2023 Drake Bulldogs football team
American college football season
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The 2023 Drake Bulldogs football team represented Drake University as a member of the Pioneer Football League (PFL) during the 2023 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Bulldogs were led by fifth-year head coach Todd Stepsis and played home games at Drake Stadium in Des Moines, Iowa.
ConferencePioneer Football League
Record8–4 (8–0 PFL)
Headcoach
- Todd Stepsis (5th season)
DefensivecoordinatorAllen Smith (5th season)
| 2023 Drake Bulldogs football | |
|---|---|
![](#/media/File:Drake_Bulldogs_"D"_logo.svg){kind=logo} | |
PFL champion | |
NCAA Division I First Round, L 3–66 at North Dakota State | |
| Conference | Pioneer Football League |
| Record | 8–4 (8–0 PFL) |
| Head coach |
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| Defensive coordinator | Allen Smith (5th season) |
| Home stadium | Drake Stadium |
| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | W | L | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Drake $^ | 8 | – | 0 | 8 | – | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| St. Thomas (MN) * | 7 | – | 1 | 8 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Davidson | 6 | – | 2 | 7 | – | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Butler | 5 | – | 3 | 7 | – | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Marist | 4 | – | 4 | 4 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| San Diego | 4 | – | 4 | 4 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Morehead State | 3 | – | 5 | 4 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Presbyterian | 2 | – | 6 | 4 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Valparaiso | 2 | – | 6 | 3 | – | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Dayton | 2 | – | 6 | 4 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stetson | 1 | – | 7 | 3 | – | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Schedule
| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 2 | 3:00 p.m. | at No. 17 North Dakota* | ESPN+ | L 7–55 | 8,503 | |
| September 9 | 6:00 p.m. | No. 1 (NAIA) Northwestern (IA)* | ESPN+ | L 24–27 OT | 3,526 | |
| September 16 | 2:30 p.m. | vs. No. 1 South Dakota State* | ESPN+ | L 7–70 | 18,174 | |
| September 30 | 1:00 p.m. | at Morehead State | ESPN+ | W 16–9 | 6,876 | |
| October 7 | 1:00 p.m. | Valparaiso |
| ESPN+ | W 20–14 | 3,075 |
| October 14 | 12:00 p.m. | St. Thomas (MN) |
| ESPN+ | W 52–21 | 1,902 |
| October 21 | 4:00 p.m. | at San Diego | ESPN+ | W 25–20 | 791 | |
| October 28 | 12:00 p.m. | Stetson |
| ESPN+ | W 33–7 | 1,625 |
| November 4 | 11:00 a.m. | at Marist | ESPN+ | W 10–3 | 1,594 | |
| November 11 | 1:00 p.m. | Presbyterian |
| ESPN+ | W 16–14 | 2,278 |
| November 18 | 11:00 a.m. | at Butler | FloSports | W 13–9 | 2,788 | |
| November 25 | 2:30 p.m. | at No. 8 North Dakota State* |
| ESPN+ | L 3–66 | 7,798 |
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Game summaries
At No. 17 North Dakota
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bulldogs | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
| No. 17 Fighting Hawks | 0 | 14 | 27 | 14 | 55 |
Northwestern (IA)
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Red Raiders | 3 | 7 | 3 | 8 | 6 | 27 |
| Bulldogs | 0 | 14 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 24 |
vs. No. 1 South Dakota State
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bulldogs | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| No. 1 Jackrabbits | 14 | 21 | 21 | 14 | 70 |
At Morehead State
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bulldogs | 7 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 16 |
| Eagles | 0 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 9 |
Valparaiso
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beacons | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 14 |
| Bulldogs | 7 | 3 | 7 | 3 | 20 |
St. Thomas
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tommies | 7 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 21 |
| Bulldogs | 7 | 17 | 21 | 7 | 52 |
at San Diego
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bulldogs | 3 | 6 | 10 | 6 | 25 |
| Torreros | 0 | 7 | 3 | 10 | 20 |
Stetson
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hatters | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Bulldogs | 3 | 10 | 7 | 13 | 33 |
at Marist
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bulldogs | 0 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 10 |
| Red Foxes | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
Presbyterian
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Hose | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
| Bulldogs | 7 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 16 |
at Butler
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DU Bulldogs | 0 | 7 | 0 | 6 | 13 |
| BU Bulldogs | 3 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 9 |
at No. 8 North Dakota State (NCAA Division I playoff–first round)
No. 8 North Dakota State Bison (8–3) vs. Drake Bulldogs (8–3)
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bulldogs | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| No. 8 Bison | 14 | 21 | 10 | 21 | 66 |
- Date: November 25, 2023
- Game time: 2:30 p.m. (CT)
- Game weather: Indoors; 70 °F (21 °C)
- Game attendance: 7,798
- Referee: Brad Carrell
- TV announcers (ESPN+): Noah Reed (play-by-play) and Charles Arbuckle (analyst)
| Statistics | Drake | North Dakota State |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | 12 | 27 |
| Plays–yards | 56–177 | 64–547 |
| Rushes–yards | 31–61 | 51–318 |
| Passing yards | 116 | 229 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 14–25–2 | 12–13–0 |
| Time of possession | 26:24 | 33:36 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drake | Passing | Luke Bailey | 13/24, 111 yds, 2 INT |
| Rushing | Dorian Boyland | 9 car, 67 yds | |
| Receiving | Trey Radocha | 4 rec, 41 yds | |
| North Dakota State | Passing | Cam Miller | 10/11, 206 yds, 2 TD |
| Rushing | Cole Payton | 13 car, 104 yds, 2 TD | |
| Receiving | Eli Green | 3 rec, 91 yds, TD |
| Scoring summary | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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