DES MOINES, Iowa – The Drake University football team overcame another sluggish start against Marist in November's debut contest. The Bulldogs owned the time of possession and were too much for a winless Marist bunch in the second half as Drake remained unbeaten in PFL play with a 19-0 shutout win.
 
"Any time you win you don't necessarily dwell on the negatives," Drake head coach Todd Stepsis said. "You look up at the scoreboard and see 19-zip so two thoughts cross your mind: you love seeing the goose egg from the defense…and our 19 could've been double that but at the end of the day we'll cherish the win."
 
The Bulldog defense took the field first after a returning miscue set the Red Foxes up deep in their own territory. The Drake D forced a punt, but the Bulldogs answered with a returning blunder of their own as the kick glanced off Trey Radocha's leg and was recovered by Marist.
 
Two plays later, Drake (6-1, 5-0) again returned the favor as Holden Hughes jarred the ball free of Carter James' grasp. Linebacker Sebastian Adamski scooped up the loose rock and returned it 43 yards into Marist's end of the field. That scoop and scurry led to the first points of the afternoon as Shane Dunning connected on a 29-yard field goal.
 
Marist (0-9, 0-6) pieced together a solid drive on their next possession with a 15-play march into Drake territory. The Red Foxes lined up for a potential game-tying field goal, but kick-blocking extraordinaire Tyler Radocha sliced through the Red Foxes' line and rejected the offering. Sean Allison came up with the ball to give Drake another crack.
 
Drake took back over to start the second quarter with sights set on extending their narrow lead. The Dogs again got into Marist's half, but their drive was cut short after a Luke Bailey interception. Bailey's throw was deflected and hung in the air enough for a diving James Kratochvil to slide underneath it. That pick, Bailey's fifth of the year, did not prove costly as the Marist offensive unit stalled again.
 
Bailey and the Bulldogs regained possession after a Marist punt, but still could not find their rhythm. Their short drive was halted as the Drake signal caller dropped a shotgun snap that was promptly covered up by Marist's Sean Coverdale. The first half trend continued, though, as Drake forced a turnover on downs and the Red Foxes failed to tally any points.
 
The next Drake drive got a boost from Luke Woodson with a 42-yard sprint across the midfield stripe. Drake then converted a short fourth down play to keep their trek alive. The Bulldogs eventually cashed in with the game's first touchdown as Bailey flipped a 1-yard toss to Parker Olthoff for a score.
 
Drake started the second half with the ball and picked up right where they left off before the break. The Bulldogs went 71 yards over eight plays with the help of a 43-yard dime to Mitchell January. That drive resulted in a 25-yard touchdown run by Davion Cherwin to extend the hosts' lead. The point after was wide left after a bobbled snap forced an errant kick, marking Shane Dunning's first missed PAT of the season.
 
The Bulldogs held on over the next quarter and change behind a stellar defensive effort that kept the Red Foxes off the board entirely. Drake improved to 6-1 overall and 5-0 in Pioneer Football League play with its 19-0 victory.
 
"I learned early in my career that when you win and thought you could've done better you tend to focus on that as opposed to thinking about how hard it is to win a college football game," Stepsis added. "Excited for these guys to keep showing up to work and giving it all they've got and keep coming out on top."
 
Luke Bailey threw for a touchdown on just 206 yards passing. His yardage total marked the 10th straight game with at least 100 throwing yards for Drake's signal caller. Davion Cherwin chipped in with 50 yards and a score on the ground while his backfield mate Luke Woodson rushed for 70.
 
Defensively, Tyler Radocha blocked a field goal for the second straight game as part of Drake's first shut out win since 2021 and first home shutout win since 2011. Linebacker Sebastian Adamski led the Drake D with 11 tackles while Holden Hughes forced a fumble and Nolan Korzeniowski posted his first career multi-sack effort.
 
The Bulldogs will travel to the Twin Cities next weekend for their penultimate road test of the 2024 regular season. Drake will battle St. Thomas at 1 p.m. in St. Paul, Minn.