The Pioneers venture out of NCAA Division III to play Drake, the preseason number one NCAA I-AA non-scholarship team in the nation, according to The Sports Network.
This is the third straight year these teams have met, with the Pioneers capturing a 21-20 win in 2003 and a 33-23 victory last year in Des Moines.
UW-Platteville salutes the 1980 team, the last UWP conference championship squad, Saturday at halftime. The 1980 Pioneers were 7-3 overall and 6-2 in the then-Wisconsin State University Conference. The 1980 team will always be associated with perhaps the most famous game in UW-Platteville's 108 years of football. Needing a victory on the season's last day to clinch a share of the WSUC title, the Pioneers instead found themselves trailing UW-Eau Claire 33-0 in the second quarter. Staging the largest comeback in NCAA history, the Pioneers rallied to shock the Blugolds--and the college football world--by winning 52-43.
UW-Platteville is proud to welcome back these men who were able to bring a championship trophy to the campus. The Class of 1980 is also bringing something new to the program, a two-man blocking sled. Phil Micech, who went on to sign with the Minnesota Vikings, spearheaded the efforts.
UW-Platteville honors the student groups who helped the $1 million Ralph E. Davis Pioneer Stadium renovation project. Leaders of the various student governing bodies will help dedicate the renovated field tonight by joining Pioneer captains Kent Brown, Damian Droessler, Brandon Ehret and Brent Nelson at midfield for the coin toss.
Saturday is Student Appreciation Night, and the first 1,200 students received free commemorative mouse pads as well as chances to win scholarships, dining and residence hall reductions.
Saturday's game marks the first-ever web broadcast by student station WSUP, 91FM. The students will webcast the remaining football schedule, with a link on the Pioneer website, www.uwplatt.edu/athletics.
The Pioneers are playing two teams from Iowa in the same season for the first time since 1997. In their first encounter with a Hawkeye state team, the Pioneers shut out Dubuque 26-0 on the inaugural game of the new Ralph E. Davis Pioneer Stadium ProGrass field.
Offensively, the Pioneers employ the spread offense brought here seven years ago by Coach Mike Emendorfer. The passing attack has already featured nine different players catching passes, led by Joe Danielson and Brian Gallick with 14 each. The receivers have taken different paths in their careers, as Gallick needs just 11 receptions to reach 100 catches in his three-year career, while Danielson, who transferred here last year as a quarterback, caught three passes all of 2004. Junior triggerman Brent Nelson threw his 25th career touchdown pass in the season opener and topped 4,000 yards passing.
UWP is averaging 110.5 yards per game on the ground, led by Mike Haynes with 152 yards and Damian Droessler with a pair of touchdowns. Last year the Pioneers averaged their best rushing average per game in the spread offense with 84.6 yards per game.
Perhaps the most surprising aspect of the balanced offensive attack is that coming into the opener, only Corey Darmody - with one -had ever started a game on the offensive line. The four sophomores and one junior who start on the line have helped the Pioneers average 406 yards per game.
Defensively, the Pioneers' 3-4 defense has racked up 12 sacks already after registering 18 all last fall. Eleven sacks came in the opener vs. Dubuque, marking the most an NCAA III team has made since the 2001 season. Kevin Porter sacked the Spartan quarterback three times.
Both Ryan Glynn and Kent Brown reached the 100-career tackle mark vs. UW-Stout last Saturday, joining Brandon Ehret (149) and Mike Bach (106) as current Pioneers in the triple digit tackle club.
For the first time this season, the Bulldogs will look across the line of scrimmage and see a team similar to them in that no one on the field is receiving athletic scholarships. Drake opened its season with two NCAA Division I scholarship programs, losing 52-17 at Northern Iowa and 56-19 at Illinois State.
The Bulldogs were within 29-19 at the halftime Saturday at Illinois State before the Gateway Conference team pulled away in the second half.
Drake was 10-2 last year and won the Pioneer Football League championship. The Bulldogs were undefeated in the North Division, then beat Morehead State 20-17 in the PFL title game.
Fifteen starters returned for 16th-year head coach Rob Ash, including running back Scott Phaydavong, the conference co-offensive player of the year as a freshman. Fellow running back Jonathan Taylor, offensive lineman Mark Wilke and punter Ryan Horvath also are back after earning all-PFL in 2004. Quarterback Connor Jostes, who has thrown two touchdown passes in each of the first two games, leads the Drake offense. Daniel Marx has hauled in three of the scoring passes, while Shea Moroni has the other.
Drake is ranked No. 7 in The Sports Network NCAA I-AA Mid-Major poll, slipping from the No. 4 spot last week. The Bulldogs are ranked No. 10 in the Football Gazette NCAA I-AA Mid-Major poll.