Forcing three turnovers against the Drake Bulldogs in the first half of the game, Marist football failed to follow through on offense and lost their ninth straight game of the season in Iowa on Nov. 2, losing 19-0.
Coming off a strong performance that fell three points short against Valparaiso, the Marist offense failed to score on the day, failing to convert three times out of six fourth-down conversion tries, ultimately leading to their demise. Redshirt sophomore quarterback Sonny Mannino had his lowest total of passing yards in a start this season, completing 19-of-33 passes for 120 yards.
The Red Foxes had ample opportunities to take advantage of Drake mishaps in the first half. After punting on their first possession, the Drake returner kicked the punt while the ball was landing, leading to a quick recovery from graduate student cornerback Broox Bolden. Despite the mistake by the Bulldogs, redshirt sophomore runningback Carter James fumbled the ball two plays later on a rush.
Up 3-0 entering the second quarter, graduate student Luke Bailey looked to establish the passing game for the Bulldogs. Looking up the seams, he threw a ball that got tipped by freshman safety Tyrell Powell and caught by redshirt freshman linebacker James Kratchovil, his second interception of the season. Marist would punt on the following possession, wasting the big defensive play.
Bailey would make another mistake after a short-distance Marist punt. With the ball starting at the Drake 45-yard line, Bailey botched a snap that resulted in a Marist fumble recovery from junior defensive lineman Sean Coverdale.
Despite the mental mistake, the Red Foxes had a corresponding turnover on downs after Mannino aired the ball out from the Drake 24-yard line on a fourth-and-1 situation in the red zone.
An All-PFL Second Team quarterback in 2023, Bailey managed to complete 72% of his passes for 206 yards. Drake had two rushers with 50+ yards averaging over five yards a carry, senior Davion Cherwin (nine rushes, 50 yards) and junior Luke Woodson (nine rushes, 70 yards). The Bulldogs had 351 net rushing yards to Marist’s 239.
Despite three drives with possession for over seven minutes and 10-plus plays, Marist failed to finish off offensive progressions, two of which ended on turnovers on downs. Marist had five more minutes of possession in comparison with their Iowa opponents, but left a goose egg on the stat sheet.
The first long-winded drive came in the first quarter, ending in a failed field-goal opportunity. Yet to make a field goal in conference play, Marist tried their first and only attempt on a 37-yard try. The attempt–their 15th play of the drive–got blocked by Drake graduate student defensive back Tyler Radocha, his second consecutive game with a blocked kick.
Ultimately, it was Drake’s clutch plays that provided the Bulldogs the boost they needed over the Red Foxes. Only up one score before the half ended, Luke Bailey aired out a 13-yard pass off his backfoot to junior wide receiver Mitchell January, getting to the one-yard line. The next play was an open reception look to junior receiver Parker Olthoff, his second touchdown of the season and Bailey’s sixth passing touchdown on the year.
On their next possession, Bailey’s 55-yard pass to junior runningback Taj Hughes led to the Bulldog’s second field goal of the half. Marist failed to answer, overpowered by the Bulldog’s three sacks and five tackles for losses on the day. They held the Red Foxes to only five third-down conversions on 16 attempts.
Without a win in Marist head coach Mike Willis’s tenure, the Red Foxes remain on the road and will travel down south to Florida, facing other winless in-conference opponent, the Stetson Mad Hatters, on Sept. 9 at 1 p.m. ET.
Graphic by Gavin Hard; Photo by Ricky Torres
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