ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Drake football team continued to scratch and claw in a 26-14 loss to St. Thomas at O'Shaughnessy Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 15. The Bulldogs are now 0-7 overall (0-4 in Pioneer Football League play) while the Tommies improved to 5-1 (3-0) on the season.
 
"Nobody can accuse us of not playing hard," head coach Todd Stepsis said. "Our biggest issue is that our offense is boom or bust. On some drives, we look efficient and precise while on other drives, we can't gain a yard. I love our team's attitude and they bring energy every single play. I'm a proud Bulldog, even with a record to not be proud of."
 
The Bulldogs broke through first halfway through the first quarter. Quarterback Ian Corwin threaded a pass down the middle to Brandon Langdok for a gain of 20 yards. A few plays later, Corwin lofted a 2-yard touchdown pass to Gage Vander Leest as Drake grabbed an early 7-0 lead with 6:34 remaining in the first quarter.
 
Playing the field position game, St. Thomas would pin the Bulldogs back to their own one-yard line. With his back against his own end zone, Corwin threw an interception at the Drake 30-yard line to Grif Wurtz. Tommie quarterback Cade Sexauer promptly tossed a 24-yard touchdown pass to Andrew McElroy to even up the score, 7-7.
 
7-7 was the score at the end of the first quarter, but the Tommies were back on the move at the beginning of the second frame. An 11-play, 80 yard drive was capped off by a six-yard touchdown run from Gabriel Abel. The extra point was no good, but the Tommies took a 13-7 advantage in the early stages of the second quarter.
 
St. Thomas dragged out another efficient drive when it got the ball next. The Bulldogs were hungry for a goal line stand on fourth down and one, but Abel rumbled into the end zone again. The Tommies led 20-7 with 2:16 remaining in the second quarter.
 
The Bulldogs needed to drive 72 yards with 2:10 left in the first half and they did just that. Back-to-back passes of 13 yards to Trey Radocha helped Drake move past mid-field before Corwin used his legs to gain 17 yards to the eight-yard line. On second and goal, Corwin found Hartlieb for a touchdown with only 11 seconds left in the half.
 
With some new momentum, Drake forced a turnover on the defensive side to start the second half. Tom Shefte snuck into the backfield to sack Sexauer and the ball popped loose. Ryan Kriceri jumped on it at the 43-yard line at the 10:15 mark of the third quarter. The Bulldogs were unable to capitalize on the turnover with a three-and-out on their ensuing offensive series.
 
The score remained 20-14 until St. Thomas set the tone in the fourth quarter (13:48 left) with Abel's third touchdown run of the game (five yards out) following his 33-yard gallop to set up first and goal.
 
Down 26-14, Drake continued to battle to stay in the game. Joey Lukrich made a juggling interception with 6:04 left on the clock. With the ball again, Corwin was off to the races for a 37-yard rush to the St. Thomas 33-yard line. Shortly after, the Bulldog drive stalled at the 17-yard line when the Tommies got the ball back on downs to seal the 26-14 decision.
 
Drake football returns home to welcome Davidson to Des Moines on Saturday, Oct. 22 at 1 p.m.
 
NOTES

• Dorian Boyland carried the ball 12 times for 63 yards (5.3 yards per carry average).
• Ian Corwin ended with 52 rushing yards on nine attempts.
• Matt Hartlieb hauled in a season-high five receptions for 64 yards.  
• Gage Vander Leest scored his first career touchdown. He converted from linebacker to fullback this season.
• Tom Shefte recorded his first career sack and forced fumble.
• Tanner Pollock led Drake with 10 total tackles.
• Joey Lukrich made his first interception of the season, which was his second career interception.
• St. Thomas leads the all-time series, 2-0.