DAYTON, Ohio – Drake football secured at least a share of its third consecutive Pioneer Football League title with a 14-6 victory at Dayton earlier today. The Bulldogs dominated the ground game and made several key stops defensively to earn their 14th straight conference win away from home.

Both teams traded a pair of punts to start the game as the Bulldogs and Flyers probed their way through the first quarter. Dayton looked like it was building momentum with the longest sustained drive of the early going bolstered by a 42-yard rush by Gavin Lochow, setting the hosts up well within Drake territory.

The Flyers could not capitalize, though, as Drake's defense made the first splash play. UD QB Drew VanVleet fired over the middle with his sights set on the endzone, but a leaping Sean Allison tipped the pass and came down with his first interception of the season.

The Allison INT got things rolling in Drake's direction as the Bulldogs immediately orchestrated an 11-play drive that resulted in a short Logan Inagawa rushing touchdown.

After another Dayton punt, Drake continued its dominance on the ground with another rushing score, this time by freshman phenom tailback Nick Herman. The Chicago native took the rock 66 yards on just the second play of the drive for six more points, extending the Bulldog lead to 14-0.

That margin held through the remainder of the second quarter as Drake took its 2-score advantage into the half.

The score remained at 14-0 in favor of the Dogs after the end of the third period despite a couple notable defensive efforts during the quarter. Sean Allison made his second interception of the afternoon before a Drake fumble gave the ball right back to Dayton.

Neither team could punctuate their take-away as the Bulldogs held on to their lead with 15 minutes to play.

Dayton finally got on the board on their first possession of the fourth quarter as reserve quarterback Liam Poronsky connected with Michael Mussari on a 23-yard pitch-and-catch. The Flyers, who have suffered from kicking woes all season, missed the ensuing point after try, making the score 14-6.

Drake then punted twice and the Flyers gave it back on downs before a botched Dayton handoff wound up in the arms of Trystan Anderson with just over two minutes left on the game clock.
The Bulldogs eventually conceded the ball back to Dayton on downs with 14 seconds on the ticker. The Flyers' desperation effort came up well short as the Bulldogs secured the 14-6 victory.

"Our defense was outstanding all day long only giving up six points on some short fields," Drake head coach Joe Woodley said. "Our punter, Sam Bruno, had an unbelievable day dealing with the wind, which neither team really took advantage of or suffered from offensively. Overcame so much today, Dayton is a good football program and to come out here and get it done on the road is a tribute to our team. It's nice to know we have a chance to go home and take care of business for the league title."

Logan Inagawa did not need to throw the ball much on Saturday with just 59 yards on 7-of-12 passing. He did, however, score once on the ground to go along with 35 yards.
Nick Herman led Drake's dominant rushing attack with 153 yards on 15 totes for a touchdown.

Defensively, J.R. Flood and Garrison Codde each tallied 14 tackles while flood made one sack. Sean Allison had arguably the most impressive day on that unit with a dozen stops and two interceptions.

Drake will be back at home next weekend for its 2025 regular season finale. The Bulldogs are slated to host Morehead State on Nov. 22 with a chance to win the outright PFL championship for the third year in a row.