DAYTON, Ohio (AP)—Ben Shappie ran for a pair of second half touchdowns and Dayton’s defense kept Drake out of the end zone until the game’s final minutes on Saturday to ensure the Flyers’ 27-9 win.
Freshman quarterback Jeff Pechan hit James Ward on a 58-yard touchdown pass to give Dayton a 7-3 halftime lead. Senior quarterback Rob Florian followed that in the third by throwing a 31-yard score to Justin Millio.
Shappie’s 6-yard run at the end of the quarter and his 4-yarder with 7:51 left in the game made it 27-3. Both scores followed turnovers.
Drake finally scored a touchdown with less than three minutes remaining when Stephen Platek caught a 4-yard pass from Cole Ingle at the end of a 13-play drive.
The Bulldogs had just 181 yards in total offense, including 52 yards on the ground. Platek caught nine passes for 77 yards.