The Drake University football team hosts Davidson on Saturday at 1 p.m. for the first time since 2011 when the Bulldogs routed the Wildcats 51-14.
Saturday's contest is the ninth meeting between Drake and Davidson and the first between the programs since 2014. The Bulldogs lead the series, 7-1, and are 4-0 at Drake Stadium.
The Bulldogs are coming of hard fought road 19-14 win at Marist last week and improved to 4-3 overall and 3-1 in Pioneer Football League play. Davidson fell to Dayton, 48-22, last week, extending its losing streak to four games and its PFL skid to 12 games. The Wildcats' last win over a FCS team was also their last PFL win as they beat Stetson in their 2015 season finale.
Senior quarterback
Grant Kraemer took a few lumps during non-conference play, but has used those lumps to get out to a stellar start in conference play. Over the last four games, Kraemer is averaging 276 yards passing while completing more than 56 percent of his passes; compared to averaging 216 yards and 58 percent in the first three games of the season. He missed most of the second-half in last week's win over Marist due to injury but was on his way to another 300-yard performance as he threw for 144 yards and completed 12-of-19 passes. Heading into the season, head coach
Rick Fox knew the potential of his young receiving group had and they have shown what they are capable of. The Bulldogs' trio of wide receivers–sophomore
Mitch McFarlane and juniors
Devin Cates and
Steven Doran–rank in the top-15 in receiving yards in the PFL. McFarlane is leading the group with 33 receptions for 523 yards and three touchdowns, but will most likely miss the rest of the season due to injury. Doran has also caught three touchdowns to go with his 26 receptions for 375 yards, while Cates has tallied 23 catches for 321 yards and two touchdowns. The Bulldog defense has proven to be one of the best in the PFL. In conference play, the Bulldogs have only allowed seven touchdowns in four games and lead the PFL in total defense (312.8 ypg.), first downs (66), third-down conversion (33.9%) and sacks (9).
The Wildcats are led by freshman running back Wesley Dugger, who leads the PFL with an average of 103 yards rushing per game and is averaging more than five yards per carry. Dugger was named one of 17 freshmen to the STATS FCS Jerry Rice Award watch list. The Rice Award, named for the legendary Hall of Fame wide reciever, has been presented to the FCS freshman of the year since 2011.
