SAN DIEGO, Calif. – San Diego used a 28-point second-half to top the Bulldogs, 45-15, Saturday afternoon at Torero Stadium.
 
"San Diego played a whale of a game. They converted a lot of third downs and held on to the football. We were trying to get the football out and they did a great job of holding on to it. They also played great run defense and those were the keys to the game," said Drake football head coach Rick Fox. "We said coming in that the team that runs the ball the best is going to be victorious and San Diego was able to do that and took care of the football."
 
The Toreros (7-2, 6-0 PFL) played a near flawless game as they didn't turn the ball over, only committed three penalties and converted 11-of-15 on third-down, while recording 122 rushing yards. Defensively, San Diego limited the Bulldogs (5-4, 4-2 PFL) 240 yards of total offense (16 rushing and 224 passing).
 
"He is a guy that makes great plays under pressure. I'm not sure if he is better in or out of the pocket, but he just finds receivers and those guys make plays," said Fox about San Diego's quarterback Anthony Lawrence.
 
Lawrence paced the Torero offense by completing 27-of-36 passes for 326 yards and four touchdowns, while 17 of his 27 completions went for a first-down.
 
The Toreros opened the game with a nine-play 72-yard scoring drive, capped off by a seven-yard touchdown pass from Lawrence to Ross Dwelley.
 
The Bulldogs came right back and answered with a scoring drive of their own to make it a 7-7 game through the first-quarter. Senior quarterback Grant Kraemer orchestrated an 11-play 68-yard drive, topped off by a five-yard touchdown pass to Tyler Updegraff.
 
San Diego retook the lead near the end of the second-quarter by a 11-yard touchdown pass by Lawrence and then made a 24-yard field goal to take a 17-7 lead in to the half.
 
The Toreros went on to score on their first three drives of the second-half to extend its lead to 31-7.
 
On Drake's ensuing drive, Kraemer completed an 18-yard touchdown pass to Steven Doran to cut the Bulldogs' deficit two a two possession a game after converting the two-point conversion, 31-15.
 
Doran finished the game with a career-high 141 yards receiving on a team-best seven receptions.
 
"Steve is a battler and he has been in a little slump personally. I know he has been frustrated, but he came back and played big in a big game. He is a great receiver for us and he is going to get better and better," said Fox.
 
San Diego's offense went on to finish the game scoring on its next two drives for a final score of 45-15.
 
Defensively, Kieran Severa tallied a game-high 12 tackles (three solo), while Sean Lynch totaled 11 stops (six solo), including one for a loss.
 
"We got a really really good defense, there's no doubt about that. San Diego just got us today. We are going to bounce back," said Fox.
 
The Bulldogs travel to Buies Creek, N.C. on Saturday, Nov. 11 for their final road game of the season against Campbell. Kickoff is set for 12 p.m. CST.