DAYTON – In a defensive showdown, Dayton struggled to move the ball in the second half, falling 28-17 to Drake in front of 2,168 fans on Saturday at Welcome Stadium.

Tucker Yinger led UD with 46 yards rushing on 11 carries, and added another 60 yards on three receptions.  Redshirt freshman QB Jack Cook was 14 of 35 passing for 194 yards and added 22 yards and a touchdown on the ground.  Adam Trautman led all receivers with five catches for 54 yards.  Safety Tim Simon led the Flyers with 15 tackles on the day and added an interception. David Leisring added nine tackles and forced two turnovers.

Dayton falls to 3-5 on the year and 2-3 in the PFL, while Drake improves to 4-2 overall and 3-1 in conference play.

FIRST QUARTER
•  After an early Dayton punt, Tim Simon grabbed an interception putting the Flyers at the Bulldogs two-yard line, leading to a Richie Warfield touchdown.
•  Drake was able to answer with a 69-yard drive, capped off by a two-yard touchdown run by Drew Lauer.
•  True freshman DT Mike Stodola had 1.5 sacks in the first quarter for the Flyers.
 
SECOND QUARTER
•  Dayton opened the second half with a 22-yard field goal by Joseph Bruni.
•  Drake responded by driving 75 yards in 10 plays to take the lead 14-10.
•  The Flyers struggled on third down in the first half, converting just once on seven attempts.
•  Dayton had three sacks in the half, after having only seven on the year.
•  Lauer lead the Bulldogs with 87 rushing yards at the half after Drake only averaged 79 yards per game on the year rushing.
 
THIRD QUARTER
•   After Dayton and Drake traded punts to open the second half, the Bulldogs drove 77 yards ending with a two-yard touchdown pass to take a 21-10 lead with 3:32 left in the third quarter.
•  The Flyers failed to pick up a first down in the 3rd quarter.
•  After going just 1-of-4 on third down in the first half, the Bulldogs picked up 4-of-5 in the third quarter.
 
FOURTH QUARTER
•  A Dayton touch pass that was ruled a fumble to start the 4th quarter gave Drake the ball in the red zone, leading to a 12-yard touchdown by Drew Lauer.
•  The longest play for the Flyers came in the fourth on a 33-yard pass from Cook to Yinger.
•  After just five yards on the first three drives of the second half Dayton drove 77 yards resulting in a two-yard touchdown run by Jack Cook cutting the lead to 28-17.
•  At the end of a 30-yard rush the Bulldogs fumble, the Flyers took over at their own 1-yard line.
•  After failing on 4th down, David Leisring came up with an interception to give Dayton the ball back.
•  Drake ran out the clock after another failed fourth down attempt by the Flyers, as Jack Cook came up just a yard short on 4th-and-5.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
•    Dayton loses for first time this year when winning the turnover battle. The Flyers forced three turnovers compared to just one forced by the Bulldogs.
•    The run game for Drake was a deciding factor, with 176 yards on the ground after averaging just 79 on the year.
•    Both teams were perfect in the red zone, with Dayton going 3-for-3.
•    Dayton extended its NCAA all-division record by scoring in its 473rd consecutive game
•    Tucker Yinger rushed for 46 yards on 11 carries.  He now has 3,068 yards in his career, trailing only Connor Kacsor.  
•    Linebackers Zach Pipoly (14 tackles) and Anthony Best (10) combined for 24 hits.  It was Best's first start.
•    Punter Sean Smith had two of his five boot end up inside the 20-yard line.  He averaged 48.8 yards per punt on the day.
•    By the fourth quarter, all four cornerbacks who had started a game this season were sidleined.  Backup safety Brandon Easterling was moved over to play the unfamiliar position.
•    Key stat was 3rd down conversions, the Flyers struggled only converting 2-for-13 while Drake converted 6-for-14
 
UP NEXT
•    Dayton travels to face Butler next Saturday, Oct. 27.  Kickoff is 12 p.m. ET. 
•    The Flyers will return home Saturday, November 10th, to play Morehead State.