DES MOINES, Iowa -- The Drake University football team makes its final road trip of the 2017 season Saturday, as the Bulldogs travel to Buies Creek, N.C. to take on the Campbell Fighting Camels. Kickoff is set for 12 p.m. CST.

The Bulldogs and the Camels are meeting for the eighth time. Drake leads the all-time series, 6-1. In the last meeting, the Bulldogs topped the Camels 33-21 on Oct. 29, 2016 at Drake Stadium. The Bulldogs are coming off a tough 45-15 loss to first-place San Diego last week and settled to tied for second in the PFL with a 4-2 record and 5-4 overall mark. The Camels defeated Davidson 42-29 in their penultimate game, improving to 6-4 overall and 5-2 in the PFL.

Despite going through the offensive buzzsaw that is San Diego last week, the Bulldog defense still ranks near the top of nearly every defensive statistical category. In conference play, Drake ranks second in scoring defense (20.0), total defense (322.5) and first downs (105). The Bulldogs are getting after the quarterback this season as they lead the PFL with 22 sacks, including three players ranking in the top-11. Fifth-year senior Tanner Evans leads the trio with five sacks, ranking third, while fellow fifth-year seniors Mack Marrin and Mike Maize have tallied 3.0 and 2.5 sacks, respectively. Senior Grant Kraemer has thrown for 1,979 this year and is 21 yards away from becoming the fifth Bulldog since 1986 to record more than 2,000 yards passing in back-to-back seasons. The Northridge, Calif. native has completed 142-of-251 passes and registered 13 touchdown passes.

Campbell has one of the most productive offenses in the PFL. The Camels lead the league in total offense (447.5 ypg.) and first down (220), while ranking second in scoring (36.2 ppg) and rushing (233.2 ypg.). The Camel offense runs threw freshman quarterback Daniel Smith, who leads the nation in rushing yards (1,188), point responsible (174) and ranks eighth nationally in total offense (325.6 ypg.) and touchdowns (11). To go with his 11 rushing touchdown, Smith has thrown 18 touchdowns, and completed 126-of-233 attempts for 1,7742 yards.

Defensively, Campbell leads the country in turnovers with 26 takeaways and also leads the FCS with 19 interceptions. Carlos Merritt leads the PFL with six picks while Dante Simmons has five interceptions. N.C. State transfer Emmanuel Olenga is the league's top tackler among the defensive line with 66 stops, including 13.5 for a loss and 7.5 sacks.