DES MOINES, Iowa - The Drake University football team begins the 2021 fall season Thursday, Sept. 2 against West Virginia Wesleyan College at Drake Stadium. Kickoff for the season opener presented UnityPoint Clinic is scheduled for 6 p.m. and the game will be streamed on ESPN+ and on the radio on 1350 ESPN Des Moines.
Prior to the opener, a fan fest will be held outside the stadium with food trucks, Karam's Grill, Hy-Vee and Turkey Time, available. Games and music will also take place. Also new this season, beer will be sold in Drake Stadium with sales taking place in a tent located on the concourse. All sales will end at the start of the fourth quarter.
Drake, which played an abbreviated Pioneer Football League slate in the spring of 2021 due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, returns all four of its team captains,
Mark Bach,
Grant Gossling,
Cross Robinson and
Alex Rogers, from last spring along with multiple starters on offense, defense and on special teams. The Bulldogs were picked to finish third in the preseason PFL coaches' poll behind San Diego and Davidson, which captured the PFL title in the spring, and is the favorite this fall.
Among those returning starters for third-year Drake head coach
Todd Stepsis is a trio who were named to the preseason All-PFL First Team. Senior defensive lineman
Jake Hoper and senior defensive back
Danny Morales along with fifth-year linebacker
Ryan Kriceri were each named to the preseason first team after all three earned second team honors in the spring.
The spring season was an opportunity for many of the program's younger players to see action. Nearly the entire roster from the spring returns for the program's first fall campaign since 2019. Included in those returning are the 12 total Bulldogs that garnered All-PFL honors in the spring.
Following Thursday's opener, Drake starts a challenging two-game road trip with a game at No. 12 Montana State on Sept. 11. The Bulldogs are then scheduled to play at No. 8 North Dakota on Sept. 18.
Drake starts PFL action at home against the Valparaiso Beacons on Sept. 25.
