THE BASICS
Drake football returns to Des Moines after their second bye week of the season. The Bulldogs are set for a tilt with the Beacons of Valparaiso at 12 p.m. in Drake Stadium to kick off both teams' Pioneer Football League schedules.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Drake went on the road for another tough road test at the No. 15 ranked South Dakota Coyotes. The Bulldogs showed flashes in Vermillion, scoring 21 points for the second straight week, but eventually fell, 42-21.
 
PFL DEBUT
This weekend's matchup in Drake Stadium will be the Pioneer Football League opener for both Drake and Valpo. The two teams were both on a bye last week.
 
SEEING RED(ZONE)
Drake's offense has been elite when traversing inside their opponents' 20-yard line. The Bulldogs are one of two teams, along with San Diego, to score on every possession that reaches the red zone. Drake and USD are tied atop the PFL in that stat.
 
PIONEER FOOTBALL LEADERS
The Bulldogs are also first in the Pioneer Football League in conversions with a 47.5 percent third down rate and perfect 100 percent fourth down rate. Drake's defense has also been solid in late-drive situations with a 20 percent opponents' fourth down conversion rate, the second-best mark in the conference.
 
IRREGULAR SEASON
Drake's last two losses were historic for Drake's first year head coach Joe Woodley. The defeat at South Dakota State marked the first regular season loss in Woodley's head coaching career. He is now 73-7 all-time between his tenures at Grand View and Drake.
 
QUARTERBACK QUERY
After back-to-back promising performances, true freshman quarterback Logan Inagawa is listed alongside initial starter Chase Spellman on the Bulldogs' depth chart. Spellman, who won the first PFL Offensive Player of the Week award after the opener vs. UIU, is aiming to return from injury while Inagawa looks to continue his solid rookie campaign under center.
 
2024 REVIEW
The Bulldogs saw their 17-game Pioneer Football League winning streak come to an end in their home finale against Morehead State, but Drake was still able to secure a league title for the second time in as many years with records of 8-3 overall and 7-1 in PFL play last season.
 
DRAKE STAT LEADERS

Rushing Leaders
Logan Inagawa	33 rush, 131 yds, 3 TD
Jaden Meizinger	27 rush, 95 yds
Luke Woodson	26 rush, 68 yds
Passing Leaders
Logan Inagawa	30-44, 68.2%, 304 yds, 3 TD
Chase Spellman	14-16, 87.5%, 233 yds, 2 TD
Xavier Washington	5-8, 79 yds, 2 TD
Receiving Leaders
Jackson Voth	15 rec, 204 yds
Hank Foley	10 rec, 190 yds, 3 TD
Taj Hughes	6 rec, 58 yds
Tackles
Sean Allison	22 tck, 10 solo, 2.5 TFL
J.R. Flood	22 tck, 11 solo
Benjamin Wilson	20 tck, 10 solo, 0.5 TFL
Sacks
Jacob Auen	1.0 sck
Trystan Anderson	1.0 sck
Gene Blalock	1.0 sck

 
SCOUTING VALPARAISO
The Beacons of Valparaiso enter this week at 1-3 overall after enjoying a bye week. Valpo began its season with a 67-10 win over Virginia Lynchburg before suffering losses to Division III Adrian, at Western Illinois, and at North Dakota.
 
Drake has owned its all-time series with Valparaiso by an 18-2 margin. The Bulldogs have won three straight meetings after the Beacons earned their only two victories in the 2021 springs season and 2021 fall campaign, both of which came in Des Moines.
Valparaiso is led by first year head coach Andy Waddle. A graduate of Wittenberg Univeristy, Waddle went 55-61 over 12 seasons at Marietta before being hired as the 19th head coach in Beacon football history.
 
UP NEXT
The Bulldogs will continue their 8-game march through PFL play with road trip to the Pacific coast. Drake is set for a 4 p.m. kick off at San Diego on Oct. 11.