Drake football team takes lead in season opener before weather cancels

Special to the Register
| Des Moines Register

The Drake football team took a 10-0 halftime lead over Quincy in its season opener Thursday before severe weather forced a lengthy delay, ultimately leading to the game being canceled.

Drake managed to put together a drive late in the first half. That drive included a perfect pass from Luke Bailey to Hunter Johnson down the right sideline. The first quarter ended with zeros all the way, but the Bulldogs’ drive set up a 24-yard field goal by Shane Dunning just 15 seconds into the second quarter.

Drake’s Tim Nesslage forced a fumble on a punt return, allowing Finn Claypool to recover it. Drake struck immediately after regaining possession as Jaxon Laminack caught a ball over the middle and ran 56 yards inside the Quincy 5-yard line. That set up Nesslage’s touchdown.

At halftime, fans were evacuated from Drake Stadium and the game was delayed due to heavy rain in the Des Moines area.

After a nearly three-hour suspension, both teams agreed to cancel the remainder of the game. Thursday’s game was officially declared a draw. All first-half stats will be void and will not count toward personal or team records.

The Bulldogs will return to action next week with a trip to Eastern Washington and will return to Drake Stadium on Sept. 28 when San Diego visits Des Moines.

Drake’s Sports Information Department contributed to this report.