Des Moines, Iowa — The Stetson Hatters found the running, and passing, to be very difficult on Saturday afternoon at Drake Stadium as the host Bulldogs defeated Stetson 41-3 in the Pioneer Football League opener for both teams.
The Hatters slip to 1-2 overall and 0-1 in league play with the loss while Drake improved to 2-2 overall and 1-0 in the conference.
Without junior Cole Mazza available for the game, the Hatters struggled to get their ground game going. In fact, once 56 yards in losses were factored in, thanks to seven sacks, Stetson finished with zero yards on the ground. Stetson did pass for 178 yards in the game.
The Bulldogs made up for the fact that starting quarterback Andy Rice was not available by rushing for 251 yards. Backup QB Cody Thibault held his own passing the ball, completing 16-of-33 passes for 235 yards and three scores, all despite throwing three interceptions, all in the first half. Drake finished the day with 511 yards of total offense plus another 168 return yards.
The offensive star for Drake was junior running back Conley Wilkins, who rushed for 152 yards on 13 carries and had a 100-yard kickoff return.
After a scoreless first quarter, Drake got on the board first on a 22-yard Josh Lee field goal with 12:13 left in the half.
Following an exchange of punts, Stetson freshman Brice Ford fumbled on his return of the Bulldogs' kick, giving Drake the ball at the Stetson 25. It took the Bulldogs just three plays to find the end zone for the first time, scoring on an 11-yard pass from Cody Thibault to Lee Snell with 8:28 remaining in the half.
The Hatters recorded the second of three first half interceptions, all by Eric Martin, this one off a deflection by Donald Payne, to get the ball back. Stetson then got on the board on a 36-yard field goal by James LaGamma.
The momentum from those points didn't last long, however. Drake Conley Wilkins, who had 115 yards rushing in the first half, returned the ensuing kickoff 100 yards for a Bulldogs touchdown. The PAT made in 17-3.
The Hatters made sure it stayed there when Martin recorded his second pick of the quarter on a “Hail Mary” attempt at the end of the half. The three picks by Martin were the first of his career and set a new Stetson record for interceptions in a game.
Stetson managed just 52 yards of total offense in the first half and the Hatters were 0-of-8 on third down conversions.
Drake pushed its advantage to 24-3 on the first possession of the second half, going 80 yards in seven plays. The key to the drive was a 25-yard run by Wilkins to convert on third and 17. Thibault connected with Zach Zlabis on each of the next two plays, one for a 37-yard gain and the second for a 12-yard touchdown.
Drake put together one of its patented drives late in the third quarter, using 18 plays to cover 79 yards and use 5:31 off the clock before taking a 33-yard field goal from Lee to push its lead to 27-3.
Drake tacked on a pair of scores in the fourth quarter to account for the final margin. The first was a 55-yard TD pass from Thibault to A.J. Spitz, who tipped the ball to himself before racing down the sideline. The final score came with 3:49 to play when third string QB Andrew Clifford connected with Connor Ostrander for a 7-yard TD pass.
Defensively, the Hatters were led by linebacker Dylan Wydronkowski, who had 12 tackles including 2.5 for loss. John Hugunin led Drake with 10 tackles in the game.
The Hatters will return to Spec Martin Memorial Stadium next Saturday for the first time in a month when Stetson hosts Dayton in a PFL tilt. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.
