Saturday, Sept. 24, 2011
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind.--The Drake Bulldogs rolled up a season-best 441 yards of offense and kept a powerful Butler offense in check for most of the afternoon en route to a 24-14 win at the Butler Bowl in the Pioneer Football League opener for both teams.
Drake, which entered the game averaging just 49.3 yards per game on the ground, erupted for 165 yards on 49 rushes, led by fifth-year running back Patrick Cashmore (Kansas City, Mo.), who gained 115 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries, all in the first half.
The Bulldogs, now 3-1, built a 21-7 halftime lead with two second-quarter touchdowns and survived a late threat to claim victory on the field where in 2009 they saw their conference title hopes evaporate in the final seconds on a Butler field goal.
"This is a big game for both teams," said Drake head coach Chris Creighton. "We beat a really good team today, a classic football team, and they're going to do well throughout this season. I think they're in the same situation we are, where we're good football teams, but our league is really good, so it's just going to be a week-in, week-out battle, probably a lot like this."
The Drake defense contributed three sacks and two interceptions, coming up with big plays in key situations, behind a defensive front that won the battle in the trenches.
"Our D-line had a big day," Creighton said. "(Andrew Huck) is a really talented quarterback. We got some pressure on him, and when we did, he's wasn't as good as when he doesn't have pressure. That's true of every quarterback, so they really stepped up big."
The defense also welcomed the return of fifth-year senior cornerback and team captain Michael Lahart (Chariton, Iowa), who missed the first three games because of injury.
"Michael has worked incredibly hard to come back and to play," Creighton said. "I haven't even asked him how he feels, but I see him walking right now and he seems like he's doing OK, so it's just a blessing that's he's able to come back and play."
Lahart contributed three tackles, one pass breakup and one quarterback hurry, and averaged 8.0 yards on two punt returns.
"It was unbelievable," Lahart said of the feeling of playing again. "After the weeks and weeks of rehabbing and working for this moment, words can't explain how good it felt to be out there running around with those guys. The first couple snaps were tough, just getting back in the speed of things, but overall it was so much fun. Practicing hard, and stuff like that, I think the coaches really had us prepared for this game."
The meaning of winning at the Butler Bowl was not lost on Lahart either.
"I haven't had a chance to think about that a whole lot, but it definitely feels good to finally get a win here," said Lahart. "My first two years playing we lost games here when we were playing for championships, so it's nice to get back and get a win on their home field."
Senior quarterback Mike Piatkowski (Wheaton, Ill.) completed 25 of 36 passes for 276 yards and a touchdown, and moved into third place on Drake's all-time passing yards list with 5,033 for his career.
Cashmore scored Drake's first touchdown on a 6-yard run at 5:24 of the first quarter to cap a six-play, 80-yard drive. The point-after attempt by fifth-year senior Billy Janssen (Round Lake Beach, Ill.) was blocked. It was the first that Janssen has not converted a PAT in his career, after making 42 in a row dating back to last year.
Two series later, Butler used its best field position to that point, starting at the Drake 48-yard line, to get on the board via a trick play that capped a four-play, 48-yard drive. Wide receiver Jeff Larsen took a handoff from quarterback Andrew Huck and rolled to his right before lofting a well-thrown 24-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Zach Watkins. The point-after gave Butler a 7-6 lead with 14:23 to play in the first half.
Drake went three-and-out on the ensuing possession, and Butler was beginning another promising drive from its own 35-yard line when the defense stepped up with the pivotal play of the first half-and maybe the game.
On third-and-10 from his own 46, Huck was intercepted by Drake linebacker Jake Underwood (Cary, Ill.) who returned it 15 yards to the Butler 42-yard line.
The Bulldogs used the momentum shift to drive for touchdowns on each of their next two possessions, while the defense tightened up and prevented Butler from mounting a drive longer than 45 yards over its next six possessions, and Drake quickly seized control of the contest.
Drake moved 42 yards in nine plays after the Underwood interception and scored on a 3-yard pass from Piatkowski to junior tight end Kevin Marshall (Glen Ellyn, Ill.). Leading 12-7, head coach Chris Creighton elected to go for the two-point conversion, which Piatkowski punched in with a successful scamper around the left end to increase the lead to 14-7 at the 6:58 mark of the second quarter.
The Drake defense then forced a punt to put the ball back in the hands of Piatkowski, who engineered an 8-play, 80-yard touchdown drive to push the Bulldogs' lead to 21-7. The veteran signal-caller completed passes to three different receivers on the drive and junior running back Trey Morse (Elmo, Texas) rushed twice for 17 yards before Cashmore rumbled in from 14 yards out for his second score of the half.
The visiting Bulldogs had an opportunity to add more points before the half, but a well-executed drive with terrific clock management crumbled when a 37-yard field-goal opportunity turned into a 42-yard attempt because of an illegal formation penalty, and Janssen's attempt sailed wide left with plenty of distance.
Butler threatened to cut into the lead on the opening possession of the second half, but kicker David Lang-the hero of Butler's 2009 win, whose last-second field goal propelled the home Bulldogs to a 20-17 win and a share of the PFL title-missed wide left from 39 yards.
After an exchange of punts, Drake put together its longest drive of the game, starting from its own 4. Leading 21-7, the Bulldogs methodically moved downfield, and just as important as the three points from a 31-yard Janssen field goal was the 6:03 of clock time that the 18-play, 83-yard drive chewed up, consuming the remainder of the third quarter.
The 24-7 lead would hold up until late in the fourth, after Lang missed another field goal try from 30 yards. Drake seemed poised to run out the clock after driving 55 yards and erasing five minutes off the clock, but with 3:09 to play in the game Piatkowski was intercepted on a first-down hitch-and-go at the Butler 1-yard line.
The result was not much different than a long punt, but it gave the powerful but dormant Butler offense one last chance. The host Bulldogs drove 99 yards in nine plays, covering just 1:44, for a 28-yard touchdown pass from Huck to Jordan Koopman, who finished with a game-high 11 catches for 130 yards.
Drake recovered Butler's on-side kick, but Morse fumbled with 1:08 to play, giving Butler one last chance. Senior linebacker Tyler Moorehead (Mason City, Iowa) ended the threat with an interception to seal the win.
"We were fortunate to play well in the first half," Creighton said. "We had a tough time finishing at the end, there are always things to work on, but I was proud of our team. I think all three phases had some positive things that happened here today, and we needed that. We had a little bit more emotion and intensity in the first half. I really challenged them with that, and I thought they brought that."
Senior safety Nick Chenier (Hinsdale, Ill.) led Drake with eight tackles and added one pass breakup, while defensive end Brandon Coleman (Cary, Ill.) logged 1.5 sacks to raise his season total to 6.0. He entered the game ranked No. 1 in the PFL and tied for fifth in NCAA Division I FCS in sacks.
"It all starts with the D-linemen," Lahart said. "When the D-linemen are on their game and creating pressure on the quarterback, it makes our job so easy. That's where it really is a team sport. You can have the best corners and safeties in the league, but without any D-linemen to rush the quarterback, anyone can pass on you, so it's a real team sport."
Drake ran a season-high 86 offensive plays and racked up a season-best 30 first downs, including 19 in the first half when it outgained Butler 248-139. The offense, which struggled in converting just 28 percent of its third-down opportunities in the first three games, executed 7 of 15 (47%) on Saturday, contributing to its dominance in time of possession, 33:54 to 26:06.
The Bulldogs return to Drake Stadium next Saturday for a 1 p.m. showdown with Pioneer Football League foe Campbell. The Fighting Camels are 1-2 after dropping a 57-21 decision to conference preseason favorite Jacksonville at home on Saturday, in a game that was tied at 21 in the third quarter.
Next Saturday's game is homecoming for Drake, which has now won three games in a row after an opening game loss, and has won six in a row at home dating back to last season.
