STEPHENVILLE, Texas – Drake football got off to a hot start in its second ever FCS playoff appearance, but the Bulldogs couldn't keep up with No. 13 seed Tarleton State as their season came to an end with a 43-29 loss to the Texans in the first round of the FCS Playoffs.

The Bulldogs defense tried to set the tone early with Caleb Bowling and Noah Rychlick blowing up a fourth down run by Kayvon Britten for a 6-yard loss. The turnover on downs put Drake's offense back on the field deep in Texan territory. Luke Bailey got the Bulldogs down just shy of the end zone on a 21-yard yard strike to Jaxon Laminack, which led to Blake Ellingson to power his way in from two yards out to give Drake an early lead.

Tarleton State responded with a 31-yard field goal from Corbin Poston and forced a three-and-out by the Drake offense, but a special teams blunder led to Ethan Zager recovering a muffed punt on the Texan 26 yard line. Taj Hughes followed up a quick strike from Bailey to Trey Radocha with a short run before catching a pass from Bailey and scampering in for a 9-yard touchdown reception to give the Bulldogs a two-possession lead in the first quarter.
 
The Texans closed the gap in the second quarter by capping off a 10 play, 78-yard drive with a 6- yard rushing touchdown from leading rusher Britten, but were unable to convert on a two-point conversion attempt.

Drake's offense ran into a few miscues of its own with a tipped pass from Bailey getting intercepted by Dabari Hawkins. After a 12-yard tackle for loss from Sean Allison and a sack from Finn Claypool got the ball back for Drake, the Texan defense stopped a potential scoring drive by pressuring Bailey into a complete pass on fourth down in Tarleton territory.
 
The lead changed hands on the Texan's ensuing drive off an 18-yard passing touchdown and Tarleton used a series of big chunk plays to score before halftime and bolster its lead by eight points over the Bulldogs.
 
Britten extended the Texans' lead in the third quarter by scoring from one yard out, but Bulldog trickery kept things close. A flea flicker pass to Tyler Nansel and a reverse for Mitchell January led to Bailey finding Hughes in the end zone from 10 yards out for their second touchdown connection through the air and Drake's first points since the first quarter.
 
The Bulldogs couldn't keep pace with the Texans in the fourth quarter. A 49-yard touchdown strike from Victor Gabalis to Darius Cooper caught the Drake defense off guard. Another tipped pass from Bailey was intercepted by the Tarleton State defense, which ended up leading to a three-yard rushing touchdown that put the dagger in the Bulldogs' hopes of getting a win in their first FCS playoff victory.

Drake ended the game on a high note as Bailey led one last touchdown drive. Spencer Halvorson reeled in a 30-yard reception to set up an eight-yard end zone fade touchdown for Brandon Langdok.
 
Bailey finished the day with three touchdowns and two interceptions on 31-of-49 passing and 286 yards. Taj Hughes caught two of those scoring throws and led the Bulldogs with 63 receiving yards. Brandon Langdok hauled in the other. Hughes also led the Drake ground game with 23 yards, but backfield mate Blake Ellingson picked up the Dogs' only rushing touchdown.
 
Defensively, Sean Allison led the way with 12 tackles and a pair of tackles for loss. Caleb Bowling also racked up double-digit stops with 11. Finn Claypool made three tackles and had Drake's lone sack on the night.
 
With the loss, Drake finishes the 2024 season with records of 8-3 overall and 7-1 in Pioneer Football League play.
 
NOTES

• Drake is now 0-2 in FCS playoff games.
• This was the first ever meeting between Drake and Tarleton State.
• Drake was outgained by Tarleton State, 490-356.
• Both teams posted perfect percentages in the redzone, scoring on all 10 appearances.
• Bailey finished the day with three touchdowns and two interceptions on 31-of-49 passing and 286 yards.
• Taj Hughes caught two of those scoring throws and led the Bulldogs with 63 receiving yards. Brandon Langdok hauled in the other.
• Hughes also led the Drake ground game with 23 yards, but backfield mate Blake Ellingson picked up the Dogs' only rushing touchdown.
• Sean Allison led the way with 12 tackles and a pair of tackles for loss. Caleb Bowling also racked up double-digit stops with 11.
• Finn Claypool made three tackles and had Drake's lone sack on the night.
• Shane Dunning punted six times for a total of 263 yards.