Drake Athletics Communications
MOREHEAD, Ky. – Drake football featured a new man under center on Saturday as rookie Braylon Wilson led the Dogs to a high-scoring road win at Morehead State.
The Eagles got the scoring started on their first trip after Drake turned it over on downs on the opening possession. Morehead State covered 70 yards in six plays for a score as Blake Fisher ran up the middle and broke through the Bulldog defense for a 24-yard touchdown, giving the hosts an early advantage.
Drake evened the tally at 7-all when true freshman Wilson, who was making his first career start in lieu of an injured Riley Warzynski, found Kavaughn Clark on a swing route out of the backfield. Clark eluded several would-be tacklers on his way to the endzone for a 54-yard catch-and-run touchdown.
The two teams then traded turnovers as Trenton Radloff sacked Bryce Patterson and forced a fumble, which was smothered by Brady Shuss. The miscue gave Drake a good chance to grab its first lead, but Wilson was hit by a rushing Eagle defender on a 3rd-and-21 try, forcing an errant toss that was picked off by Blake Surratt.
Drake turned Morehead State over on downs again before the first quarter clock expired, but the two teams were deadlocked at 7 apiece after the first 15 minutes.
The Bulldogs sapped over seven minutes of game clock on the first possession of the second quarter, traveling 83 yards into Eagles’ territory. However, the marathon march stalled in the redzone, allowing Griffin Kollhoff to trot on and drill a 33-yard field goal, nudging the Dogs in front by a 10-7 margin.
Two Eagle punts allowed Drake to score again before the break as Wilson slammed through the line from five yards out for his first career rushing touchdown. The Dogs took their 17-7 lead into the half.
Drake’s double-digit lead did not last long after the second half commenced. Morehead State moved the ball onto Drake’s side of the turf and faced a crucial 3rd-and-17 from the Bulldogs’ 28-yard line. Patterson stepped up and fired over the middle, finding Anthony Ice in the endzone, slashing the margin to just three points.
Drake’s first drive of the second half was over in a snap as Morehead State forced another three-and-out. The Eagles received the punt and put together another scoring trek. MSU went 80 yards in eight plays and retook the lead with another Patterson-to-Ice connection.
Morehead State added to its lead shortly after the fourth quarter began when Patterson continued his prolific passing day on a 15-yard connection with Cannon Dinger. Drake answered on its next drive when Wilson barreled in for another short rushing TD. The rookie QB linked up with Mitchell January on a successful 2-point try, trimming the MSU advantage to within a field goal.
The Eagles again retaliated, though, as Patterson again found Ice for a 52-yard pitch-and-run to paydirt. Morehead State led 35-25 with just over five minutes remaining in the contest.
Drake kept pace with the hosts as both offenses took control late. Wilson lofted a fade route to Kentucky native Willis Nofsinger. The Bulldogs’ leading receiver hauled in the ball and tucked inside the pylon for six, maintaining striking distance for the Dogs.
The Bulldog D forced a punt, and a Hank Foley return set Drake up in solid field position. Drake picked up a couple first downs but found themselves in a do-or-die fourth down spot. Wilson pass fell incomplete, but a roughing the passer call kept the drive alive. Kavaughn Clark eventually ripped off two straight runs of 13 yards and four yards, the second of which crossed the goal line to lift Drake back in front.
Morehead had one more opportunity to continue its second half flurry and send the Bulldogs home with a defeat. The Eagles picked up 40 yards on their first play of the drive and went on to convert two more first downs to get onto Drake’s half of the gridiron.
With just three seconds on the clock, and the ball sitting on the Bulldogs’ 46-yard line, Devyn Davis tracked down Patterson for a sack, jarring the ball loose on the play. Tyson Shivers scooped up the pigskin and toted it 38 yards into the endzone to put an exclamation point on Drake’s 45-35 win.
True freshman Braylon Wilson had a stellar showing in his first career start. The Nevada native threw for 250 yards on 18-for-33 passing with two touchdowns through the air. He also led Drake in rushing with 29 carries for 107 yards and two more TDs.
Kavaughn Clark added another spark to the Drake offense with two catches for 62 yards and a TD plus seven carries for 22 yards and another score.
Defensively, Dax Wiskur and Tyson Shivers led the Bulldogs with 11 tackles each. Shivers added two sacks and three tackles for loss, plus a fumble recovery for a touchdown.
Drake will return to DSM next weekend for its final 2026 home contest. The Bulldogs are set to host San Diego at noon on Saturday, Nov. 7.
