DES MOINES, Iowa – Drake (4-1, 2-0 PFL) raced out to a 21-0 halftime lead and held on for a 31-14 victory over Campbell (1-3, 0-2 PFL) on Saturday, Oct. 1 at Drake Stadium. The Camels have now lost the team's last five road games.
    
Drake's Mike Piatkowski connected on 30-of-33 passes for 342 yards and three touchdowns. Nathan Paddock hauled in seven passes for 97 yards and a score.

CU's Braden Smith completed 28-of-50 passes for 263 yards. His completions, attempts and yardage are all school records.  Smith also led the team with 32 yards on the ground. Preston Dodson was the favorite target with eight catches for 87 yards. The CU defensive effort was led by Jeremiah Robinson. Robinson, a defensive lineman, led the team with 12 tackles, 2.5 stops for loss and 2 sacks. Brandon Chandler had a busy afternoon with seven tackles on defense, 31 yards as a punt returner and 71 yards returning kicks. He also picked up a sack and forced a fumble.

Drake scored on the opening drive on a 10 play, 67 yard drive that was finished on Piatkowski's four-yard touchdown throw to Joey Orlando. The extra point from Billy Janssen split the upright to put the Bulldogs up 7-0 with 10:50 remaining in the opening quarter.

After a defensive stop the Drake offense scored on the second possession on a 13 play, 80 yard drive that was completed on the four-yard touchdown run from Trey Morse. The Janssen extra point was good to put Drake up 14-0 with 2:01 left in the first quarter.

The Bulldogs continued to march up and down the field and scored the next touchdown on Piatkowski's 12-yard throw to Orlando through defender Chris Price's arms. The 10 play, 85 yard drive was finished with Janssen's extra point to make the score 21-0 with just over five minutes remaining in the second quarter.

The CU defense came through with a fourth-down stop deep in CU's territory with just under a minute remaining the half (00:49 seconds) to give the ball back to the offense. CU began to march down the field with Braden Smith completing a 24-yard pass to C.J. Oates and 17 and 18 yards passes to Preston Dodson to put the Camels in a potential scoring situation. The Camels' scoring chance came to screeching halt though when Adam Willets' 37-yard field goal was blocked to end the half and allow Drake to escape with a 21-0 lead into the break.

The Camels dented the scoreboard for the first time next. After Chandler sacked the quarterback and forced a fumble that was recovered by Campbell's Terrell Barnes, the CU offense marched down the field on a nine play, 60 yard drive that was finished on Braden Smith's one-yard rush. The Adam Willets extra point was good to make the score 21-7 with 6:10 remaining in the third period. The big play of the drive for the Camels was a 32-yard Harrison Jordan reception.

Drake answered on their next possession on a Janssen 25-yard field goal to increase the margin to 24-7 with 1:55 remaining in the third period.

Drake scored the team's fourth touchdown of the game on Piatkowski's one-yard touchdown throw to Nathan Paddock.

Braden Smith marched the Camels down the field on the team's next possession and scored the team's second touchdown in an 11 play, 69 yard drive. Smith completed a four-yard pass to Chad McMichael for the score. The Willets extra point was good to put the Camels behind 17 at 31-14 with 6:18 remaining in the game.

The Camels now returns home to take on Butler at noon on Oct. 8 at Barker-Lane Stadium/Ed Gore Stadium.