VALPARAISO, Ind. – Conley Wilkins matched a career-high 205 rushing yards to lead the Drake University football team past Valparaiso, 35-21, on Saturday at Brown Field.
 
"I am proud of how our guys fought from beginning to end. We came out and played hard right from the start and we made some mistakes in the second-half offensively but we never lost our passion," said Drake head coach Rick Fox. "They (Valpo) were playing to stop the run and our offensive line did a great job blocking and giving him seams and Conley just ran hard all the way throughout. I couldn't be more proud of him."
 
Drake was clicking in the first half on both sides of the ball. Offensively, the Bulldogs converted 7-of-7 third-down conversions and tallied 301 yards of total offense. Drake's defense limited the Crusaders to just 126 yards of total offense and only allowed Valpo to convert one third-down on six chances.
 
On the Bulldogs first possession of the game, Wilkins rushed for 45 yards to help lead Drake down to Valpo's three-yard line. Grant Kraemer then found Eric Saubert in the back corner of the end zone for a three-yard touchdown pass, capping the 13-play 85-yard drive.
 
Drake used some trickery to take a 14-0 lead early in the second-quarter. Wilkins completed an 18-yard pass to Zach Zlabis for a touchdown.
 
The Crusaders answered to make it 14-7, but the Bulldogs kept rolling offensively as Kraemer found Keegan Gallery on a post route for a 19-yard touchdown pass to put Drake ahead, 21-7.
 
Valpo brought it back to seven, 21-14, when Joey Diaz-Martinez returned an interception 49 yards for a touchdown.
 
A 67-yard reception by Devin Cates helped set up the Bulldogs to take a 28-14 lead. Three plays after Cates' big play, Kraemer found Saubert for the second time in the end zone, this time for a six-yard touchdown.
 
The Crusaders came back and tried to put points on the board before the end of the half, but Drake's Nathan Clayberg blocked the field goal attempt as time expired.
 
The Crusaders forced and recovered a fumble in their own territory in the first possession of the third-quarter. Valpo capitalized on the Bulldog miscue to cut Drake's lead to 28-21.
 
With just over five-minutes to play, junior Jabari Butler intercepted Jimmy Seewald to allow the Bulldogs to put the game away.
 
The Bulldogs gave Wilkins the ball eight times to wind down the clock and on his eighth carry he ran eight yards into the end zone to put the game out of reach, 35-21.
 
Wilkins ended up recording 205 rushing yards on 37 carries and one completion for an 18-yard touchdown.
 
Kraemer threw for 236 yards and completed 17-of-31 as Saubert was his top target with seven catches for 37 yards and two touchdowns. Cates recorded a game-high and career-best 92 yards receiving on three catches.
 
Defensively, Sean Lynch tallied a team-best nine tackles, while Michael Roane and Cody Stepanek each registered seven stops.
 
Drake improved to 3-3 on the season and 2-1 in the Pioneer Football League, while Valpo fell to 2-4 and 1-2 in the PFL.
 
The Bulldogs return to Drake Stadium on Oct. 8 when they host defending co-champions San Diego. Kickoff is set for 12:30 p.m.