lead the team with 18 points.

DRAKE-UNI GAME ON TV: Mediacom Communications and Drake University officials announced that the in-state football match-up between Drake and Northern Iowa Sept. 22 will be televised live throughout the state on the Mediacom Connections Channel with a 4 p.m. kick-off time at Drake Stadium.In addition to the Sept. 22 live broadcast, Mediacom Connections will televise full-game replays (schedule to be determined). Mediacom Connections is located at channel 22 in most areas of the state (channel 74 in Iowa City - check local TV listings for channel line-ups). View program schedules at: www.connections22.com.

DRAKE WINS HOME OPENER: Senior All-American Scott Phaydavong, playing less than two quarters, rushed for 172 yards while scoring three touchdowns as Drake opened its home campaign with a 45-14 romp past Waldorf Saturday.

Drake scored on its first four possessions of the game, while head coach Steve Loney played four quarterbacks in the game Drake rolled up 429 yards total offense, including 323 yards in the first half. The Bulldogs did not have to punt until midway through the third quarter. Meanwhile, Drake's defense forced five turnovers.

On Drake's third play of the game Phaydavong broke loose for a 67-yard touchdown sprint with 11:20 left in the first quarter. Then, Drake senior cornerback Poul Collins (Cedar Rapids Washington) intercepted a pass, returning to the Waldorf 40 yardline. The Bulldogs capitalized on the turnover when junior Logan Rees hit a 34-yard field goal with 4:46 left in the opening quarter.

Drake's defense forced another miscue when senior safety Jacob Craig (Mount Vernon, Iowa) recovered a fumble on Waldorf's ensuing play from scrimmage at the 19 yardline. Three plays later junior quarterback Cole Ingle spotted senior tight end Dan Marx (Maple Grove, Minn.) open for an 11-yard touchdown pass to give Drake a 17-0 lead.

Phaydavong closed out the scoring in the first quarter with a 17-yard scoring dart and added a 59-yard touchdown run with 13:43 left in the second quarter pushing the Bulldogs' advantage to 31-0.

Junior quarterback Derek Retherford threw a seven-yard touchdown pass to senior Travis Hardgraves (Sioux City West), allowing Drake to enjoy a 38-6 halftime lead. The Bulldogs added insult to injury when sophomore redshirt Augustine Agyei returned the second half kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown to make it 45-6.

Ingle completed six of seven passes for 70 yards, including four to junior Zach Brower (West Des Moines Valley). Junior redshirt Mike Bialas (Hoffman Estates, Ill.) added 55 yards rushing in nine carries.

FRESHMEN KEY DEFENSE: Redshirt freshman defensive end Dain Taylor (Highlands Ranch, Colo.) led Drake's defense with a career-high 11 tackles, including seven solo hits. Redshirt freshman tackle Jason D'Alba (Glencoe, Ill.) had eight tackles, including seven solo. Redshirt freshman linebacker Stephen Platek (Arlington Heights, Ill.), who came to Drake as a quarterback, added a career-high eight tackles while forcing a fumble. Redshirt freshman linebacker Ben Morrison (Long Grove, Ill.), who intercepted a pass, added six tackles, along with Jacob Craig.

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 entered 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.

INGLE HONORED: Drake junior quarterback Cole Ingle was named the Pioneer Football League Offensive Player of the Week following his heroics in the Bulldogs' victory at Illinois State Aug. 30.

Ingle came off the bench to lead Drake to a 27-24 come-from-behind upset victory by throwing two touchdown passes in the last five minutes of the game. He completed 10-of-18 passes for 197 yards. His first touchdown ? a 28-yard strike to senior tight end Daniel Marx ? gave Drake its first lead at 20-17 with 4:54 left.
Then, after Illinois State scored with just 1:28 remaining to take a 24-20 lead, Ingle needed just seven plays to move the ball 90 yards, finishing with a 56-yard touchdown pass to sophomore Augustine Agyei with 23.2 seconds left to nab the victory.

HOME SWEET HOME: The 45-14 victory against Waldorf marked the fourth time in the last five years Drake has won its home opener. Since the 1992 season, the Bulldogs have accumulated a 63-13-1 home record at Drake Stadium for an 83.8 winning percentage.

AMONG LEADERS: Drake ranks 19th in overall victories (539) among the 123 schools which play in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS).The game at Wisconsin-Platteville will be the 1,035th game in school history with Drake owning a record of 539-466-29 for a winning percentage of .532.

LAST-MINUTE TD KEYS UPSET WIN: Junior quarterback Cole Ingle threw a 56-yard touchdown strike to sophomore Augustine Agyei with 23.2 seconds left to power Drake to its biggest victory in its 22-year history of nonscholarship football with a 27-24 upset past Illinois State which was ranked No 7 in The Sports Network Football Championship Subdivision poll.

Facing a second down and 10-yard situation, Agyei grabbed Ingle's pass after it went off the finger tips of Illinois State cornerback Jason Tate and sprinted down the left sideline into the endzone stunning a crowd of 12,167 fans at Hancock Stadium. It was the first college reception for Agyei, who has been a sprinter on the Drake track and field team the past two seasons.

Ingle alternated at quarterback with junior Derek Retherford, playing the entire second quarter and the fourth quarter. He engineered Drake to a 20-17 lead with 4:54 left in the game when he tossed a 28-yard touchdown pass to senior tight end Dan Marx with 4:36 left. But Illinois State regained the lead at 24-20 following an 11-yard touchdown burst by running back Rafael Rice with 1:28 left. Drake's winning touchdown march started on its own 10 yardline with 1:23 left. A false start on a third and 10 situation pushed the Bulldogs back to their five yardline.

But Ingle kept the drive alive when he spotted fullback Willie Cashmore (Kansas City, Mo.) on a 23-yard pass to the 28 yardline. Ingle completed 10 of 18 passes for 197 yards, while Retherford completed seven of 13 passes for 67 yards.

Drake senior Scott Phaydavong enjoyed his 26th career 100-yard plus rushing game with 111 yards in 30 carries.Junior Zach Brower led Drake with six receptions for 61 yards, while senior Travis Hardgraves had five receptions for 62 yards. Marx caught four passes for 62 yards.

YOUNG DEFENSE RISES TO OCCASION: The Bulldogs were a heavy underdog against an Illinois State team which featured first-team All-Gateway Football Conference quarterback Luke Drone.

But a young Drake defense came up with three interceptions. Drake thwarted a potential scoring drive by Illinois State when junior linebacker Jeremy Gehl (Naperville, Ill.), in his first collegiate start, intercepted a pass at the Bulldog 37 yardline with 4:18 left in the second quarter.

After a 36-yard field goal by junior Logan Rees pulled Drake within 10-3 with 8:51 left in the third quarter, the Bulldogs tied the score at 10-10 seven seconds later.
Sophomore weakside linebacker Cale Hunt (Littleton, Colo.), making his first college start, intercepted a Drone pass on Illinois State's first play from scrimmage, returning it 24 yards for a touchdown. Hunt and senior safety Jacob Craig (Mount Vernon, Iowa) had 10 tackles apiece. Junior cornerback Poul Collins had seven tackles, while forcing a fumble and intercepting a pass.

VOICE MAIL FROM NATIONAL CHAMPS: The Bulldogs' surprise win at Illinois State brought a flood of congratulatory phone calls and e-mails from across the country to Drake football coach Steve Loney who has 30 years of coaching experience at the pro and collegiate levels. Last fall he was the offensive line coach for the Arizona Cardinals.
One of his many calls was from Florida coach Urban Meyer, who led the Gators to the 2006 BCS title. "He just left a message saying, 'Awesome win,'" said Loney, the godfather of Meyer's middle child. "But like the typical coach, he said, 'Now you've got to keep 'em focused.' "

THE LONEY ERA: 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 wa 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.

he 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.

SUN BOWL TEAM TO HOLD 50TH ANNIVERSARY REUNION: A 50-year reunion of the 1957 Drake football team which played in the Sun Bowl will be held during homecoming weekend Oct. 5-6. The 1957 team posted a 7-2 record, under coach Warren Gaer, while earning a trip to the Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas, against Louisville. For more information on the Friday, Oct. 5 banquet contact Jolene Ostbloom in the Drake Athletic Department at 515-271-2889.

PRESEASON ALL-AMERICANS: Drake senior running back Scott Phaydavong (Des Moines East) was named to the Sports Network Preseason Mid-Major All-America team for the third straight year.

Phaydavong was joined on the 29-man team by Drake senior tackle Dave Pammer (Frankfort, Ill.) and Drake junior safety Andy Green (Atlantic, Iowa). Both Green and Phaydavong were named to the Sports Network Mid-Major All-American team following the conclusion of the 2006 season. Pammer was named to the Sports Network Preseason Mid-Major All-American team in 2006. The Pioneer Football League drew 15 of the 29 players on the team with defending league champion San Diego landing five players on the elite squad.

DROUGHT ENDS: Drake's victory at Illinois State marked the first time the Bulldogs had won their season opener since beating McKendree, 28-11, in 2000.
Drake improved to 67-41-6 in season openers. The last six losses in season openers occurred to scholarship programs including four Gateway Conference schools the previous four years.

LAOTIAN CONNECTION: 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."

CO-CAPTAINS: Senior free safety Jacob Craig and junior quarterback Derek Retherford 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 111 players on the Drake football roster including 12 seniors, 14 juniors, 18 sophomores and 67 freshmen (23 redshirts). The roster features players from nine 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 and Michigan. The 55-man travel squad for Illinois State included 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 is buoyed by three-year letterwinner Willie Cashmore at fullback, along with the return of Michael Bialas, 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, who was a 2005 PFL honorable mention selection, and fifth-year senior Travis Hardgraves lead a young receiving corps, trying to replace four-year starters Shea Moroni and Tyler Putnam.

Senior tackle Dave Pammer, a three-year starter, and two-year starting senior guard Anthony Swope (Chicago, Ill.), are the lone holdovers on the offensive line which must replace three 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 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 at strong safety and Jacob Craig at free safety. Seniors Poul Collins 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 Steve Loney calls special teams the difference between being an average team and a good team. Every 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.

QUOTING DRAKE FOOTBALL COACH STEVE LONEY: Here are comments from Drake head coach Steve Loney: "Wisconsin-Platteville will present a lot of problems. They are wide open on offense and like to spread the field. They bring people from all over on defense. We must be smart in what we do. They are well coached.