Game Notes (PDF)

It's Homecoming Week on the Butler campus and the Bulldogs will host Campbell in a Pioneer Football League match-up to highlight Saturday's festivities. The kick-off is set for 1 p.m. at the Sellick Bowl.

The game will be streamed through Facebook Live on the ButlerBulldogs page. Mark Minner will handle play-by-play duties, and production will be handled through a partnership with Butler's College of Communication.

Butler is 4-3 overall and 2-2 in PFL play. The Bulldogs have won back-to-back conference games, knocking off previously-undefeated Jacksonville, 37-22, in the team's most recent contest. That followed a 44-6 win over Morehead State on the road Oct. 7.

Campbell enters Saturday's contest with a 5-2 record and is a perfect 4-0 so far in PFL play. This will be the final meeting between the two schools as PFL foes. Campbell will join the Big South Conference in 2018 as they add athletic scholarships to their program.

This is the tenth match-up between the two schools with Butler holding a slim 5-4 advantage. That includes a 3-1 mark in Indianapolis. The last two meetings have come down to the wire. Campbell won, 33-27, in overtime in 2016 in Buies Creek, N.C. That followed a 25-24 win by the Bulldogs in Indianapolis in 2015 that was also part of Homecoming Weekend. In that game, quarterback Matt Shiltz connected with Brandon Collins for a two-yard touchdown reception in the back corner of the end zone that Collins hauled in with one hand. It gave Butler its only lead of the game with 37 seconds remaining on the clock.

In Saturday's win over Jacksonville, Sam Schrader had three rushing touchdowns and 74 rushing yards. He also connected with Brad Sznajder on a 41-yard pass to set up the Bulldogs' first score. Schrader is now only 13 rushing yards shy of 1,000 for his Butler career.

Butler had 232 yards rushing, just 10 yards shy of Jacksonville's total despite 10 fewer carries. The Dolphins entered the contest leading the PFL in both scoring (39.6 points per game) and rushing yards (318 per game). Butler's defense held them far under those totals.

Butler won the battle of time of possession (31:04) and had 25 first downs to 22 by Jacksonville. Senior Duvante Lane was a big part of that with 98 yards rushing and a touchdown.

Will Marty connected on 19 of his 23 attempts. He and Pace Temple paired up for 94 yards and a touchdown late in the first half that gave the Bulldogs a 20-15 lead at the break. Fifty-two of Temple's yards came on that drive.

Mason Brunner led the Butler defense with a career-high 15 tackles. Isaak Newhouse had 13 stops, including 10 solo tackles. Mike Cerone and Ethan Brunhofer each had eight tackles.

Butler was well over 200 yards rushing for the second consecutive week after putting up 253 yards in the 44-6 win over Morehead State Oct. 7. Three different Bulldogs accounted for six rushing touchdowns. The victory was the largest PFL win for the Bulldogs since a 72-12 victory over Valparaiso on Nov. 9, 2013.

Lane had 99 yards rushing and three touchdowns. Lane's 32-yard touchdown run with 54 seconds remaining in the first half sent the teams into the locker room with the Bulldogs leading, 24-0. The lead grew to 44-0 early in the fourth quarter after a three-yard scoring run from Schrader and two more touchdowns by Lane.

Lane is fifth in the PFL in rushing at 66.7 yards per game. His six touchdowns are tied for second in the conference (Schrader is fifth with five touchdowns on the season). Lane led the ground attack at Franklin Sept. 9, posting 117 yards on 26 carries. It was Lane's third career 100-yard rushing game. His career-high of 29 carries and 156 yards came against Valparaiso in 2016. Lane was a preseason All-PFL honoree after finding the end zone nine times last season.

It was Lane's backfield mate Anthony Scaccia who registered the first two touchdowns of the game at Morehead State, scoring from two yards and 19 yards in the first quarter as Butler built a 14-0 lead. Scaccia had 80 total yards (45 rushing and 35 receiving) on the day.

Behind the running game, Butler held the ball for 38:25 in the contest.

Butler is second in the PFL in time of possession (32:49). That is highlighted by Butler's offense having the ball for 44:21 minutes Sept. 9 at Franklin. Franklin had possession of the ball for only 4:22 of the second half's 30 minutes.

Butler scored on all five of its trips to the red zone Saturday against Jacksonville, including four touchdowns. The Bulldogs lead the PFL in red zone offense, scoring on 92 percent of their trips inside the 20 this season. The Bulldogs have scored on 23 of 25 red zone possessions, including 17 touchdowns.

The Bulldogs' defense played a huge role in the win at Morehead State by causing seven fumbles (recovering five), grabbing an interception, and sacking the MSU quarterback four times. Those turnovers led to 20 Butler points.  

On the season, Butler's eight fumble recoveries lead the PFL and are sixth in the country. The Bulldogs have only committed three turnovers on the season (all interceptions), and that figure is third in FCS while also leading the conference.

Linebacker Xavier Colvin had two sacks, five tackles, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery at Morehead State. Zach Bacon and Brunhofer each added sacks. Bacon's resulted in a fumble, while Brunhofer caused two fumbles. Austin Lewis picked up the first interception of his Butler career in the closing minute of the game.

Newhouse's averages of 10.0 tackles per game and 7.0 solo tackles per game are second and first, respectively, in the PFL. Newhouse has led the Bulldogs in tackles in four of the team's games. He had 11 tackles (eight solo) at San Diego Sept. 23. That performance followed a 14-tackle (12 solo) game against Illinois State in the 2017 opener.
Brunhofer led the Bulldogs with eight tackles in the game against Taylor Sept. 16. Brunhofer joined Newhouse as honorable mention All-PFL choices last season. Brunhofer is the team's leading returning tackler with 74 a season ago, including a career-high 12 in the game against Marist.

Temple, a junior, has picked up right where he left off as a sophomore. Temple has accumulated 676 receiving yards through the team's seven games so far this season. He has eclipsed 100 yards three times in 2017 and has six 100-yard performances during his career.

Temple had seven grabs for 138 yards in the Sept. 30 loss to Drake. That followed his eight catches for 155 yards and two touchdowns Sept. 23 at San Diego. His career-high of 156 receiving yards came at Franklin Sept. 9. Temple now has 111 career receptions.  

Temple's 676 receiving yards lead the PFL and are ninth nationally. His 96.6 yards per game and 17.9 yards per reception are first and second, respectively, in the conference. The preseason All-Pioneer Football League selection had 978 receiving yards in 2016, which was 24^th in FCS.

Marty's 313 passing yards against Taylor in the final non-conference game of the season Sept. 21 were one short of his career-high 314 that he posted in the 2016 game against Marist.

Nick Weaver had a career-best eight receptions in that win over Taylor. Marty and James Marbaugh connected on the first touchdown reception of his career as Marty spread his 32 completions among nine receivers. Freshman Cam Cooper had career-bests of four catches for 43 yards.

Cooper has played a key role in the return game, averaging 22.3 on kick-off returns this season. He had a career-best 41-yard return last week against Jacksonville.

Butler's coverage units have been among the best nationally once again this season. The Bulldogs have allowed an average of 3.8 yards per punt return, which leads the PFL and is 14th nationally. Butler's kick-off coverage unit is also second-best in the PFL, surrendering only 17.1 yards per kick-off return.

Sophomore Drew Bevelhimer made all three of his field goal attempts Sept. 30 against Drake, connecting on kicks of 32, 42, and 43 yards. His final field goal pushed him over 100 career points. Bevelhimer has connected on 22 of his 28 career field goal attempts (79 percent).

Luke Sennett grabbed the second interception of his Butler career at San Diego. He has two of the Bulldogs' three picks this season. Sennett had 10 tackles against Drake, which were a team-high.

Marty, Lane and Newhouse join defensive lineman Connor Andras as the team's four seniors for the 2017 campaign.

Voris, in his 12^th season on the Butler sidelines, enters Saturday's contest with a 68-63 mark at Butler.

Butler was picked to finish seventh in the Pioneer Football League preseason poll. The conference's 11 head coaches voted in the poll and were not allowed to vote for their own team. San Diego was picked as the preseason favorite.

Butler, which is 2-1 at home this season, returns to the road for consecutive weeks of PFL play. The Bulldogs head to Dayton Oct. 28 followed by a trip to Stetson Nov. 4. Butler's final home contest of the 2017 season is Nov. 11 when Valparaiso visits.