DES MOINES, Iowa—After 469 days off, San Diego finally returned to the gridiron and got its first win of the 2021 spring season with a 13-10 victory over Drake on Saturday afternoon in Drake Stadium.
 
The Toreros (1-0 PFL) got their 38th consecutive conference win and are now one shy of the all-time FCS record, dominating the Bulldogs (0-1 PFL) in a defensive battle and holding Drake to 25 total yards of offense.
 
It took a bit of time for the USD offense to shake off the rust, with its first three drives resulting in a punt, a fumble and an interception. The Bulldogs were the first to strike, capitalizing after a fumbled handoff on USD's 22 yard-line to take an early 7-0 lead with 10:52 remaining in the first quarter.
 
On the ensuing kickoff, Hunter Nichols took a 62-yard return to the Drake 30-yard line to put USD in excellent field position. However, a second turnover squashed USD's momentum on the second play of the drive.
 
San Diego got its first points of the spring on a 25-yard field goal from Brandon Eickert with 1:04 left in the first quarter to make it 3-7. The Toreros tacked on another three points with a 36-yarder from Eickert to pull within one point, 6-7, with just over 10 minutes left in the half but neither team was able to score again before the break.
 
Drake added to its lead with a 43-yard field goal with 10:19 to go in the third quarter but the Toreros answered on the next drive. San Diego went 75 yards in 6:45 and capped it off with a one-yard touchdown run from Randall to give USD its first lead of the day, 13-10.
 
The Toreros had two more chances to tack on points but missed opportunities kept the game knotted at 13-10 the rest of the way. The Bulldogs had one final chance for the game-winning drive with 2:49 remaining in the contest, but back-to-back sacks from Chris Reese and Kevin Glajchen effectively put a comeback out of reach.
 
USD's defense was dominant from start to finish, allowing just 25 total yards of offense for the Bulldogs. Drake was held to just three first downs in the contest, 23 rushing yards, two passing yards and two completions.
 
The Toreros were led by Glajchen who finished with eight tackles (5 solo) and four tackles for loss (19 yards), including three sacks. Glajchen was also credited with a forced fumble and a pass breakup. David Ambagtsheer added seven tackles (3 solo) and Hunter Nichols notched four tackles (3 solo) and USD's only interception of the day.
 
In his first career start for USD, Randall finished 19-of-25 for 234 yards with two interceptions. Emilio Martinez led the way on the ground with 16 rushes for a total of 62 yards (3.9 avg) and a long of 15 yards. Wide receiver Michael Carner finished the day with seven receptions for a total of 98 yards and tight end Derek Kline hauled in five passes for a total of 90 yards.
 
The Toreros will return to San Diego next week to host Butler in their home opener on Saturday at 1 p.m. (PT) in Torero Stadium.