Full Notes (PDF)

IN-STATE BATTLE: Butler makes the trek up I-65 to face Valparaiso Saturday afternoon in northern Indiana. The 1 p.m. match-up is not only a Pioneer Football League contest, but is also a rivalry match-up with the Hoosier Helmet Trophy on the line. Butler is now 3-5 overall on the season and 1-4 in Pioneer League Football play. The Crusaders enter with a similar 3-5 overall mark, but are 2-3 in league play.
 
HOW TO WATCH: Valparaiso is producing a live video stream that will be offered free of charge through ESPN3. Live stats will also be available.
 
THE HOOSIER HELMET TROPHY: First instituted in 2006, the rivalry game between the PFL foes includes the winner taking home the Hoosier Helmet Trophy. The trophy was added to the series in the first season of Coach Jeff Voris's tenure. Butler has won eight of the 10 match-ups since the Hoosier Helmet Trophy became part of the match-up and is currently in possession of the Hoosier Helmet Trophy thanks to a victory in 2015.
 
LAST TIME OUT: Butler rallied for 13 points in the final 16 minutes, but a pair of drives in the final five minutes of the game ended without points, thwarting a comeback attempt in a 31-16 loss to Dayton at the Butler Bowl. The Bulldogs chipped away at a 28-3 halftime deficit while allowing the Flyers only three points in the second half.
 
DOWN THE ROAD: North Dakota State University and the Minnesota Twins announced on Monday that the NDSU football team will host Butler University at Target Field in Minneapolis on August 31, 2019. It will be the first meeting between the two schools. The game is a home game for NDSU, which had been in discussions with the Minnesota Twins about moving an upcoming home game to Target Field. The game will be the first Division I football game played at Target Field.
 
UP NEXT: Following Saturday's game at Valparaiso, the Bulldogs will return to the Butler Bowl to host Morehead State Nov. 5. The 1 p.m. kick-off will feature a pregame recognition for the team's senior class. The game also falls on Butler's annual Family Weekend.
 
ONE YEAR AGO: Senior quarterback Matt Shiltz accounted for four Butler touchdowns and the Bulldogs' defense added two scores as Butler registered a 42-21 win in Indianapolis Nov. 7, 2015. Shiltz had 187 yards through the air and four total touchdowns (two rushing and two passing).
 
THE SERIES: In addition to winning eight of the 10 contests in Coach Jeff Voris's first decade leading the Bulldogs, Butler owns a 49-25 advantage in the all-time series between the schools. The series dates back to the 1927 season (a 58-0 Butler victory). Butler and Valparaiso are two of the four PFL members that have been part of the league for all 24 seasons (joining Drake and Dayton).
 
LOSING A CAPTAIN: Butler's game against Dayton Saturday included a sizable delay as senior defensive tackle and one of three captains on the roster Jordan Ransone was carted off the field and taken to a local hospital with a severe leg injury. He will miss the remainder of the season. Ransone has accounted for 5.5 of the team's 13 sacks this season.
 
GROUND WORK: Both Butler and its opponents have attempted exactly 267 rushes this season. Butler has amassed 1,330 yards on the ground on those attempts for an average of 5.0 yards per carry. The Bulldogs' defense has limited opponents to just 967 yards rushing (an average of 3.6 yards per carry). On Oct. 8, Butler held Marist to just 55 yards rushing, which tied for the low mark on the season (Franklin, Sept. 10). 
 
LEAGUE HONOR: After a perfect afternoon at Davidson Oct. 15, including nailing the game-winning field goal as time expired, Butler freshman Drew Bevelhimer was selected as the Pioneer Football League Special Teams Player of the Week. Bevelhimer made both of his field goal attempts, including the 29-yard kick as time expired to give Butler the 20-17 win on the road at Davidson.
 
Bevelhimer was also an honorable mention selection by STATS for FCS National Freshman Player of the Week. His game-winning field goal was the first for Butler since the 2009 season that occurred as time expired.
 
FLIPPING THE FIELD: Senior Ian Dobek is second in the PFL, averaging 40.3 yards per punt. Against Marist two weeks ago, he also placed four of his five punts inside the 20. The Bulldogs are netting 39.8 yards per punt thanks to tremendous coverage that has allowed a total of eight net return yards this season on 37 total punts. Butler allowing an average of 1.14 total punt return yards per game is fourth best in FCS.
 
In contrast, Butler's Isaak Newhouse is averaging 13.6 yards per punt return this season. That average is third in the PFL and 11th nationally.
 
GOOD CATCH: Sophomore Pace Temple has 739 receiving yards through the team's eight games this season. That mark is second in the PFL. He had a career-high 128 yards receiving at Campbell Sept. 24. Temple posted 90 receiving yards against Dayton on Saturday.