Fresh off a bye week to 'refresh and polish,' the Drake University football team resumes play Saturday at Pioneer Football League leading Jacksonville. Kickoff at the Dolphins' newly renovated D.B. Milne Stadium is scheduled for noon, CDT, and will be broadcast in Des Moines on KRNT 1350-AM.
The Bulldogs come off the bye week with a 2-2 overall record and got off to a 1-0 start in PFL action with a 21-6 win over Marist in the league opener.
“We used the bye week in a couple different ways,” Drake head coach Rick Fox said. “We used the phrase 'refresh and polish.' Getting guys healthy and focusing on polishing the little things was the focus of the bye week. I think we did some good things. The tough thing about bye weeks is if you come of out flat or sharp.”
To move to 2-0 in the league against Jacksonville (3-1, 2-0 PFL), the Bulldogs will need to be 100 percent sharp in their execution and energy.
“It's a big game and Jacksonville vs. Drake is always a big game and an exciting game,” Fox said. “This year it's even bigger because they'd already beaten San Diego and Butler, so they're in the driver's seat in the conference.”
In the Bulldogs' last outing, the defense put up its top performance of the season by surrendering just 211 yards while picking off two passes and recording five sacks. Defensive lineman Brett Park (Olivette, Mo.) notched a career-high seven tackles in the win with a pair of sacks. However, the defense will have its hands full against a Dolphin offense that is putting up more than 400 yards per game including a ground attack that's averaging 182.2 yards per outing.
“This year they have a dual threat with their quarterback, Kade Bell, and their running back, Ulysses Bryant,” Fox said. “They have great athleticism as a team on both sides of the ball. We have to be disciplined and execute in our way.”
Drake will need to start the game firing on all cylinders, something it has struggled with to date this season, having fallen behind in the first quarter of three of its first four games.
“We're going to be relentless and play together. When we do that, we're successful. We're not going to win a track meet with Jacksonville so we have to play together and play relentless.”
Drake leads the all-time series with the Dolphins by an 11-2 margin and has won three-straight games in the rivalry after claiming a 27-17 decision at home last season behind four total touchdowns from Andy Rice (Stevens Point, Wis.).
This season Rice has had similar success, completing 57 percent of his passes with three touchdowns and an average of 195.8 yards per game. The bulk of his throws have been to the team's tight ends with them accounting for nearly two-thirds of the Bulldogs' receptions and receiving yards. Eric Saubert (Hoffman Estates, Ill.) has led that group with 21 catches for 215 yards this season.
Following Saturday's game at Jacksonville, the Bulldogs return home to host Davidson on Oct. 11. Kickoff for that game is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Drake Stadium.
