Drake football coach Chris Creighton says the bid to take the next step for his team begins right now. The Bulldogs have been close but have come up short the past two years in their bid to win a Pioneer Football League title. He says they are close in a lot of areas and they have focused on finishing things in their offseason drills.

Creighton believes the off-season holds the key to the Bulldogs title hopes, as he says the team can see they are close and need to do a few more things to close the gap and win. Creighton says the commitment level in the summer needed to be addressed and the team is hungry to find a way to be on top.

With 17 starters back from last season hopes are high for 2011. Creighton says with a new coordinator and a different defense, they need the players to learn the defense in the spring to be able to execute in the fall.

Drake’s spring game is April 23rd.