DES MOINES, Iowa – The Drake University football team couldn't overcome a quick start by visiting South Dakota as the Coyotes topped the Bulldogs, 77-7, in the 2017 season opener Saturday at Drake Stadium.
"South Dakota played a great game and for a first game, they played a flawless game. We didn't play disciplined, poised football. We made a lot of mistakes in every phase of the game and we can't do that against a good team like South Dakota. So we are going to come back, work hard, get better and move forward," said Drake head coach
Rick Fox.
The Coyotes wasted little time getting out to an early lead, scoring the game's first touchdown in less than two minutes into the contest. South Dakota didn't slow down as it jumped out to a 28-0 lead in the first quarter.
The Bulldogs saw their offense show what it could do on their first drive of the second quarter. Senior quarterback
Grant Kraemer helped orchestrate the 11-play 80-yard scoring drive by completing three passes for 45 yards. Senior running back
Tyler Updegraff capped off the drive with a one-yard touchdown run, cutting Drake's deficit to 28-7.
USD's fast paced offense never slowed down in the first half as it scored on eight of its nine first-half possessions to take a 56-7 halftime lead. Chris Streveler led the Coyotes' offense, completing 17-of-24 passes for 248 yards and five touchdowns. The dual-threat quarterback also rushed for 53 yards.
The Bulldogs couldn't get anything going offensively in the second half. The Coyotes used a pick-six and took advantage of good field position to tack on two more touchdowns in the final two quarters for a final score of 77-7.
Kraemer finished his evening throwing for 135 yards on 10-of-24 passes. Sophomore
Daeonte Calvert led the receiving corps with 40 yards on two catches. Defensively, Junior
Zac Rujawitz recorded a game-high eight tackles, while senior Jabari Bulter registered seven solo stops.
"I still believe that this team can be very successful but we have to eliminate the mistakes and clean things up," said Fox.
The Bulldogs return to Drake Stadium on Sept. 9 at 6 p.m. when they square off against Southwestern College (Kan.).
