2024 Drake Bulldogs football team

2024 Drake Bulldogs football
2024 Drake Bulldogs football
PFL champion
NCAA Division I First Round, L 29–43 at Tarleton State
Conference	Pioneer Football League
Record	8–3 (7–1 PFL)
Head coach	Todd Stepsis (6th season);
Co-offensive coordinators	Adam Gajo (4th season); Nate Thompson (3rd season);
Defensive coordinator	Allen Smith (6th season)
Home stadium	Drake Stadium
	Seasons ← 2023 2025 →

Last updated August 13, 2025

2024 Pioneer Football League standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
Drake $^	7	–	1	8	–	3
San Diego	6	–	2	8	–	3
Butler	5	–	3	9	–	3
Morehead State	5	–	3	7	–	5
St. Thomas (MN)*	5	–	3	6	–	6
Dayton	4	–	4	6	–	5
Davidson	4	–	4	6	–	5
Presbyterian	4	–	4	6	–	6
Valparaiso	2	–	5	4	–	7
Marist	1	–	7	1	–	10
Stetson	0	–	7	2	–	9

$ – Conference champion ^ – FCS playoff participant * – St. Thomas (MN) ineligible for FCS postseason play due to transition from NCAA Division III Rankings from STATS Poll

The 2024 Drake Bulldogs football team represented Drake University as a member of the Pioneer Football League (PFL) during the 2024 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Bulldogs were led by sixth-year head coach Todd Stepsis and played their home games at Drake Stadium in Des Moines, Iowa.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Source
August 29	6:30 pm	Quincy (IL) *	Drake Stadium Des Moines, IA	ESPN+	No contest		^[1]
September 7	6:00 p.m.	at Eastern Washington *	Roos Field Cheney, WA	ESPN+	W 35–32 ^OT	4,378
September 21	1:00 pm	at No. 6 South Dakota *	DakotaDome Vermillion, SD	ESPN+	L 3–42	6,529
September 28	12:00 pm	San Diego	Drake Stadium Des Moines, IA	ESPN+	W 30–28	4,568
October 5	12:00 pm	at Valparaiso	Brown Field Valparaiso, IN	ESPN+	W 27–3	2,577
October 12	1:00 p.m.	Butler	Drake Stadium Des Moines, IA	ESPN+	W 27–17	2,571
October 19	12:00 pm	at Presbyterian	Bailey Memorial Stadium Clinton, SC	ESPN+	W 19–16 ^OT	2,515
November 2	1:00 p.m.	Marist	Drake Stadium Des Moines, IA	ESPN+	W 19–0	2,636
November 9	1:00 pm	at St. Thomas (MN)	O'Shaughnessy Stadium Saint Paul, MN	ESPN+	W 22–19	5,370
November 16	1:00 p.m.	Morehead State	Drake Stadium Des Moines, IA	ESPN+	L 20–29	2,976
November 23	12:00 pm	at Stetson	Spec Martin Stadium DeLand, FL	ESPN+	W 49–10	1,244
November 30	2:00 pm	at No. 14 Tarleton State *	Memorial Stadium Stephenville, TX (NCAA Division I First Round)	ESPN+	L 29–43	3,583
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from STATS Poll released prior to the game All times are in Central time

^[2]^[3]

Game summaries

at Eastern Washington

Game One – Drake Bulldogs (0–0) at Eastern Washington Eagles (1–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	OT	Total
Bulldogs	0	13	7	9	6	35
Eagles	7	7	7	8	3	32

at Roos Field • Cheney, WA

Date: Saturday September 7, 2024
Game time: 6:00 PM CST
Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 94 °F (34 °C) • Wind: N at 5 miles per hour (8.0 km/h)
Game attendance: 4,378
Referee: Jim Crowley
TV announcers (ESPN+): Austin Getz (play-by-play) and Adam Shackleford (analyst)

Game information

First quarter

9:13 EWU – Tuna Altahir 1-yard run (Soren McKee kick) (Drive: 13 plays, 75 yards, 5:47; EWU 7–0)

Second quarter

12:33 Drake – Luke Woodson 1-yard run (Shane Dunning kick) (Drive: 8 plays, 86 yards, 4:06; Tied 7–7)
4:06 Drake – Shane Dunning 47-yard field goal (Drive: 6 plays, 23 yards, 2:29; Drake 10–7)
1:42 EWU – Efton Chism III 1-yard pass from Michael Wortham (Soren McKee kick) (Drive: 7 plays, 75 yards, 2:24; EWU 14–10)
0:00 Drake – Shane Dunning 44-yard field goal (Drive: 11 plays, 48 yards, 1:42; EWU 14–13)

Third quarter

13:11 Drake – Parker Olthoff 3-yard pass from Luke Bailey (Shane Dunning kick) (Drive: 3 plays, 76 yards, 1:45; Drake 20–14)
7:42 EWU – Michael Wortham 2-yard run (Soren McKee kick) (Drive: 11 plays, 83 yards, 5:25; EWU 21–20)

Fourth quarter

12:19 Drake – Darian Boyland 1-yard run (Luke Bailey pass failed) (Drive: 12 plays, 81 yards, 2:42; Drake 26–21)
7:42 EWU – Michael Wortham 6-yard run (Keikoa Visperis run) (Drive: 10 plays, 63 yards, 4:23; EWU 29–26)
4:29 Drake – Shane Dunning 41-yard field goal (Drive: 7 plays, 51 yards, 3:13; Tied 29–29)

Overtime

EWU – Soren McKee 36-yard field goal (Drive: 4 plays, 6 yards; EWU 32–29)
Drake – Trey Radocha 14-yard pass from Luke Bailey(Drive: 4 plays, 25 yards; Drake 35–32)

Statistics	DRKE	EWU
First downs	25	23
Total yards	460	385
Rushing yards	67	206
Passing yards	393	179
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	29–49–0	23–30–0
Time of possession	24:23	35:37

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Drake	Passing	Luke Bailey	28/48, 380 yards, 2 TD
	Rushing	Dorian Boyland	8 carries, 25 yards, TD
	Receiving	Mitchell January	5 receptions, 101 yards
Eastern Washington	Passing	Kekoa Visperas	21/26, 177 yards
	Rushing	Tuna Altahir	12 carries, 94 yards, TD
	Receiving	Efton Chism III	9 receptions, 65 yards, TD

at No. 6 South Dakota

Game Two – Drake Bulldogs (1–0) at No. 6 South Dakota Coyotes (1–1) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Bulldogs	0	3	0	0	3
No. 6 Coyotes	14	14	7	7	42

at DakotaDome • Vermillion, SD

Date: Saturday September 21, 2024
Game time: 1:00 PM CST
Game weather: Indoor
Game attendance: 6,529
Referee: Jason Perkins
TV announcers (ESPN+): Jay Elsen (play-by-play) and Andre Fields (analyst)

Game information

First quarter

14:47 USD – Keyondray Jones-Logan 99-yard kickoff return (Will Leyland kick) (USD 7–0)
3:51 USD – Travis Theis 25-yard run (Will Leyland kick) (Drive: 5 plays, 58 yards, 2:39; USD 14–0)

Second quarter

12:17 Drake – Shane Dunning 23-yard field goal (Drive: 6 plays, 62 yards, 1:05; USD 14–3)
8:44 USD – Carter Bell 6-yard run (Will Leyland kick) (Drive: 7 plays, 71 yards, 3:33; USD 21–3)
3:14 USD – Charles Pierre, Jr. 1-yard run (Will Leyland kick) (Drive: 7 plays, 46 yards, 3:53; USD 28–3)

Third quarter

3:14 USD – Travis Theis Jr. 4-yard run (Will Leyland kick) (Drive: 6 plays, 52 yards, 3:01; USD 35–3)

Fourth quarter

3:14 USD – Charles Pierre, Jr. 20-yard pass from Aidan Bouman (Will Leyland kick) (Drive: 9 plays, 80 yards, 5:01; USD 42–3)

Statistics	DRKE	SDAK
First downs	18	25
Total yards	211	411
Rushing yards	93	192
Passing yards	118	219
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	18–33–1	18–26–1
Time of possession	32:17	27:43

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Drake	Passing	Luke Bailey	16/29, 107 yards, INT
	Rushing	Dorian Boyland	8 carries, 51 yards
	Receiving	Trey Radocha	7 receptions, 56 yards
South Dakota	Passing	Aidan Bouman	18/24, 219 yards, TD
	Rushing	Travis Theis	9 carries, 94 yards, 2 TD
	Receiving	Carter Bell	4 receptions, 56 yards

San Diego

Game Three – San Diego Toreros (2–1) at Drake Bulldogs (1–1) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Toreros	6	3	0	19	28
Bulldogs	3	10	7	10	30

at Drake Stadium • Des Moines, Iowa

Date: Saturday, September 28, 2024
Game time: 12:00 PM CST
Game weather: 78 °F (26 °C)
Game attendance: 4,568
Referee: Jason Berg
TV announcers (ESPN+): Chuck Reed (play-by-play) and Craig Wederquist (analyst)

Game information

First quarter

10:31 USD – Josh Heverly 17-yard pass from Grant Sergent (Aidan Lehman kick blocked) (Drive: 7 plays, 76 yards, 4:24; USD 6–0)
7:03 Drake – Shane Dunning 23-yard field goal (Drive: 7 plays, 46 yards, 3:16; USD 6–3)

Second quarter

12:17 USD – Aidan Lehman 30-yard field goal (Drive: 13 plays, 82 yards, 5:28; USD 9–3)
6:58 Drake – Shane Dunning 42-yard field goal (Drive: 3 plays, 16 yards, 0:39; USD 9–6)
0:52 Drake – Trey Radocha 3-yard pass from Luke Bailey (Shane Dunning kick) (Drive: 9 plays, 51 yards, 4:50; Drake 13–9)

Third quarter

2:24 Drake – Blake Ellingson 41-yard run (Shane Dunnings kick) (Drive: 5 plays, 60 yards, 2:45; Drake 20–9)

Fourth quarter

12:53 Drake – Mitchell January 36-yard pass from Luke Bailey (Shane Dunning kick) (Drive: 1 play, 36 yards, 0:09; Drake 27–9)
11:30 USD – Logan Ginng 2-yard run (Grant Sergent pass) (Drive: 5 plays, 54 yards, 1:23; Drake 27–17)
6:34 USD – Aidan Lehman 26-yard field goal (Drive: 7 plays, 71 yards, 2:38; Drake 27–20)
6:24 USD – Safety, Drake penalty in end zone (Drake 27–22)
1:55 USD – Peyton Smith 5-yard pass from Grant Sergent (Grant Sergent pass failed) (Drive: 7 plays, 71 yards, 2:38; USD 28–27)
0:00 Drake – Shane Dunning 48-yard field goal (Drive: 8 plays, 62 yards, 0:44; Drake 30–28)

Statistics	USD	DRKE
First downs	23	16
Total yards	390	354
Rushing yards	98	91
Passing yards	292	263
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	25–40–1	29–49–0
Time of possession	33:45	26:15

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
San Diego	Passing	Grant Sergent	25/40, 292 yards, 2 TD, INT
	Rushing	Isaiah Smith	6 carries, 33 yards
	Receiving	Cole Monach	8 receptions, 122 yards
Drake	Passing	Luke Bailey	29/49, 263 yards, 2 TD
	Rushing	Blake Ellingson	4 carries, 69 yards, TD
	Receiving	Mitchell January	9 receptions, 121 yards, TD

at Valparaiso

Game Four – Drake Bulldogs (2–1) at Valparaiso Beacons (3–2) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Bulldogs	10	3	0	14	27
Beacons	0	0	3	0	3

at Brown Field • Valparaiso, Indiana

Date: Saturday, October 5, 2024
Game time: 12:00 PM CST
Game weather: 74 °F (23 °C)
Game attendance: 2,577
Referee: John Shay
TV announcers (ESPN+): Chuck Reed (play-by-play) and Craig Wederquist (analyst)

Game information

First quarter

10:31 Drake – Joe Frommelt recovered fumble in end zone (Shane Dunning kick) (Drake 7–0)
6:11 Drake – Mitchell January 5-yard pass from Blake Ellingson (Shane Dunning kick) (Drive: 6 plays, 69 yards, 3:09;Drake 14–0)

Second quarter

14:03 Drake – Shane Dunning 38-yard field goal (Drive: 8 plays, 40 yards, 3:24; Drake 17–0)

Third quarter

2:24 Valpo – Ryan Hawk 22-yard field goal (Drive: 9 plays, 33 yards, 3:48; Drake 17–3)

Fourth quarter

11:22 Drake – Shane Dunning 45-yard field goal (Drive: 10 plays, 47 yards, 5:28; Drake 20–3)
6:02 Drake – Dairon Cherwin 21-yard run (Shane Dunning kick) (Drive: 8 plays, 77 yards, 4:23; Drake 27–3)

Statistics	DRKE	VAL
First downs	17	10
Total yards	390	80
Rushing yards	128	–4
Passing yards	228	84
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	19–29–1	11–22–1
Time of possession	31:42	28:18

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Drake	Passing	Luke Bailey	17/26, 224 yards, INT
	Rushing	Davion Cherwin	10 carries, 72 yards, TD
	Receiving	Sam Rodriguez	3 receptions, 65 yards
Valparaiso	Passing	Caron Tyler	11/21, 84 yards, INT
	Rushing	Ryan Mann	12 carries, 25 yards
	Receiving	Gary Givens III	2 receptions, 23 yards

Butler

Game Five – Butler Bulldogs (5–0) at Drake Bulldogs (3–1) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Butler	0	6	3	8	17
Drake	0	3	10	14	27

at Drake Stadium • Des Moines, Iowa

Date: Saturday October 12, 2024
Game time: 1:00 p.m. CST
Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 75 °F (24 °C) • Wind: N at 8 miles per hour (13 km/h)
Game attendance: 2,571
Referee: Jason Perkins
TV announcers (ESPN+): Michael Admire (play-by-play)

Game information

First quarter

No scoring plays

Second quarter

(12:08) DU – Shane Dunning 34-yard field goal (Drive: 14 plays, 46 yards, 5:57; Drake 3–0)
(0:47) BUT – Reagan Andrew 4-yard run (Drive: 14 plays, 89 yards, 5:22; Butler 6–3)

Third quarter

(8:55) DU – Shane Dunning 44-yard field goal (Drive: 11 plays, 48 yards, 6:05; Tied 6–6)
(4:13) DU – Taj Hughes 38-yard pass from Luke Bailey, Shane Dunning kick (Drive: 6 plays, 73 yards, 3:36; Drake 13–6)
(0:03) BUT – Ryan Short 39-yard field goal (Drive: 9 plays, 60 yards, 4:02; Drake 13–9)

Fourth quarter

(9:48) DU – Blake Ellingson 1-yard run, Shane Dunning kick (Drive: 10 plays, 75 yards, 5:15; Drake 20–9)
(8:44) DU – Davion Cherwin 32-yard run, Shane Dunning kick (Drive: 2 plays, 32 yards, 0:16; Drake 27–9)
(4:54) BUT – Joey Suchy 2-yard run, Ethan Loss pass (Drive: 11 plays, 75 yards, 3:50; Drake 27–17)

Statistics	BUT	DRKE
First downs	28	19
Total yards	333	314
Rushing yards	119	99
Passing yards	214	215
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	25–38–2	18–28–1
Time of possession	29:21	30:39

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Butler	Passing	Andrew Reagan	22/32, 174 yards, 2 INT
	Rushing	Andrew Reagan	18 carries, 81 yards, TD
	Receiving	Ethan Loss	8 receptions, 86 yards
Drake	Passing	Luke Bailey	16/25, 213 yards, TD, INT
	Rushing	Davion Cherwin	7 carries, 55 yards, TD
	Receiving	Taj Hughes	7 receptions, 127 yards, TD

at Presbyterian

Game Six – Drake Bulldogs (4–1) at Presbyterian Blue Hose (2–5) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	OT	Total
Bulldogs	0	10	0	3	6	19
Blue Hose	6	7	0	0	3	16

at Bailey Memorial Stadium • Clinton, South Carolina

Date: Saturday October 19, 2024
Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
Game weather: Sunny, 67 °F (19 °C) • Wind: NE at 6 miles per hour (9.7 km/h)
Game attendance: 2,515
Referee: Brian Hilpisch
TV: ESPN+

Game information

First quarter

(0:48) PC – Justin Montgomery 2-yard run (kick failed) (Drive: 4 plays, 91 yards, 1:34; PC 6–0)

Second quarter

(11:33) Drake – Taj Hughes 25-yard run (Shane Dunning kick) (Drive: 7 plays, 68 yards, 4:09; Drake 7–6)
(5:02) PC – Nigel Brown 1 yard pass from Collin Hurst (Peter Lipscombe kick) (Drive: 5 plays, 50 yards, 1:44; PC 13–7)
(11:33) Drake – Shane Dunning 36-yard field goal (Drive: 11 plays, 56 yards, 4:54; PC 13–10)

Third quarter

No scoring plays

Fourth quarter

(4:17) Drake – Shane Dunning 37-yard field goal (Drive: 10 plays, 71 yards, 4:48; Tied 13–13)

Overtime

PC – Jett Jackson 42-yard field goal (Drive: 4 plays, 0 yards; PC 16–13)
Drake – Davion Cherwin 11-yard run (Drive: 3 plays, 25 yards; Drake 19–16)

Statistics	DRKE	PRES
First downs	22	17
Total yards	435	346
Rushing yards	60	145
Passing yards	375	201
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	30–42–2	26–35–0
Time of possession	29:56	30:04

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Drake	Passing	Luke Bailey	30/41, 375 yards, INT
	Rushing	Taj Hughes	3 carries, 34 yards, TD
	Receiving	Trey Radocha	9 receptions, 125 yards
Presbyterian	Passing	Collin Hurst	26/35, 201 yards, TD
	Rushing	Zach Switzer	7 carries, 87 yards
	Receiving	Cincere Gil	8 receptions, 75 yards

Marist

Game Seven – Marist Red Foxes (0–8) at Drake Bulldogs (5–1) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Red Foxes	0	0	0	0	0
Bulldogs	3	10	6	0	19

at Drake Stadium, Des Moines, Iowa

Date: Saturday November 2, 2024
Game time: 1:00 p.m.
Game attendance: 2,636
Referee: Gregory Gompf
TV announcers (ESPN+): Michael Admire & Jeff Woody

Game information

First quarter

(9:26) Drake – Shane Dunning 29-yard field goal (Drive: 6 plays, 13 yards, 2:29; Drake 3–0)

Second quarter

(1:21) Drake – Parker Olthoff 1-yard pass from Luke Bailey (Shane Dunning kick) (Drive: 10 plays, 76 yards, 5:15; Drake 10–0)
(0:21) Drake – Shane Dunning 31-yard field goal (Drive: 5 plays, 58 yards, 0:37; Drake 13–0)

Third quarter

(1:21) Drake – Davion Cherwin 25-yard run (kick failed) (Drive: 7 plays, 71 yards, 4:04; Drake 19–0)

Fourth quarter

Statistics	MRST	DRKE
First downs	16	16
Total yards	239	351
Rushing yards	84	135
Passing yards	155	216
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	22–38–1	20–37–1
Time of possession	32:31	27:29

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Marist	Passing	Sonny Mannino	19/33, 120 yards
	Rushing	Tristain Shannon	7 carries, 26 yards
	Receiving	Tristain Shannon	5 catches, 44 yards
Drake	Passing	Luke Bailey	18/25, 206 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
	Rushing	Luke Woodson	9 carries, 70 yards
	Receiving	Taj Hughes	5 catches, 79 yards

Morehead State

Game Nine – Morehead State Eagles (4–2) at Drake Bulldogs (7–1) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Eagles	0	0	0	0	0
Bulldogs	3	10	6	0	19

at Drake Stadium, Des Moines, Iowa

Date: Saturday November 16, 2024
Game time: 1:00 p.m.
TV announcers (ESPN+): TBD

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

at. No. 14 Tarleton State (NCAA Division I playoff–first round)

Game Eleven – Drake Bulldogs (8–2) vs No. 14 Tarleton State Texans (9–3) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Bulldogs	14	0	7	8	29
No. 14 Texans	3	19	7	14	43

at Memorial Stadium • Stephenville, TX

Date: Saturday November 30, 2024
Game time: 2:00 p.m.
TV announcers (ESPN+): Peter Sousa (play-by-play) and Dave Steckel (analyst)

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

References

↑ "Severe Weather Halts Season Opener". godrakebulldogs.com. August 29, 2024. Retrieved August 30, 2024.
↑ "2024 Drake Football Schedule". fbschedules.com. FBS Schedules. Retrieved July 2, 2024.
↑ "2024 Football Schedule". godrakebulldogs.com. Drake Athletics. Retrieved July 2, 2024.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[1] "Severe Weather Halts Season Opener". godrakebulldogs.com. August 29, 2024. Retrieved August 30, 2024.

[2] "2024 Drake Football Schedule". fbschedules.com. FBS Schedules. Retrieved July 2, 2024.

[3] "2024 Football Schedule". godrakebulldogs.com. Drake Athletics. Retrieved July 2, 2024.

[1]

[2]

[3]

v t e Drake Bulldogs football
Venues	Haskins Field / Drake Stadium (1904–1924) Drake Stadium (1925–present)
Bowls & rivalries	Bowl games Dayton Northern Iowa
Culture & lore	Drake University Marching Band Johnny Bright incident
People	Head coaches Honorees NFL draftees
Seasons	1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025

2024 Drake Bulldogs football team

Contents

Schedule

Game summaries

at Eastern Washington

at No. 6 South Dakota

San Diego

at Valparaiso

Butler

at Presbyterian

Marist

Morehead State

at. No. 14 Tarleton State (NCAA Division I playoff–first round)

References