PLATTEVILLE, WIS. -- Drake overcame a sluggish first half by scoring on its first three possessions in the second half to post a 20-7 nonconference victory past Wisconsin-Platteville Saturday.

Drake, held to 160 yards in the first half, more than doubled that output in the third quarter alone with 167 yards, while scoring two touchdowns.

"That was the difference in the game," said Drake head football coach Steve Loney. "It was a tale of two halves. That is why you play four quarters."

The victory allowed the Bulldogs to match their best start at the school since the 2000 team also started the season with a 3-0 record.

Drake senior Scott Phaydavong (Des Moines East) enjoyed his 28th career 100-yard rushing game with 149 yards on the ground in 30 carries.

Drake senior receiver Travis Hardgraves (Sioux City West) tied a career high with seven receptions for 100 yards.

Meanwhile, Drake's defense recorded a whopping 10 quarterback sacks totaling 72 yards in losses. Sophomore defensive tackle Andrew Asbell (Machesney Park, Ill.) had three quarterback sacks for 30 yards in losses, while freshman redshirt linebacker Stephen Platek (Arlington Heights, Ill.) and redshirt freshman defensive end Sean Kitts (Leawood, Kan.) added two quarterback sacks apiece.

The Bulldogs defense also stopped Wisconsin-Whitewater on four fourth-down conversion attempts.

"I can't say enough about the great job our defensive coaches are doing," added Loney. "The defense kept us in the game, while we kept shooting ourselves in the foot offensively."

Phaydavong surpassed 5,000 career rushing yards on his fourth carry of the game when he burst free for a 24-yard run along the Wisconsin-Platteville sideline midway through the first quarter.

That burst set up Drake's first scoring drive of the game which resulted in a 29-yard field goal by junior Logan Rees (West Des Moines Valley) with 6:20 left in the first quarter.

The Pioneers grabbed a 7-3 halftime lead on a scoring drive to close out the first half which was aided by a pair of personal fouls against the Bulldogs. After quarterback Michael Schmidt was sacked for a 10-yard loss on a third down situation at the Drake four yardline, the Bulldogs were called for a personal foul giving the Pioneers an automatic first down at the seven yardline.

Three plays later Schmidt tossed a two-yard touchdown pass to Dan Schwartz with 14 seconds left.

Drake came out of the blocks to open the second half with junior Michael Bialas (Hoffman Estates, Ill.) scoring on a three-yard touchdown run to climax an 11-play, 82-yard drive that gave the Bulldogs a 10-7 lead with 9:46 left in the third quarter.

Junior quarterback Cole Ingle (Runnels/Southeast Polk), who played the second and third quarters, scored on a one-yard touchdown on Drake's second drive of the third quarter with 6:04 left to increase the lead to 17-7.

Ingle threw a 34-yard pass to Hardgraves on the last play of the third quarter which set up Drake's final score ? a 29-yard field goal by Rees.

Starting linebacker Cale Hunt (Littleton, Colo.), Drake's leading tackler on the season, injured his arm on the second defensive play of the game causing a 20-minute delay. Hunt was taken to a local hospital for X-rays.

"The game didn't start off well," said Loney. "Cale (linebacker Hunt) has been our defensive leader and to lose him on our first drive takes you back. We didn't play well in the first half."

Hunt's replacement, freshman redshirt Ben Morrison (Long Grove, Ill.), had a career-high 14 tackles, including one quarterback sack and two tackles for losses. He also recovered a fumble.

Drake junior linebacker Jon Isgrig (Newton, Iowa) added 11 tackles, while senior safety Jacob Craig (Mount Vernon, Iowa) had 10 tackles.

"This was a good test for our defense," Loney added. "And we had people step up to make big plays."

Drake will close out its nonconference schedule, playing host to Northern Iowa in a 4 p.m. kickoff at Drake Stadium next Saturday.

It will mark the first of three straight home games for the Bulldogs who will open the Pioneer Football League season with home games against Valparaiso Sept. 29 and Butler Oct. 6.