DAVIDSON, N.C. – Drake University football was victorious for the first time this season as the Bulldogs went on the road to start Pioneer Football League play. Drake's offense looked surgical, and its defense stout, to earn the first W of the Matt Walker era.
Drake's defense was on the field first as Davidson won the toss and elected to receive. The Wildcats' standout quarterback Casey Bullock, who was recently named PFL Offensive Player of the Week, led a swift drive down the field for a score. Bullock picked up a big gain on the ground after
J.R. Flood made a 5-yard tackle-for-loss, setting up 31-yard scoring pass to AJ Adams.
The Bulldogs (1-3) then got their turn on offense, putting together a methodical drive of their own. Eventually, knocking on the goal line's door, a couple Bulldog infractions forced them back, but quarterback
Riley Warzynski concocted some magic. The first-year Bulldog scrambled around and found a wide-open
Willis Nofsinger in the corner of the endzone for six, tying the contest at 7-7.
On Davidson's next possession, Bullock tried to keep pace with Drake's up-tempo air attack, but threw it right to
Garrison Codde, who was in perfect defensive position. Codde's interception, his first of the year, led to another Bulldog score as running back
Cody Blicharz bulldozed his way across the goal line for six more Drake tallies.
Drake's defensive unit returned to the gridiron fully charged and forced a Davidson (2-3) punt, which allowed Warzynski and the offense to maintain their rhythm. The Dogs were able to extend their lead just before the finish of the first period as Warzynski and Nofsinger linked up again. The sophomore wideout hauled one in over the middle and broke a few tackles on a nearly 30-yard catch-and-run for his second touchdown of the afternoon.
The Bulldogs took their 21-7 lead into the first quarter break.
The host Wildcats had the rock to start the second quarter, but Drake's defense forced them to go three-and-out. The Bulldogs were able to keep their foot on the gas on the ensuing trip, finishing another scoring drive on the ground as
Kavaughn Clark trotted in from four yards.
Davidson eventually got back on track to put a pause to the Dogs' run. Bullock connected with tight end Caden Glenn who dove and kept his feet in for the score.
Griffin Kollhoff answered on Drake's next drive as the Wildcats slowed the visitors down enough for force a kick. Kollhoff split the uprights from 42 yards away to make it 31-14 in Drake's favor, which held until the half.
Warzynski totaled nearly 300 passing yards in the first half and continued to dice Davidson up in the final two periods. He finished with 371 yards, which resulted in three passing touchdowns.
Another of those throwing scores came on the first drive of the second half as Drake got the ball out of the break. The Dogs went 86 yards in 13 plays as Warzynski dropped a dime to transfer receiver
Aidan Garcia for his first Bulldog touchdown.
Davidson was able to keep scoring on their side of the field, but not as much as Drake as the Bulldogs ran two more in later in the second half. Reserve running back
Adrien Robbins sliced through the Davidson D for a 62-yard score while
Chase Spellman sprinted home from 45 yards away.
Drake eventually fired off its first punt by
Sam Bruno with roughly 12 and a half minutes remaining in the contest, but his kick was virtually insignificant as the Bulldogs secured their first win of the Matt Walker era by a 51-32 margin.
"I wish [our first win] happened sooner," Walker said, "But we've known that our group is special. Our guys hung in there the last couple weeks, and we have some real leaders. Just needed some snaps to get coordinated and stars aligned today. It's hard to win games in this league and with our non-conference schedule…so proud we got it done today. I'm thrilled for our players, no one wants the start we had, but it's just so satisfying to see it all come together."
Spellman led Drake's rushing attack its best effort of the season. Spellman had 91 yards to his credit and was one of four backs to score on the ground. The Drake offense was also bolstered by a deep receiving corps paced by 127 yards and two TDs via
Willis Nofsinger.
Dax Wiskur and
Tommy Williams anchored Drake's defensive unit with nine tackles and eight tackles, respectively.
The Bulldogs will return to home looking to establish a winning streak as PFL play continues. Drake is set to host Dayton on Oct. 3 for the Bulldogs' annual Family Weekend game. Kickoff is slated for noon inside Drake Stadium.
