[revrew]

Dragons take the field for the first time

Joker Field wasn't yet finished in time for the first Des Moines Dragons preseason game, so the faithful in green, gold, and purple made their way north to nearby Ames, Iowa, and Iowa State University's Jack Trice Stadium.

For the capacity crowd of 63,700, it was a glorious beginning to the new franchise.

For many of the players on hand that day who had graduated from ISU, it was a homecoming to Ames. And they played like it.

What's more, Coach Jim Wells made the surprising decision to play the team's starters for most of the game –– and the crowds ate … it … up.

The starting Dragons completely dominated the N.Y. Jets' second and third stringers. Quarterback Nathaniel Witt played the full first half, completing 10 of 12 and a pair of TD passes to former ISU standout WR Miles Kinney, who picked up like he never left Ames.

The real star of the game, however, was second-year RB Drake Boyette, a late-round pick last season who returned to Jack Trice like a man determined to win his hometown girlfriend back. Boyette racked up 113 yards and looked unstoppable with a 4.52 average per carry and a fourth quarter touchdown.

The defense also looked surprisingly stout, as the Dragons won their first ever (preseason) home game by a convincing 33-7 margin.