ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Drake football team secured at least a share of the 2024 Pioneer Football League championship with a 22-19 victory over St. Thomas in the Twin Cities. The Bulldogs recorded two blocked kicks, an interception, and a 52-yard field goal on Saturday to down the Tommies on their home turf.
 
The Bulldogs began the game with the ball after St. Thomas deferred their selection to the second half. The two teams traded punts before Luke Bailey and the Bulldog offense found a little rhythm. Bailey connected with Taj Hughes out of the backfield for a 22-yard gain before Blake Ellingson came on and ripped off a first-down scamper to cross midfield.
 
The quarter flipped from the first to the second, and Drake captured all momentum. The Bulldogs capped a 10-yard drive of 80 yards with a touchdown pass from Bailey to Trey Radocha. The Bulldogs then came up with the game's first turnover as Caleb Bowling dove to snag a deflected pass and pick off St. Thomas quarterback Tak Tateoka. Drake drove their way back within the Tommies' 5-yard line, but a Bulldog infraction and St. Thomas sack pushed them back. Shane Dunning entered and cashed in on a 45-yard field goal, giving Drake a 10-0 advantage.
 
St. Thomas got back on the right foot on their next possession. The Tommies executed a double reverse flea flicker to eat up a major chunk of yardage and move deep into Drake's end of the field. St. Thomas eventually tallied three points to punctuate that drive to get back within one score. The Tommies' mojo kept going as Drake's next trip started in disaster. A scrambling Bailey tried to ditch the ball out of bounds, but a deflection kept it in play where Den Juette ran underneath it, giving UST excellent field position.
 
UST coach Glenn Caruso dialed up another trick play that fooled Drake as fullback Landon Reed took a pitch and lofted a wheel route back across the field to a streaking Tateoka. With under 20 seconds to play in the half, star Tommie running back Hope Adebayo smashed over the goal line to even the score at 10 apiece.
 
St. Thomas kept rolling after the half with a stellar kick return to start the third period. The Tommies marched down the gridiron, but their momentum was halted as Nolan Korzeniowski got a paw on Ben Hoiland field goal attempt. The ball fell right into Bowling's lap as the veteran defensive back sprinted down into St. Thomas territory. The blocked field goal led to a Taj Hughes short TD reception from Bailey to make it 17-10, Drake.
 
Drake's kickoff unit ceded another lengthy St. Thomas return on the ensuing play as reserve tight end Mariano Birdno snared a short offering and rumbled to the Drake 30. Hoiland and the UST field goal unit bounced back after the long run-back with a successful field goal to make it 17-13 with just over 3:30 left in the third quarter. Reserve receiver and returner Brandon Langdok took his turn on the subsequent kickoff, weaving his way through the Tommie defenders for a 20+ yard return. Back-to-back self-inflicted penalties got the Bulldogs behind the sticks by nearly a mile. Drake was set up on 3rd-and-26 as the third period came to a close.
 
The Drake defense showed their teeth on the first drive of the fourth quarter with a solid stand and a forced punt. Another St. Thomas special teams error then added to Drake's lead as long snapper Cody Stordahl fired one over the head of Elliot Huether, who collected the loose ball in his own endzone. Huether was flagged for an intentional grounding after attempting to find anyone downfield. The flag was thrown in the purple turf, leading to a safety and adding two points to make it 19-13 in Drake's favor.
 
The Bulldogs took over on offense after the free kick and matriculated down the field again, this time adding three more points with a 52-yard field goal by Shane "Mr. Automatic" Dunning. The Drake defense kept the foot to the floor after St. Thomas regained possession, forcing the Tommies to turn it over on downs around midfield.
 
Trailing 22-13 at the 2-minute timeout, St. Thomas went for broke with a deep ball down the right sideline. Tateoka found Colin Chase, his leading receiver on the day, for a 44-yard touchdown connection. The Tommies could not get any closer than a field goal as Mekhi Toms made another mark on special teams, blocking the second place-kick of the afternoon.
 
Langdok produced another pivotal play on the next kick return as St. Thomas lined up for an onside kick. Huether skipped a perfectly placed onside offering that was nearly corralled by gunner Ryan Calcagno, but the ball slipped through his grasp and into the awaiting Bulldog arms. Out of timeouts, St. Thomas watched Drake kneel the clock out and secure the 22-19 win, its 17th straight victory in Pioneer Football League action.
 
Luke Bailey was 20-26 for 167 yards and two scores with one to Taj Hughes and another to Trey Radocha. Hughes led all Drake receivers with 72 yards to his credit. Defensively, Sebastian Adamski led the way with 10 tackles. Caleb Bowling added six stops plus an interception.
 
The Bulldogs will return to Drake Stadium next Saturday for their 2024 home finale. Drake will welcome Morehead State to Des Moines and, with a victory over the Eagles, will add another conference championship to its trophy case. Drake and Morehead State will kick off at noon on Nov. 16.
 
 
NOTES

• Drake got outgained 287-205 in yardage but possessed the ball for 31:56 compared to St. Thomas' 28:04.
• The Bulldogs are now 7-0, the same record that they have in PFL play, when owning a time of possession of 30 minutes or more.
• The Bulldogs notched their third blocked field goal of the year.
• Drake also scored on its first safety of the year.
• Luke Bailey threw for 100+ yards for the 10th consecutive game dating back to last season.
• Taj Hughes scored a touchdown for the third straight week.
• Sebastian Adamski led the Drake defense with 10 tackles followed by Sean Allison's nine.
• Defensive back Caleb Bowling made six stops and picked off UST.
• Drake is now 2-2 all-time vs. St. Thomas.
• Saturday's victory marked the Bulldogs' 17th straight win in Pioneer Football League play, tying the second-longest win streak in conference history.
• A win vs. Morehead State next week in the Dogs' home finale would clinch Drake's second straight outright PFL title.