Northern Iowa are preparing to face Drake for the first time since 2013, bringing a long gap between meetings into focus before the teams meet again. It is a reminder that this is a rivalry with real history, even if the latest chapter has taken more than a decade to arrive.
The previous meeting came in 2013, while one of the clearest reference points for the series remains Northern Iowa’s 45-7 win over Drake in Des Moines, Iowa, on Saturday, September 22, 2007. That result is part of the backdrop to this renewed matchup, and it gives the game a familiar sense of context as the teams return to the same stage.
What the 2007 result tells us
A 45-7 scoreline is the kind of result that stays in the memory because it leaves little doubt about how the game was controlled. For Northern Iowa, that 2007 victory underlined their ability to impose themselves when the matchup turned into a one-sided contest.
That historical note matters because games like this are often framed by what happened the last time the teams were together. When two sides have not played since 2013, the record can suddenly feel more relevant than the present-day noise around it.
A meeting with context
Photo captions from the 2007 game also add another layer to the story, with references to defensive and offensive plays involving Northern Iowa and Drake players. Those details do not change the result, but they do reinforce how long this series has carried its own familiar moments.
For Northern Iowa and Drake, the simple answer is that they last played each other in 2013. The broader picture is that the matchup returns with enough history behind it to make the meeting feel more meaningful than an ordinary non-conference fixture.
