The Drake Bulldogs open the Pioneer Football League race at home this weekend against Valparaiso. Drake is 3-1 after a loss to UNI and coach Steve Loney says a challenging pre conference slate has the ready for the league race.
Loney says they’ve probably had the toughest schedule of anyone in the conference, which has left them banged up, but he says they know they’ve played good competition.
Loney says the league race is the most important part of the schedule, and that’s what they’ve been getting ready for from the start. He says the early games have allowed them to experiment and get ready for the conference.
Valparaiso is 3-1 and the ground game tells the story. The Crusaders average 234 yards of rushing while yielding an average of only 36. He says they’re second nationally in stopping the run, so it will be a challenge for Drake.
The Drake defense will need to slow down Valparaiso’s option attack. Loney says they have a good runningback and quarterback who can both run.