On September 1st, tornado-like conditions forced cancellations of home games for Nebraska and Iowa State. The 23rd-ranked Cyclones decided to schedule a contingent make up game yesterday once their fate was sealed insofar as being eliminated from the Big 12 title game.
ISU asked nearby Drake to travel 25 minutes North to Ames. Somehow, it was lost in the national media that 7-3 Drake also had a cancellation on September 1st for their ballyhooed home opener against none other than William Jewell.
For those not entirely up on Drake football history: The Bulldogs play in the non-athletic scholarship Pioneer League: The same Pioneer League that spawned Jim Harbaugh’s coaching career at University of San Diego. So, Iowa State has a 85-0 advantage when it comes to football scholarships.
The Bulldogs were Division 1-A for a period of time up until 1985 when the Missouri Valley Conference ceased to be a 1-A operation. Drake had its moments in the sun. From 1979-1981, the Bulldogs annually beat a Big 8 team (Kansas State once and Colorado twice).
While Drake has a creditable team in 2018, the Bulldogs were not deemed strong enough to make the 24-team FCS playoff. Accordingly, Iowa State entered as a 42-point favorite. For magnitude of comparison, Appalachian State was a much lesser underdog in their memorable 2007 upset win in the Big House (and had athletic scholarships to give out).
Messy, wet field conditions can level the playing field and the slop was certainly a factor in Ames. I was stunned when I heard that Iowa State led by a mere 6 points at halftime, 20-14. An overconfident Cyclone team would be sure to roll in the right half. Uh, NO! When Drake hung around into the 4th quarter, the Odyssey just had to stream the radiocast. With disbelief, we heard that Drake, down 27-24, had a first down on the Cyclone 26 with under 5 minutes to go!!! A sack and a holding call snuffed history but in no way negated a fantastic effort by the Bulldogs.
Drake actually outgained ISU 279-273. After the game, Drake players were celebrating as if they actually won the game. Which, in some ways, they did.
SO, while the national media will fawn over Nick Saban, Jalen Hurts and Kyler Murray, the Odyssey remains enraptured with one of the year’s most unique games.