The Basics
Drake football is seeking its third straight win and a 3-0 start to Pioneer Football League play with a road trip to Valparaiso on Saturday. The Bulldogs are set to link up with the Beacons at 1 p.m. in The Region.
 
Bulldog Breakdown
The Bulldogs picked up their second win of the season, and second in PFL play, with a 30-22 home defeat of Dayton. It was Drake's second straight win over Dayton after the Flyers won three consecutive meetings from 2019-22. Drake's win over Dayton also marked the fourth straight year that the Bulldogs have opened Pioneer Football League play with two wins.

True freshman defensive back Dax Wiskur was recently named PFL Freshman of the Week. Wiskur led Drake with 11 tackles (seven solo) and had an interception and pass breakup in a 30-22 victory against Dayton. He made a key tackle for no gain on a 3rd-and-goal at the Drake 1-yard line, haltime a Dayton drive that ended on a turnover on downs to start the second quarter. Wiskur closed that second quarter with his first collegiate interception, stopping another Dayton drive at the Drake 10-yard line.
 
Star quarterback Riley Warzynski leads all of the FCS with 349.2 passing yards per game. Drake currently leads the Pioneer Football League in total offense and passing offense.

Key Players
Riley Warzynski | 150-250, 60%, 1746 yds, 12 TD, 5 INT
Willis Nofsinger | 29 rec, 429 yds, 3 TD
Mitchell January | 24 rec, 292 yds, 2 TD
Kavaughn Clark | 26 car, 141 yds, 2 TD
J.R. Flood | 50 tck, 20 solo, 1.5 TFL
Tyson Shivers | 13 tck, 8 solo, 2.0 TFL, 2.0 sacks, QBH, FF, FR

Scouting Valparaiso
Valparaiso has already matched its 2025 win total with two victories to start the 2026 campaign. The Beacons beat Lawrence Tech 59-3 in their opener and most recently took down Morehead State on the road 37-3. Those two wins bookended three Ls for Valpo's 2-3 record.
 
This weekend's meeting will be the 35th all-time meeting between Drake and Valpo. The Bulldogs lead the all-time series by a 29-5 margin. Valpo is seeking its first win over Drake since 2021.
 
Valparaiso is led by head coach Andy Waddle in his second year as a Beacon. Waddle has led Valpo to a 4-13 record in his two years after 12 previous years at Marietta. He has a 59-74 career record.
 
Key Players
Rowan Keefe | 89-137, 65%, 905 yds, 8 TD, 2 INT
Chris Gundy | 18 rec, 225 yds, TD
Marty O'Keeffe | 11 rec, 173 yds, TD
Cedric Benning III | 40 car, 163 yds, 2 TD
Max Samuel | 35 tck, 16 solo, 11.5 TFL, 4.5 sck, 6 QBH, INT
Anthony Feltrinelli | 33 tck, 17 solo, 0.5 TFL, QBH

Up Next
Drake will return home for an Oct. 17 date with the Red Foxes of Marist. The Bulldogs' matchup with Marist will kick off at noon.