DES MOINES, Iowa – The Marist University football team earned a 27-22 victory at Drake in a Pioneer Football League game on Saturday at Drake Stadium.
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The Red Foxes scored 17 unanswered points as they improved their record in league play to 3-0. Coupled with Dayton's victory over Butler, Marist took over sole possession of first place in the PFL.
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- Drake reached Marist's 2 on its opening drive, but Chase Hatton and Naheem Ridore combined for a two-yard tackle for loss on second-and-goal, and Todd Woodring had a sack on third down. This led to a 31-yard field goal by Griffin Kollhoff at the 10:05 mark.
- Marist responded with an eight-play, 66-yard drive that culminated in a two-yard rushing touchdown by Sonny Mannino. The Red Foxes took a 7-3 lead at the 5:37 mark of the first quarter.
- On the first play of the second quarter, Riley Warzynski's three-yard touchdown pass to Hank Foley put the Bulldogs in front 9-7. However, the PAT was missed after Drake was backed up five yards due to a false start.
- Kyle Cottee's one-yard rushing touchdown gave Drake a 16-7 lead at the 13:06 mark of the second quarter.
- Drake reached the Marist 5 on its next drive, but a missed field goal kept the score 16-7.
- Mannino's two-yard rushing touchdown brought Marist to within 16-14 with 49 seconds left in the first half. The score capped an eight-play, 77-yard drive in 3:30.
- A Drake missed field goal on the final play of the first half meant the score stayed at 16-14 after 30 minutes.
- Luke Stenson's 20-yard field goal with 2:42 left in the third quarter gave Marist a 17-16 advantage. The scoring drive covered 13 plays and 84 yards in 7:15.
- With 12:59 left in the fourth quarter, Mannino hit Zach Garmont for a 57-yard touchdown, and the Red Foxes expanded their lead to 24-16.
- Drake got within two with 8:35 remaining on a 23-yard touchdown pass from Warzynski to Mitchell January. However, Hatton broke up a pass on the ensuing two-point conversion to keep Marist in front.
- Stenson's 37-yard field goal extended Marist's lead to 27-22 with 4:58 remaining.
- On Drake's final drive, the Bulldogs reached the Red Zone with under two minutes to play. On fourth-and-four from the Marist 16, Hatton's hurry forced an incompletion and enabled the Red Foxes to run out the clock.
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- Garmont caught seven passes for 156 yards.
- Simmons ran for 108 yards on 15 carries.
- Mannino accounted for 277 total yards (215 passing, 61 rushing) and three touchdowns (two rushing, one passing).
- Jace Williamson had team highs of 10 tackles, including seven solo stops, and two pass break-ups.
- Hatton finished with eight tackles, half-a-tackle for loss, a pass break-up, and a quarterback hurry on Drake's final play.
- Wayne Adair had seven tackles, and had an interception in his second straight game.
- Kade Werner had seven tackles, including a strip-sack, and had a pass break-up.
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- This was Marist's second win at Drake in seven tries.
- This is Marist's third 3-0 start in PFL play in its history, which was previously accomplished in 2021 and 2016.
- Garmont's total of 156 receiving yards was the most by a Red Foxes since 2023, and his seven receptions were a career high.
- Garmont's touchdown reception was Marist's longest play from scrimmage this season. The Red Foxes have three plays of 50-plus yards this season, all of which have been passes from Mannino to Garmont.
- Simmons had Marist's first 100-yard rushing game this season.
- Williamson, Hatton, and Adair had season highs in tackles. Adair's total was a career high.
- Tyrell Powell broke up a pass, giving him 10 in the season. He has had a pass break-up in all seven of Marist's games this season.
- Marist's third quarter drive that ended in Stenson's field goal was the Red Foxes' sixth scoring drive this season that had at least 10 plays.
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- Marist is 4-3 overall and 3-0 in PFL play.
- Drake is 3-4 overall and 2-2 in league play.
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- Marist returns home to face St. Thomas in a PFL contest on Saturday, Oct. 24 as part of Homecoming & Reunion Weekend.
- Kickoff is set for noon.
