THE BASICS
Drake football hits the road for its first trip away from home in Pioneer Football League play. The Bulldogs head to the West Coast for a date with rival San Diego on Oct. 11. Kickoff between the Bulldogs and Toreros is slated for 4 p.m.
LAST TIME OUT
Drake returned to Des Moines for its first home game in over a month when Valparaiso visited for both teams' Pioneer Football League opener. Drake overcame a slow start to blitz the Beacons, 41-0.
SEEING RED(ZONE)
Drake's offense has been elite when traversing inside their opponents' 20-yard line. The Bulldogs are the only team in the PFL to score on every possession that reaches the red zone.
PIONEER FOOTBALL LEADERS
The Bulldogs are also first in the Pioneer Football League in conversions with a 45.3 percent third down rate and perfect 100 percent fourth down rate. Drake's defense has also been solid in late-drive situations with a 14.3 percent opponents' fourth down conversion rate, the best mark in the conference.
SCORE, SCORE, SCORE
Drake's offense ranks second among PFL foes in scoring with an average of 31.0 points per game, only behind No. 24 Presbyterian's 42.6 ppg average.
LUCKY NUMBER 41
Drake has scored exactly 41 points in both of its wins: a 41-7 victory over Upper Iowa in the opener and a 41-0 shutout over Valpo last weekend. The Bulldogs have also scored 21 points in both of their losses.
FLEETING FRESHMAN
True freshman running back
Nick Herman made a splash in last week's win over Valpo. The first-year ball carrier toted into the endzone twice, earning a PFL Freshman of the Week nomination.
THICK SIX
Senior defensive tackle
Jacob Auen lived every big man's dream vs. Valpo when he hauled in a tipped pass for an interception and scampered in nine yards for a pick six.
DRAKE STAT LEADERS
| Rushing Leaders |
|
| Logan Inagawa |
40 rush, 174 yds, 3 TD |
| Jaden Meizinger |
40 rush, 132 yds |
| Nick Herman |
13 rush, 98 yards, 2 TD |
| Luke Woodson |
27 rush, 77 yds, TD |
| |
|
| Passing Leaders |
|
| Chase Spellman |
24-35, 68.6%, 361 yds, 2 TD |
| Logan Inagawa |
36-51, 70.6%, 360 yds, 2 TD |
| Xavier Washington |
5-8, 79 yds, 2 TD |
| |
|
| Receiving Leaders |
|
| Jackson Voth |
20 rec, 253 yds |
| Hank Foley |
14 rec, 233 yds, 4 TD |
| Taj Hughes |
9 rec, 132 yds |
| |
|
| Tackles |
|
| Sean Allison |
30 tck, 13 solo, 2.5 TFL |
| J.R. Flood |
28 tck, 12 solo, 0.5 TFL |
| Benjamin Wilson |
21 tck, 11 solo, 0.5 TFL |
| |
|
| Sacks |
|
| Gene Blalock |
3.0 sck |
| Trystan Anderson |
2.5 sck |
| Jacob Auen |
2.0 sck |
SCOUTING SAN DIEGO
The Toreros enter this weekend at an even .500 across the board with a 3-3 mark overall and 1-1 record in PFL play. San Diego earned an overtime win over then No. 24 Southern Utah in Week 2 and closed its non-con slate with a road win at Princeton. The Toreros beat St. Thomas to open PFL action before travel for a loss at Marist last weekend.
San Diego has an advantage in the all-time series with the Bulldogs, 13-6. The Bulldogs have won two straight over San Diego, with the 2023 Drake win snapping a 9-game Torero streak. Drake is looking to win back-to-back games in San Diego for the first time in program history.
San Diego is led by third-year head coach Brandon Moore. A former student-athlete at Oklahoma, Moore was hired at USD after a 13-3 season at Division II power Colorado School of Mines. He is 15-13 during his tenure as a Torero.
UP NEXT
The Bulldogs will return home for an Oct. 18 clash with Davidson. Drake and the Wildcats are set to kick off in Drake Stadium at 12 p.m. next Saturday.
