DES MOINES, Iowa – Drake football returned to the confines of Drake Stadium for another Pioneer Football League clash on Saturday. The Bulldogs welcomed Davidson to Des Moines and sent the Wildcats back home after a 45-0 beatdown.
 
Drake (4-2, 3-0) received the opening kickoff and sent its offense on for the first shift. Logan Inagawa started under center for the Bulldogs as Chase Spellman was inactive. Inagawa and the Drake O moved the ball across midfield but stalled, punting deep into Davidson territory.
 
The Bulldog defense took its turn forcing a punt which set the Drake offense up with plus field position. Drake took just two plays to cover 34 yards for a score as true freshman tailback Nick Herman sliced through the Davidson defense for six.
 
Drake went on to score two more times before the first quarter concluded. Hank Foley ran a jet sweep in from 12 yards out with exactly five minutes left in the period before Taj Hughes scored his first TD of the year on a 2-yard catch and run. The Bulldogs led 21-0 after a dominating first quarter performance.
 
The second stanza began with Davidson (1-6, 0-3) knocking on the door after putting together a solid drive down the field. The Wildcats kept their offense on the gridiron to try and convert on fourth down, but star linebacker Sean Allison shut things down with a forceful stop. The Bulldogs took back over on their 6-yard line.
 
After a 13-play, 82-yard drive, Drake added three more points on a 29-yard Harry Balke field goal, but the Dogs were not done yet. After thwarting the Wildcat attack once again, Inagawa maneuvered another touchdown march ending with a 5-yard toss to Jackson Voth. The Bulldogs led 31-0 at the half.
 
The Wildcats had the ball to start the second half and looked to finally get their first points on the board. Quarterback Coulter Cleland captained Davidson down the field into kicking range, but Christos Tzoumakas' boot was wide ride, keeping Drake's 31-0 advantage intact.
 
Drake proceeded to add to its lead again as Inagawa found a wide-open Voth down the left sideline who hauled in the pass and scampered into the endzone. The second Inagawa-to-Voth scoring play came on a fourth down conversion and made its 38-0 in favor of the home team.
 
While continuing to keep the Wildcats in check defensively, Drake later added another score on the ground as Jaden Meizinger capped a 10-play, 90-yard possession with a 6-yard TD. Davidson turned around and put together its best series of the day with an 11-play, 61-yard drive deep into Drake's end of the field. The Bulldog defense held firm, though, and forced a turnover on downs to keep the shutout alive.
 
Drake held on to win by a 45-0 margin, marking its second straight home shutout. The Bulldogs have now outscored opponents 127-7 in Drake's three home games and won 21 of their last 22 conference games.
 
"We challenged the kids today...you have to respect the opponent and respect the process throughout the week," Drake head coach Joe Woodley said. "Our guys went out and executed on a very high level on both sides of the football, namely running the football and stopping the run. Just about everything we did today was clicking. All kinds of individual performances on the offense and defense…the poise and composure of Logan [Inagawa], great day for Nick Herman, and a bunch of others stood out. At the end of the day it's our third PFL win, right where we want to be, so we'll enjoy this one for another day before getting ready for Marist."
 
Inagawa had an efficient day under center with 186 yards on 16-of-22 throwing for three scores. Jackson Voth totaled 106 yards receiving on eight catches for a pair of touchdowns.
 
Nick Herman led a lethal ground game for the Bulldogs, earning 134 yards on 14 carries and a touchdown. Jaden Meizinger added 98 yards and a score on 13 totes while the Bulldogs amassed 377 rushing yards as a team.
 
Herman's tally marked the first 100-plus yard rushing display for the Dogs since a 161-yard performance by Davion Cherwin at Stetson a year ago. Herman's combo with Voth also marked the first time Drake boasted a triple-digit rusher and receiver in the same contest since Drew Lauer (124 rush yards) and Devin Cates (103 receiving yards) shined in a 2019 outing at Butler.
 
The Bulldogs' 337 rushing yards and 570 total yards were the most in a single game for the team since at least 2015.
 
Drake will be on the road for its next two matchups as the Bulldogs travel to Marist on Oct. 25 and visit their canine counterparts at Butler on Nov. 1.