The Drake Bulldogs have added the Truman State Bulldogs to their 2019 football schedule, according to Drake’s official website.
Drake will host Truman State at Drake Stadium in Des Moines, Iowa, on Saturday, Sept. 7, 2019. The game will be the sixth overall meeting between the two schools.
In their last meeting in 2014, Drake defeated Truman State 13-7 to halt a two-game losing streak in the series. Drake now owns a one-game lead over Truman State, 3-2.
Truman State, located in Kirksville, Missouri, competes in the Great Lakes Valley Conference in Division II. The Bulldogs wrapped up their 2018 schedule with a 34-33 loss to Missouri S&T which dropped them to 6-5 overall and 5-2 in conference play.
Drake now has three non-conference games scheduled for the 2019 season. The Bulldogs are scheduled to open the season at the North Dakota Fighting Hawks on Saturday, Aug. 31 and later host the South Dakota State Jackrabbits on Saturday, Sept. 14.
Although the Pioneer Football League has yet to release their 2019 football schedule, one game is set after Marist announced their slate in December. Drake will travel to Poughkeepsie, New York, to take on the Red Foxes on Saturday, Sept. 28.
Drake closed out the 2018 season at Iowa State and nearly upset the 23rd-ranked Cyclones before falling 27-24. Drake ended the season with a 7-4 overall record and a 6-2 record in PFL action.
That Iowa State match-up was quite a game!! Drake came so close…..but of all the conferences that need to be realigned,the Pioneer League has to take the cake,its amazing the costs haven’t caused the schools to drop their programs.
PFL doesn’t have the scholarship costs in football that other FCS schools have. No athletic aid grants in football. Also, the schools in the Midwest can travel to each other by bus. And some of them, like San Diego and Dayton are reasonably well off private schools.