VALPARAISO, Ind. – The Drake football team hit the road for their first PFL matchup away from home this season. The Bulldogs bookended Saturday's matchup with double-digit scoring efforts in the first and fourth quarters to blitz Valparaiso, 27-3.
The Drake defense got out of the gate quickly, forcing the Beacons back on their opening possession. The Bulldog offense stalled on their first try, but a Valpo miscue gave Drake the game's first advantage.
Shane Dunning punted a beauty inside the Valpo five-yard line, where return man Amir Simmons muffed it. The ball bounced into the endzone, where
Joe Frommelt pounced on it for a Drake score.
Drake's defense then forced another three-and-out to give the ball right back to the Dogs' offensive unit. A 43-yard pass from
Luke Bailey to tight end Sam Rodriguez set up another quick score.
Blake Ellingson completed the drive with a dart to a slanting
Mitchell January to extend Drake's early lead to 14-0, which held through the end of the opening period.
The Bulldog lead grew even further in the second period as Dunning nailed a 38-yard field goal less than a minute into the quarter. The 17-0 difference was carried into the half as another Dunning kick was blocked and Valpo picked off Bailey to close the second stanza.
Drake struggled to find the same first-half rhythm after the break. Their first two drives ended with Dunning punts, while Valpo was able to crack the scoreboard. The Beacons got deep into Bulldog territory, but a
Finn Claypool sack helped force them into a field goal attempt. The Ryan Hawk kick was good from 22 yards to cut the difference to 17-3.
Dunning later stepped back up to the plate and answered with three more points for the Bulldogs, avenging his earlier miss. The successful kick capped off a 10-play drive that erased nearly six minutes off the clock as the fourth quarter got underway.
The Bulldogs continued to build their lead as the fourth quarter progressed as running back
Davion Cherwin found paydirt on a 21-yard run to punctuate a well-orchestrated drive. Cherwin's score was his first of the year and made it 27-3 in favor of Drake. That score remained over the final few minutes as the Bulldogs stayed unbeaten in PFL play and improved to 3-1 overall.
Bailey threw for 224 yards on 17-26 passing with an interception. His back-up,
Blake Ellingson, only had three passing attempts but cashed in on one for his first TD throw of the season. That scoring pass was hauled in by
Mitchell January as part of his 38-yard day. Sam Rodriguez led the Drake pass catchers with 65 yards on the day. On the ground, Cherwin paced Drake with 73 yards on 10 carries with a score.
Defensively,
Sebastian Adamski led Drake with nine tackles, one coming for a loss. All-American defensive end
Finn Claypool had eight stops with 2.5 sacks and 3.5 tackles for loss.
Tyler Radocha made four tackles and picked off a Valpo pass. Reserve
Joe Frommelt logged a defensive score on a muffed punt in the endzone to get the Bulldog scoring started.
Drake will return home next weekend for the Battle of the Bulldogs as Butler comes to Des Moines. The canine counterparts will kick off at 1 p.m. on Oct. 12.
NOTES
- Drake outgained Valpo 356-80.
- The 80 yards allowed are the lowest for Drake since holding Presbyterian to just 67 gained last season.
- Luke Bailey threw for 100+ yards for the seventh consecutive game dating back to last season.
- Blake Ellingson's touchdown pass was his first of the season and third of his career.
- Davion Cherwin also scored his first TD of the year and fourth of his career.
- Tyler Radocha snagged his first interception of the season.
- Finn Claypool's 2.5 sacks marked his fifth career multi-sack effort.
- Joe Frommelt recovered a fumble for a touchdown for the first score of the game. It was the first scoop and score for the Bulldogs since 2013.
- Drake is now 18-2 all-time vs. Valpo with three-straight wins over the Beacons.
- Saturday's victory marked the Bulldogs' 13th straight win in Pioneer Football League play.
