Injuries plague Drake as second-half slip-ups snap Bulldog winning streak.
DRAKE ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS
DES MOINES – Drake University Football returned to the gridiron in a Bulldog battle against Butler on Saturday. The home Dogs got off to a fast start, but a key Drake injury allowed Butler to build momentum late and come out with the win.
Drake won the coin toss and elected to receive. Matt Walker’s top gun offense took the field at their own 25-yard line and looked to establish the run early in the game. Kavaughn Clark rushed for gains of seven and four yards, the latter being a fourth down conversion. On 3rd-and-6, Riley Warzynski threw a laser to Willis Nofsinger for a 22-yard pick-up. Two plays later, Warzynski rolled to his right connecting with Lincoln DeLaere, who got behind the defense for a 32-yard touchdown. Griffin Kolhoff’s extra point was good, giving Drake a 7-0 lead after their first drive.
Butler’s first drive began at their own 35-yard line as the kickoff went out of bounds. Drake’s defense got Butler to an early 3rd-and-8, stuffing rushes by Desmin Jackson and Sam Manna, though Butler converted when quarterback Gabe Passini hit Nick Munson for a gain of 23 yards. Munson was busy on Butler’s opening drive, as he and Passini connected to convert another 3rd-and-8 with a 14-yard reception. Two straight incompletions for Passini forced Butler to settle for three, and Beck Janki’s 25-yard attempt was good.
Drake’s offense began their second drive leading 7-3 with 4:04 before the first quarter’s end. Explosive rushes by Warzynski and Clark picked up 14 and 19 yards, respectively. Drake’s offense marched down the field, which included Warzynski firing a 19-yard pass to Kobe Lewis, which set up Kavaughn Clark to take it into the endzone from seven yards out. Kolhoff’s kick stayed true, and Drake took a 14-3.
Gabe Passini started Butler’s second drive firing a strike to Drew Sullivan for a 44-yard gain. Following the huge first down gain, Butler executed five straight runs varying between Passini and Jackson. Butler faced a 4th-and-goal from the two-yard line with a decision to make, and head coach Kevin Lynch decided to keep the offense on the field. Passini faked the handoff and found Luke Snyder in the endzone, making the game 14-10 in favor of Drake with five seconds left in the first quarter.
Drake started the second quarter on the ground as Cody Blicharz gained nine yards and two yards, consecutively, to move the chains. After Blicharz’s rush for the first down, Warzynski was sacked by Luke Green, disrupting Drake’s march and forcing the punt team to come on.
During Butler’s third drive, Michael Dellumo was featured in various ways offensively. On the ground, he rushed for gains of seven and eight yards before he took to the air. Butler used some trickery as Passini pitched the ball to Dellumo, who set his eyes downfield for Gage Goralski. The two connected for a 31-yard gain, and Dellumo capped off the drive with a rushing touchdown from two yards out. Butler took a 17-14 lead with 8:14 left in the second quarter.
After Dellumo’s score, the two teams traded three-and-outs. The scoring would not return until Drake gained possession with 1:34 until halftime. Drake’s offense utilized their aerial attack as Warzynski found connections with Blicharz, Delaere, and Mitchell January. Drake was marching down the field until Warzynski was sacked for a loss of nine yards, forcing Matt Walker to use his last timeout. Facing a 2nd-and-19, Warzynski stepped up in the pocket and ripped a throw to a diving Kobe Lewis over the middle of the field. The explosive connection picked up 29 yards, and Drake was back in business. One play after the conversion, Warzynski hit Lucci Fidone in the back of the endzone for an 11-yard touchdown. The successful two-minute drill by Drake gave them a 21-17 lead at halftime
Drake and Butler traded punts out of the half, but Butler’s second drive of the third quarter worked their way downfield. A 2nd-and-20 scramble of 37-yards by Passini, and another rush for 14 yards, had Butler in the redzone. Passini looked to finish off the drive with a touchdown pass, but Nicholas Humphries leaped up and intercepted the ball in the endzone.
After the takeaway, Drake’s offense struggled to move the ball. On 3rd-and-12, Warzynski was sacked and fumbled, giving Butler the ball at Drake’s 15-yard line. The exchange of turnovers put pressure on Drake’s defense, but they stood strong, forcing Butler to attempt a field goal. Beck Janki stepped up for a 27-yard field goal, and his kick was right down the middle. Drake’s lead was now just 21-20 with 3:34 left in the third quarter.
Drake began their drive with a six-yard rush by Warzynski, but the play would deem trouble for the remainder of the game. Slow to get up, Warzynski walked gingerly off the field and headed into the medical tent. He would not return for the remainder of the game, and Braylon Wilson came on in relief. Drake’s offense would stall after Warzynski’s exit, and they had to punt.
To begin the fourth quarter, Drake’s defense forced a punt, which was executed by Passini, on Butler’s drive. Drake’s offense struggled to find rhythm in Warzynski’s absence, and on a 4th-and-1, Kavaughn Clark was denied at Drake’s 35-yard line by the Butler defense. On the first play after the turnover, Passini connected with Luke Snyder for a 28-yard gain. The chunk play was followed by two straight runs, one of which found paydirt as Desmin Jackson crossed the goal line on a two-yard rush. Looking to make it a 28-21 game, Butler went for two, but Passini’s pass was incomplete, and the game stayed 26-21 in Butler’s favor.
Drake looked to pass beginning their next drive, but Wilson was intercepted by Kian Kelly, who took the ball down to Drake’s two-yard line. Kelly’s splash play put Butler’s offense in position to capitalize on the turnover, and they did just that. Passini rushed three yards on 2nd-and-goal to give Butler a 33-21 advantage with 7:16 left in the game.
Drake’s offense showed a sign of life when Wilson connected with Willis Nofsigner on 4th-and-6 for 23 yards. Wilson began to find rhythm, hitting Vance Hoffman for six yards and DeLaere for seven. The freshman quarterback would pick up seven yards on a scramble, setting up 3rd-and-3. But two straight incompletions resulted in a turnover-on-downs and Butler would take over. A series of runs lead Butler to victory formation, and Passini took a knee to seal the game. The Butler win snapped Drake’s 10-game winning streak in the series.
“We certainly felt better at halftime than the end of the game,” Walker said. “My heart goes out to our players. They worked so hard and did a lot of things right…that was tough. Injuries have stacked up for us this year, and that makes winning college football games even harder than it already is. We’ll continue taking shots and hanging in there and fighting.”
Butler totaled 393 yards, picking up 244 of those on the ground. Drake put up 312 yards of total offense, most of that coming from their 239 passing yards. Turnovers played an integral role in the game as Butler grabbed an interception and recovered a fumble. Nicholas Humphries’ interception represented Drake’s lone takeaway. Before exiting with an injury, Riley Warzynski went 21-17 for 200 yards and two touchdowns.
In relief, Braylon Wilson went 4-for-11 for 39 yards and one interception. Willis Nofsinger played a key role in Drake’s offense, catching three passes for 51 yards. On the defensive side of the ball, Brody Shuss, Jack Ward, and Zach Adamo each tallied one sack. Shuss also tied with Dax Wiskur for a team-leading eight tackles in the contest.
Drake will head to the Bluegrass State of Kentucky to take on another conference opponent in Morehead State (2-6) next week. The game is slated for a 12 PM kickoff on October 31.
