Butler Looks To Bounce Back Against Campbell
Game: Butler (2-2, 0-1 PFL) vs.
Campbell (1-3, 0-1 PFL)
Date: Saturday, Oct. 2, Butler
Bowl (5,647)
Time: Noon EST
Radio: XL 950 (AM), BigPlayRadioSports.com
Video: http://hometownsportsindiana.com
TV: HomeTown
Sports (Delayed Saturday at 9 p.m.; Sunday at 9 a.m. and 6
p.m.)
Series
Third Meeting, Butler leads, 2-0
•Butler and Campbell will be meeting for just the third time
in a series that began three years ago. The Bulldogs have
captured the first two meetings, including a 23-16 decision last
year. The Fighting Camels are making their first visit to the
Butler Bowl.
•Butler scored on three consecutive possessions in the first
half to grab a 20-0 lead at Campbell's Barker-Lane Stadium
last year. Campbell out-scored the Bulldogs, 16-3, the rest
of the way but couldn't overcome Butler's early
outburst.
•Quarterback Andrew Huck passed for 214 yards and two
touchdowns and rushed for a team-high 56 yards to lead the Bulldogs
past Campbell last year.
HOME RETURN: Butler will be looking to
rebound from a setback in its Pioneer Football League opener when
it hosts Campbell in its second league test on Saturday, Oct.
2. The two PFL teams will meet in the newly-renovated Butler
Bowl at noon. The game will be just the second home contest
of the season for Butler and will begin a stretch that finds the
Bulldogs playing three of their next four outings in the Butler
Bowl. Butler has won nine of its last 11 home tests and
stands 16-9 in the Butler Bowl under head coach Jeff Voris.
The Bulldogs (2-2) fell in their PFL opener at San Diego, 24-0,
last weekend. It was Butler's second night game of the
young season, and both resulted in 24-point setbacks.
Campbell (1-3), also 0-1 in PFL action, is coming off a 24-21 loss
at home to Georgia State, and the Camels are trying to snap a
three-game losing skid. The Camels, who dropped a one-point
decision at home to Davidson, 28-27, two weeks ago in the
PFL-opener for both teams, picked up their lone win this season
came on the road in the 2010-opener at Virginia Wise, 20-16.
Campbell is making its first visit to the Butler
Bowl.
Butler has won eight consecutive games in the Butler
Bowl.
ROAD BLOCK: The Bulldogs came up short on
their longest trip of the season, dropping their first PFL test at
San Diego. Butler drove 60 yards in 16 plays on its first
possession in the game, but missed a 30-yard field goal
attempt. That wound up being the Bulldogs' last drive
until late in the fourth quarter. Five of the Bulldogs'
eight first downs in the game came on the opening drive, while the
other three came on the team's final possession. Butler
had eight consecutive possessions of three plays or less, and the
Bulldogs gained just 31 total yards after the opening drive.
San Diego grabbed a 10-0 lead at halftime and then added single
touchdowns in the third and fourth quarters. The Bulldogs
fell to 1-9 all-time in San Diego's Torero
Stadium.
OCTOBER SURPRISE: The Bulldogs, who were
2-2 in the month of September, have recent history on their side as
they look to improve their record in the upcoming weeks.
Butler has won eight consecutive October games over the past two
seasons, all against PFL opponents. The Bulldogs were 4-0 in
October last season, including a 23-16 victory at Campbell.
Butler's last October loss came in 2007 to Davidson,
44-32.
DEFENSIVE MOVE: Butler has taken over the
top spot in the PFL in total defense (317.5 ypg). The
Bulldogs, who ranked second in total defense a week earlier, also
lead the league in pass defense (146.8 ypg) and in pass defense
efficiency (112.3). Butler ranks second in the circuit in
scoring defense with a yield of 22.0 points per game.
CLEANUP HITTER: Sophomore Jordan Ridley,
who had a team-high 10 tackles at San Diego, has recorded 10 or
more tackles in three consecutive games for the Bulldogs. He
had two solo tackles and a team-high eight assists against the
Toreros. The Butler linebacker is averaging 12.3 tackles over
the Bulldogs' last three outings, including a career-high 16
tackles at Youngstown State. Ridley had one tackle in limited
reserve duty at Campbell last season.
Jordan Ridley ranks third in the PFL in tackles per game
(10.8).
CATCHING UP: Junior wide receiver Zach Watkins had seven catches for 43 yards at San Diego and climbed
another notch on Butler's all-time list for pass
receptions. Watkins enters this week's action with 130
career catches, good for fourth place on the all-time Butler
list. He trails Mike Chrobot (1975-78) in third place on the
chart by seven receptions, and he's 12 catches away from Eric
Voss (1990-93) in second place.
PASSING ZONE: Quarterback Andrew Huck was
limited to a career-low 74 passing yards at San Diego, but he still
moved up on Butler's all-time list for passing yardage.
Huck slipped into the No. 9 spot on the Butler passing list with
3,186 career yards. He trails Mike Lee (1982-86) in the No. 8
position by 341 yards. Huck completed 12 of 22 passes against
the Toreros, giving him 81 completions on the year and 314 for his
Butler career.
Andrew Huck leads the PFL in completion percentage (.658,
minimum 75 att.).
ATTACK 'DOG: Junior Grant Hunter
recorded his fourth quarterback sack of the season at San Diego and
added another notch on a growing career total. Hunter is the
PFL active leader in quarterback sacks with 25.5 in just over two
seasons with the Bulldogs. He's second in the league in
career tackles for loss with 35.5. Hunter currently stands
second in the PFL in sacks, and he's tied for fourth in
tackles for loss (6).
BULLDOG BITS:
•Linebacker Nick Caldicott came up with his fourth career
pass interception and returned it 21 yards at San Diego.
Caldicott picked off his first career pass at Campbell last
year.
•Sophomore Michael Wilson averaged 40.5 yards on six punts at
San Diego. He ranks fourth in the PFL in punting (39.5), and
he's tied for second in the league in punts dropped inside
the 20-yard line (6).
•Freshman Trae Heeter returned five kickoffs for 114 yards at
San Diego, including a career-long, 36-yard return. Heeter
ranks fifth in the PFL in kickoff return average (22.8).
•Butler juniors Jordan Koopman and Zach Watkins are tied for
second in the PFL in pass receptions (24/6.0 pg). Koopman
stands fifth in the league in receiving yards (67.0 pg), while
Watkins is eighth (53.8 pg).
•Jordan Koopman had 132 all-purpose yards against Campbell
last year. He rushed one time for 14 yards, caught three
passes for 26 yards and returned three kickoffs for 81 yards.
•Zach Watkins is 104 yards shy of Tom Wallace (1,556,
1979-82) in the No. 10 spot on Butler's all-time list for
pass receiving yards. Watkins has racked up 1,462 yards in 24
career games.
•Quarterback Andrew Huck scored his first collegiate
touchdown on a 39-yard run against Campbell in 2008.
•Tailback Scott Gray, who rushed for 21 yards on eight
carries at San Diego, needs 159 rushing yards to catch Kevin
McDevitt (1,889, 1973-76) in the No. 10 position on Butler's
all-time rushing list.
•Senior offensive lineman and team captain Donnie Gilmore
missed Butler's trip to San Diego because of injury.
Gilmore had made 37 consecutive starts for the Bulldogs prior to
the San Diego game.
•Junior linebacker Andrew Cottrell, who missed Butler's
first three games with injury, returned to action at San Diego and
was credited with five tackles. Cottrell finished fifth on
the squad in tackles last season.
•Butler ranks third the PFL in rushing offense (144.0) after
four games, despite picking up just 17 yards at San Diego.
