Flyers football defense shines in 28-10 road win over Drake
The Flyers defense allowed 303 total yards, but were efficient at keeping the Bulldogs off the scoreboard on most drives. Photo courtesy of Keegan Gupta, Flyer News.
Peter Burtnett | Sports Editor
The Dayton Flyers football team flipped the script against the top defense in the Pioneer Football League with a strong defensive showing in a 28-10 win over the Drake Bulldogs on Saturday in Des Moines, Iowa.
After a scoreless first quarter, Drake faced fourth and 12 from their own 34-yard line two minutes into the second quarter. The snap went over the punter’s head and Flyers freshman running back Ca’Ron Coleman picked up the ball at the 4-yard line and took it into the endzone for a Flyers touchdown.
Ten more scoreless minutes passed before Flyers senior quarterback Jack Cook scrambled into the endzone on third and goal from the 5-yard line to put the visitors up 14-0 with 3:27 left in the first half.
The Flyers had a chance to extend the lead to three scores at the end of the first half with the ball inside the 20-yard-line, but Cook threw an interception in the endzone.
In the first half, possession was balanced (15:22 for Dayton, 14:38 for Drake), but the Flyers outgained the Bulldogs 171-94 in yardage and held the advantage at the break.
The second half began with a defensive stop for the Flyers, who then got the ball inside the 10 after a fantastic catch on the sideline by freshman wide receiver Joey Swanson. Two plays later, junior running back Jake Chisholm punched the ball into the endzone from four yards out to put the Flyers up 21-0 with 4:38 left in the third quarter.
An apparent touchdown by Drake to start the fourth quarter was taken off the scoreboard because of a holding penalty, and after the Flyers made the stop on third and goal, the Bulldogs made a 33-yard field goal to cut the deficit to 21-3 with 12 minutes left in the game.
On their next drive, the Bulldogs scored a touchdown that stayed on the board when freshman quarterback Blake Ellingson found sophomore wide receiver Brandon Langdok for an 18-yard pass with 9:28 left in the game to cut the Flyers’ lead to 21-10.
But the Flyers responded, taking over five minutes off the clock and scoring on a 10-yard touchdown run by Chisholm to give the Flyers a 28-10 lead with 4:05 left in the game.
The Flyers were able to stop the Bulldogs on fourth down, and then ran out the clock to come away from Des Moines with a 28-10 win to improve to 3-2 overall and 2-1 in PFL play.
Next up: the Flyers host Marist Oct. 16 at noon at Welcome Stadium.
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