FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, Aug. 29, 2011

DRAKE BULLDOGS  at  NORTH DAKOTA FIGHTING SIOUX
Thursday, Sept. 1, 2011  |  7 p.m. CDT  |  Alerus Center (12,283)  |  Grand Forks, N.D.

The Drake Bulldogs kick off their 118^th season of intercollegiate football on Thursday, Sept. 1 at 7 p.m. (CDT) when they take on the North Dakota Fighting Sioux in the first gridirion meeting between the two schools. The game will be played in the Alerus Center (capacity 12,283) in Grand Forks, N.D.

LINKS:  2011 YEARBOOK    STATS (2006-10)    ONLINE ROSTER       

2011 Schedule/Results
Thu. Sept. 1      at North Dakota    7 pm
Sat.  Sept. 10   GRAND VIEW      6 pm
Sat.  Sept. 17   MISSOURI S&T   6 pm
Sat.  Sept. 24    at Butler             11 am
Sat.  Oct. 1       CAMPBELL         1 pm
Sat.  Oct. 8       at Morehead St.  12 pm
Sat.  Oct. 15     at San Diego        3 pm
Sat.  Oct. 22     VALPARAISO      1 pm
Sat.  Oct. 29     at Marist             11 am
Sat.  Nov. 5      JACKSONVILLE  1 pm
Sat.  Nov. 12    DAYTON             1 pm

PRACTICE SCHEDULE
Monday, 8/29, 3:30-5:30 p.m.-Practice
Tuesday, 8/30, 3:30-5:30 p.m.-Practice
Wednesday, 8/31, Travel to Grand Forks, N.D.
Thursday, 9/1, at North Dakota, 7p CDT

ABOUT THE FIGHTING SIOUX: North Dakota is a member of the Great West Conference, in its fourth year competing in Division I. Head Coach Chris Mussman, an Iowa State graduate and former starting offensive lineman for the Cyclones (1987-90), carries a career record of 15-17 into this contest. The Fighting Sioux finished 2010 with a record of 3-8, but 3-2 at home.

ONLINE RESOURCES:

GoDrakeBulldogs.com
Facebook-Drake Athletics  |  Facebook-Drake Football  |  Twitter-@DUBulldogs
VIDEO: HC Chris Creighton  |  DC Brian Ward  |  QB Mike Piatkowski  |  WR Drew Blackmon

MEDIA PROCEDURES: To arrange interviews with Drake football players and coaches, please contact Assistant A.D./Athletic Communications Paul Kirk in advance (paul.kirk@drake.edu). Availability can be arranged either before or after practices, which generally run from 3:30-5:30 p.m. during a typical game week. Credential requests should also be directed to Kirk.

DRAKE IN SEASON OPENERS: Drake is 69-42-6 (.615) all-time in season-opening games. The Bulldogs are 2-1 in such games games under Chris Creighton. The game at North Dakota will mark the first time Drake has opened the season on the road in his tenure. Drake last opened on the road in 2007 (def. Illinois State 27-24). The Bulldogs won or tied in eight straight openers (7-0-1) from 1993-2000, then lost six in a row (2001-06), all to scholarship schools. It followed with three wins in a row from 2007-09 before a loss in last year to Lehigh, 28-14.

PRESEASON HONORS: Six Bulldogs have earned preseason All-PFL projections from Phil Steele's College Football Preview  and three have been recognized by the College Football Performance Awards as 2011 "Players to Watch."

PHIL STEELE'S PRESEASON ALL-PFL

1^st Team: T Evan Lawrence (Moline, Ill./Moline)

LB Tyler Moorehead (Mason City, Iowa/Newman Catholic)

2^nd Team: WR Drew Blackmon (Florissant, Mo./St. Louis University High)

G Stephen Flynn (Davenport, Iowa/Bettendorf)

DL John Sawhill (Jefferson, Iowa/Jefferson-Scranton)

CB/RS Michael Lahart (Chariton, Iowa/Chariton)

 CFPA "PLAYERS TO WATCH"

K Billy Janssen, CB/RS Michael Lahart, QB Mike Piatkowski

HEAD COACH CHRIS CREIGHTON: Drake football enters its fourth season under the direction of head coach Chris Creighton, who has compiled a 21-12 record over his first three years, including victories in 19 of the Bulldogs' last 27 contests.

• Creighton's 21 wins in his first three seasons are the most by a head coach in school history in his first three seasons at the helm. His total is two greater than that of Warren Gaer (1949-51), who compiled a record of 19-6-2 in his first three seasons.
• He ranks No. 20 in career winning percentage (.763) among all head coaches with at least five seasons at four-year colleges, entering 2011 with a record of 116-36 in 14 seasons of coaching.
• Creighton was named a 2011 winner of the Giant Steps Award presented by the National Consortium for Academics and Sports as part of National Student-Athlete Day on April 6, 2011. Creighton, awarded for the Coaching category, was one of just five 2011 winners of the Giant Steps Award, given annually to individuals who use sport to positively affect social change, actualizing the mission of the NCAS. The awards honor student-athletes, athletic administrators, civic leaders, coaches, parents, organizations, and other individuals who demonstrate an outstanding ability to manage life on and off the field, and who demonstrate a commitment to the betterment of society. The award will be presented to October 2011.
• His Wabash teams won North Coast Athletic Conference titles in four of his seven seasons at the Division III school in Crawfordsville, Ind.
• In four seasons at Ottawa (Kansas) his teams won two Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference titles (1997, 2000), its first two since 1972.
• An All-America quarterback at Kenyon (Ohio) College, Creighton led the school to its only North Coast Athletic Conference title in 1989 and was named conference player of the year. He was inducted into the Kenyon College Athletic Hall of Fame in 2008. Creighton earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1991 and a master's degree from Concordia (Ill.) University in 1993.
• Creighton was hired Dec. 22, 2007, as the 25^th head coach in the history of Drake football.

Chris Creighton's Head Coaching Career:
Drake University               2008-present                     21-12 (.636)
Wabash College               2001-07                            63-15 (.808)
Ottawa (Kansas) Univ.      1997-2000                         32-9 (.780)
Totals                              14 seasons                     116-36 (.762)

NUMBERS TO WATCH:

3,993--career passing yards for Mike Piatkowski; ranks 6^th all-time. Next in sight is current wide receivers coach Jeff Martin (4,365 from 1973-76) in 5^th place. Record is 7,868 by Ira Vandever (7,868 from 1999-2002).

60.6%--career completion percentage for Piatkowski; best in school history. His 62.8% mark in 2009 (203-323) is the best single-season figure ever by a Bulldog.

35--consecutive made PAT attempts for Billy Janssen entering season. Janssen was 35-35 last year, four short of the record of 39-39 by Henrik Mike-Mayer in 1980.

68--number of rushing yards needed by Pat Cashmore to reach 1,000 for his career.

22--number of receptions needed by Drew Blackmon to amass 100 career catches.

DEPTH AND EXPERIENCE HIGHLIGHT 2011 ROSTER: The Bulldogs return 17 starters from the 2010 squad that finished 7-4 (6-2, 3^rd place PFL). In all, 38 lettermen return, and are joined by an incoming freshman class of 38 student-athletes.

BULLDOGS AMONG THE BEST: Drake ranks 20^th among in overall victories (563) among the 123 schools that make up the Division I Football Championships Subdivision (FCS).  The game at North Dakota will be the 1,076^th in school history, dating back to the initial campaign in 1893. The Bulldogs' all-time record is 563-483-29 (.537).

"TUPANDE KILELENI": The theme for the 2011 season is "Tupande Kileleni," a Swahili term that means "Let's climb to the summit." The analogy is borrowed from the team's May 2011 trip to Africa to play in the inaugural Kilimanjaro Bowl, but also applies to the long journey of a college football season. "It's really the theme for the entire 2011 year," said head coach Chris Creighton said. "There is so much to do before the season before you can climb. We are using the analogy of having done that climb of Mt. Kilimanjaro in May and relating that to the season. We have come up with six "climbing realities" that have to be embraced before we can climb to the summit. Climbing takes Preparation; Sacrifice; teamwork; going one step at a time; a competitive spirit not to be denied and overcoming adversity. That's our trail map to the season. We know if we're taking care of those six areas, we can get to the summit of the mountain."

THE ROSTER BREAKDOWN-BY THE NUMBERS:  A group of nine fifth-year seniors provides the leadership for this year's team, along with four more "graduating seniors" playing their final seasons as Bulldogs. Those 13 are joined by 14 seniors who have redshirted, 19 juniors, 23 sophomores and 38 freshmen.

AROUND THE PIONEER FOOTBALL LEAGUE:  Drake joins Morehead State in getting a jump on their Pioneer Football League brethren by kicking off on a Thursday night. All other PFL schools play Saturday, Sept. 3. Butler hosts Albion; Campbell is at Old Dominion; Davidson is at Georgetown; Dayton is at Robert Morris; Jacksonville is at The Citadel; Marist is at Sacred Heart; San Diego is at Azusa Pacific and Valparaiso hosts Franklin. Seven of the league's 10 teams open the 2011 season on the road.

PFL COACHES VOTE DRAKE THIRD IN PRESEASON POLL: Just as they finished a year ago, the Bulldogs have been picked to finish third in the Pioneer Football League in 2011, according to preseason voting by the league's coaches. The poll, issued Aug. 8, tabs 2010 co-champions Jacksonville and Dayton as the champion and runner-up, respectively. Jacksonville received eight of 10 possible first-place votes and 80 of a possible 81 points as coaches were not allowed to vote for their own team. Dayton was picked second with 69 points and one first-place vote. The Dolphins and Flyers each finished 2010 with unblemished 8-0 marks but did not face each other during the regular season. However, the two teams will meet in 2011 - an Oct. 8 contest in Jacksonville will be their first meeting since 2008. Drake was picked to finish third with 61 points and nabbed the remaining first-place vote. San Diego was picked to finish fourth with 59 points and Butler rounded out the top half of the preseason poll with 47 points for fifth place. The second half of the poll has Morehead State (38 points), Campbell (33), Marist (31), Davidson (23) and Valparaiso (nine).

NORTH DAKOTA IS 33RD STATE TO HOST DRAKE BULLDOGS: The 2011 season-opener at North Dakota will also mark the first time Drake has played a game in the state of North Dakota. It makes that state the 33^rd to have played host to a Drake road game in its 117-year history, joining Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia and Wisconsin.