DES MOINES, Iowa – The Drake University football team continues its three-game homestand on Saturday afternoon when it welcomes Morehead State to Drake Stadium for a 1 p.m. kickoff. The Bulldogs play their next-to-last home game of the season having won each of their 14 previous home Pioneer Football League contests.
Saturday is also Drake's Hometown Heroes game with all current military personnel, veterans, police officers, firefighters and a EMTs eligible to two free tickets to the game. For more Hometown Heroes information, call 515-271-3647.
Morehead State visits Des Moines for the second straight season with a 3-5 overall record and a 3-2 mark in PFL action. Drake continues its homestand at 4-4 overall and 3-2 in the PFL after scoring 16 unanswered points to defeat Valparaiso, 23-10, in its last outing.
“They're a very good football team,” Drake head coach Chris Creighton said of Morehead State. “They play very physical and have given us some real battles over the years. We expect Saturday to be no different.”
The Eagles' offense has averaged nearly 400 yards of offense per game but will face a Drake defense that held Valparaiso to just 183 total yards, four yards rushing and forced three turnovers. Of those three turnovers, two led to scores and the third ended Valparaiso's final possession of the game. Junior John Hugunin leads that defense with 11.1 tackles per game, the eighth most in the nation.
Drake's offense, paced by back-to-back 100-yard receiving games from Eric Saubert, has racked up more than 370 yards of offense in each of its last four game with quarterback Andy Rice throwing for 297 yards in last weekend's comeback win.
In the last meeting between the two teams, Drake overcame a 10-point fourth quarter deficit to rally for a 28-25 win in Des Moines and its second straight win over the Eagles. Drake leads the all-time series with Morehead State by a 6-2 margin and is a perfect 4-0 record against the Eagles in Des Moines.
Following Saturday's contest, the Bulldogs remain on campus for their home finale against PFL rival Dayton on Nov. 9. The Bulldogs then wrap up their 2013 slate on Nov. 16 at San Diego.
