DES MOINES, IOWA ? Senior Scott Phaydavong (Des Moines East) rushed for 133 yards, including touchdown runs of 54, nine and 19 yards, to help Drake roll to a 48-20 victory past Valparaiso in the Pioneer Football League opener for both teams Saturday at Drake Stadium.

The Bulldogs improved their record in home league openers to a perfect 8-0 mark.

Drake collected a season-high 487 yards total offense, including 333 yards passing.

Junior quarterback Derek Retherford (Johnston, Iowa) passed for 187 yards, including two touchdowns, as Drake improved to 4-1 overall entering a league home game against Butler next Saturday.

All three Drake starting receivers ? Travis Hardgraves, Zach Brower and Augustine Agyei ? caught touchdown passes.

Valparaiso, playing its fourth straight road game, fell to 3-2 overall.

Phaydavong enjoyed his 29th career 100-yard plus rushing game while moving into No. 11 on the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision career rushing list with 5,296 yards.

The Bulldogs scored on their first two possessions of the game with Phaydavong breaking free for a 54-yard scoring gallop with 12:10 left in the first quarter.

He then climaxed a seven-play, 53-yard scoring drive with a nine-yard touchdown burst with 6:44 left to stake Drake to a 14-3 lead.

Retherford spotted senior Hardgraves (Sioux City, Iowa/West) for a 26-yard touchdown strike with 9:46 left in the second quarter.

"I liked how we started the game, moving the ball," said Drake football coach Steve Loney. "A fast start was important to us.

"It was a good first half but I think we were admiring our work a little bit. We need to understand that we had another half to play. Some of that inconsistency is part of maturing."

Drake junior Logan Rees (West Des Moines, Iowa/Valley) took advantage of a 21 mile per hour wind to kick the longest two field goals of his career from 45 and 40 yards in the second quarter.

Rees' 45-yard field was set up after redshirt sophomore Mason Bucklin (Solon, Iowa) blocked a punt by Valparaiso's Mitch Secrest. Drake's Tim Harvey (Evanston, Ill.) returned the blocked punt nine yards to the Valparaiso 15 yardline.

Another Valparaiso turnover led to Drake's final score of the first half.

Linebacker Ben Morrison (Long Grove, Ill.) intercepted a pass returning to the Valparaiso 45 yardline with 1:45 left before the half.

Six plays later junior Cole Ingle (Runnels, Iowa/Southeast Polk) threw a 28-yard touchdown pass to Agyei (Aurora, Colo.) to give Drake a 34-6 halftime lead.

"We had an aggressive passing attack but I was disappointed with our pass protection," Loney added.

Retherford rifled an 80-yard touchdown pass to Brower (West Des Moines, Iowa/Valley) with 13:33 left in the fourth quarter to make it 41-13.

Brower caught a game-high five passes for 110 yards.

Three Drake players made their first college starts.

Redshirt freshman Josh Walkup (Littleton, Colo.) started at middle linebacker, while redshirt sophomore Skye Buckner-Petty (Florissant, Mo.) started at free safety. Redshirt sophomore Frank Pucher (Skokie, Ill.) started at tight end.

Junior linebacker Jeremy Gehl (Naperville, Ill.) led Drake with 10 tackles along with an interception and two pass break ups.

Gehl thwarted a Valparaiso scoring drive when he broke up a pass intended for Steve Ogden in the Drake endzone early in the second quarter.

Junior safety Andy Green (Atlantic, Iowa) and junior linebacker Jon Isgrig (Newton, Iowa) added nine tackles apiece for Drake.

Dan Van Aarsten kicked a career long 44-yard field goal on Valparaiso's opening drive with 8:56 left to cap a seven-play 53 yard drive.