VALPARAISO, Ind. – The Drake University football team's defense surrendered just nine points and 176 yards while scoring a game-sealing touchdown to lead the Bulldogs to a 17-9 win at Valparaiso's Brown Field Saturday afternoon.
Drake (4-3, 3-1 PFL) trailed until the opening minutes of the fourth quarter when the Bulldogs took a 1-point, 10-9, lead. With less than a minute left in the contest and Valparaiso (2-5, 0-3 PFL) trying to mount a game-winning drive, Drew Ormseth (Lake In The Hills, Ill.) picked off a pass and returned it 39-yards to secure the Bulldogs' first road win of the season. The defense squashed any remaining Valparaiso comeback aspirations on the Crusaders' next drive with Brad Duwe (Dubuque, Iowa) intercepting a pass to end the game on a day that saw both teams battle cold, windy and rain-soaked conditions.
“This was the typical Drake-Valpo game every time we're here,” said Drake head coach Rick Fox. “Those guys [Valpo] fight hard and played really well, so this game was not a surprise to me.”
The Bulldogs outgained Valparaiso 390-176 as the Crusaders became the third Pioneer Football League team in four games to be held under 215 total yards against the Bulldogs' stout defense. Bob Quilico, Jr. (Schaumburg, Ill.) led the defense with nine total tackles while Matt Acree (Shawnee, Kan.) had a critical sack, pass break-up and blocked a PAT attempt that appeared poised to decide the game at one point.
Drake's offense was keyed by Michael Hudson's (Urbandale, Iowa) 93 receiving yards on eight receptions while Conley Wilkins (Overland Park, Kan.) ran 16 times for 70 yards. Quarterback Andy Rice (Steven's Point, Wis.) completed 25 of his 40 passes for 265 yards and scored the Bulldogs' only offensive touchdown of the game.
With a 1-point lead and five minutes remaining in the game, Fox put the game in the defense's capable hands as the offense ran the ball four-straight plays and burned nearly three minutes off the clock before punting the ball back to Valparaiso.
“There was never a second though in my mind,” Fox said of the decision. “Because that's just the kind of defense we're playing right now.”
Fox's decision was rewarded almost immediately as Michael Vankat (Omaha, Neb.) swatted a pass down at the line of scrimmage on Valpo's first play of the drive. Three plays later Ormseth changed the complexion of the game when he picked off Scott Staal's pass and returned it 39 yards for a touchdown to push the Bulldogs ahead, 17-9.
The Bulldogs took their first lead of the afternoon seconds into the fourth quarter when Rice went under center and dove in from one yard out to close out a 14-play drive that started on the Bulldogs' own 11-yard line due to penalties. Rice was 5-of-5 passing on the drive for 58 yards to give Drake a 10-9 lead with 13:03 left in the contest.
“It was kind of like the Jacksonville game in that we were moving the ball, but kept shooting ourselves in the foot,” Fox said of the offense “We've got to get more consistent as an offense in our execution, but they made plays when we needed them to make plays.”
The offense committed turnovers on its first two drives of the game, the second of which Valparaiso capitalized on by marching 72 yards before quarterback Ben Lehman hit Ryan Shea in the endzone from 8-yards out. The PAT attempt was blocked by Acree in what appeared for much of the game to be a potentially game-winning play. The second quarter presented more problems for the Bulldogs with a dropped punt snap in the rainy conditions converted into a 23-yard field goal for the Crusaders to give the squad a 9-0 lead.
In the final minute of the first half, Drake scored its first points on a 40-yard Ben Tesson (Fenton, Mo.) field goal.
Valparaiso did not cross midfield in the third quarter as the Bulldogs started to fire on all cylinders before scoring in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter.
“Our defense was fantastic because they hung in there as they have all year,” Fox said. “In the second half you could feel the momentum turn and that made a huge difference.”
The Bulldogs, winners of two-straight games, will aim to add to that tally and secure their 19th-straight home conference win next Saturday when they host Butler at Drake Stadium. Kickoff for the homecoming contest is scheduled for 1 p.m.
