Defending Pioneer Football League champion and preseason favorite Drake played the role of spoiler during Saturday's Homecoming festivities at Brown Field as the Bulldogs defeated the Valparaiso University football team 27-3. A 22-yard field goal by Ryan Hawk (Columbus, Ohio / Bishop Hartley) accounted for the Valpo scoring.
 
How It Happened

• Both teams went three-and-out on their first drives of the day, but the Drake punt was muffed by the Beacons and recovered in the end zone for a Drake touchdown.
• Punter Sam Johnson (Birmingham, Ala. / Oak Mountain [Jackson State / Alabama]) delivered 51-yard boots to wrap up each of Valpo's first two offensive possessions. Drake's second drive finished with Blake Ellingston's 5-yard pass to Mitchell January to take a 14-0 lead.
• The Bulldogs added to the lead early in the second quarter when Shane Dunning's 38-yard field goal made it 17-0.
• After Johnson continued a big day with another booming punt, Drake had a drive end with a missed field goal from 35 yards that hit the left upright. The next Drake drive also resulted in a missed field goal from 35, this time thanks to Onye Nwosisi (Indianapolis, Ind. / Cardinal Ridge [Muskingum]) blocking the kick.
• The two teams then exchanged interceptions, with Valpo's coming in the end zone by Nic Lendino (Naperville, Ill. / Neuqua Valley) to snuff out another Drake red zone trip, the third straight time Valpo had turned away a promising Drake drive with no points. That helped keep the deficit at 17 going into halftime.
• A big sack on third-and-11 by Nwosisi and Hayden Bedell (Orland Park, Ill. / Carl Sandburg) helped Valpo force a punt on Drake's opening drive of the half. Valpo's first drive of the half featured a 17-yard catch by Gary Givens (Tampa, Fla. / Jesuit) on a pass from Caron Tyler (Temecula, Calif. / Chaparral), but the Bulldogs got a sack on third down to force another Johnson punt.
• The Valpo defense created another three-and-out, and after a short Drake punt Valpo took over at the Drake 38. That drive resulted in the first points of the day for the home team as Hawk sent a 22-yard field goal through the uprights to make it 17-3.
• Drake added a 45-yard field goal by Dunning with 11:22 left in the fourth quarter to extend the lead to 20-3.
• Drake added another score on a 21-yard run by Davion Cherwin with 6:02 remaining to account for the final.

Inside the Game

• Hawk improved to 8-for-11 on field goal tries this season and 12-for-18 in his collegiate career.
• Johnson averaged 50.6 yards per punt on seven punts, with four of the seven traveling 50+ yards. He drilled a long of 57.
• The blocked field goal by Nwosisi was his first career block. It marked the first time Valpo blocked a field-goal try since Nathan Orlandini on Oct. 30, 2021 at San Diego. Nwosisi also had 1.5 tackles for loss including a half a sack on Saturday.
• Redshirt junior Hayden Bedell (Orland Park, Ill. / Carl Sandburg) represented a Beacon bright spot with a career-high seven tackles including five solos.
• Sixth-year Marquette Harris (Woodbridge, Va. / Wise [Bowling Green]) had five tackles including 1.5 tackles for loss.
• Lendino's interception was his second of the season and the second of his collegiate career.
• The Beacons were outgained 356-80 including a 128 to minus-4 disparity in rushing yards that was impacted by Drake's six sacks for 40 yards.
• Drake picked up its 13^th straight Pioneer Football League victory, the third-longest conference-only winning streak nationally in FCS. In fact, only three teams in the country (FBS or FCS) have longer league-only winning streaks – Michigan, South Dakota State and Florida A&M.

Postgame Press Conference - Click Here

Up Next
Valpo (2-4, 0-2 PFL) will visit Stetson next week for a noon CT kickoff in DeLand, Fla. The game will air on ESPN+.