Drake kicks off the football season tonight

The college football season kicks off tonight for the Drake Bulldogs as they open with a visit to Illinois State. It will be a difficult test for the Bulldogs and coach Rob Ash. Ash says they’ve played four teams in the Gateway Conference the last four years and have struggled. But, Ash says it really lets the team see how prepare they are. Sophomore Connor Jostes won the job as starting quarterback and Ash says his ability to run as well as pass is a big plus. He says Jostes may be running for his life at times. Ash says in a game like this, the Bulldogs will need to limit mistakes to make it competitive. He says they found that out last year against Western Illinois when they stayed in the game until they fumbled the ball away.It is the fifth straight year Drake has played a Gateway Conference team and Ash expects that to continue. He says those games legitimize them as a one-double A team and he says it also bring money to the program.