Game Notes (PDF)

The Bulldogs conclude the 2017 season Saturday afternoon, hosting Valparaiso at the Sellick Bowl in Indianapolis. The 1 p.m. Pioneer Football League contest will serve as Senior Day for the Bulldogs, as the university is also celebrating Family Weekend on campus.

Butler will stream Saturday's contest live on the Butler Bulldogs Facebook page. The production is done through a partnership with the university's College of Communication. Mark Minner will handle play-by-play duties.

Butler is 6-4 on the season and 4-3 in PFL action. The Bulldogs are coming off a 23-6 win at Stetson last weekend. Valparaiso enters at 4-5 (3-3 PFL).

In a series that dates back to 1927, Butler enjoys a 50-25 lead in match-ups with the Crusaders. In 2006, the teams instituted the Hoosier Helmet Trophy to highlight the rivalry. Since 2006, Butler has won nine of the 11 meetings.

Butler won the 2016 meeting of the two teams, 23-12. The Bulldogs' defense limited Valparaiso to 222 total yards and just 12 first downs. In contrast, Butler's offense accumulated 446 yards. The Bulldogs had a 275-33 advantage in rushing yards. Duvante Lane had 156 yards rushing on 29 carries. Both figures were career-highs. Pace Temple had five receptions for 125 yards.
 
Isaak Newhouse got Butler on the board first with a 46-yard interception return for a touchdown just two minutes into the first quarter. Mike Cerone led the Bulldogs with 11 tackles and two pass break-ups. 

Lane and Newhouse are among 21 graduating players who will play their final game at the Sellick Bowl on Saturday. The class will be recognized pregame. On the defensive side of the ball, captains Newhouse and Connor Andras are joined by Zach Bacon, Jake Balder, Danny Banks, Dylan Banks, Cur Beckman, Chris Boudoures, Ryan Bradley, Ethan Brunhofer, Chad Burdo, Noah Cralle, and Josh Willis. Offensive players set to graduate include captain Lane, along with Cord Collier, John Hall, Jacob Lewis, Patrick Mosby, Billy Robinson, Sam Schrader, and Nick Weaver.

Much like it did in last year's contest with Valparaiso, Butler's defense also led the winning effort last week at Stetson. The Bulldogs scored 16 points in the second half of its 23-6 win with all 16 points being registered by the defense. Cerone ran back an interception 42 yards for a touchdown. That score was followed by a Connor Andras safety and a 70-yard interception return touchdown by Brunhofer.

While he didn't have one at Stetson, Schrader has run for nine touchdowns so far in 2017. That total is second in the PFL and 15^th nationally.

Temple has accumulated 951 receiving yards through the team's 10 games this season. He has eclipsed 100 yards four times in 2017 and has seven 100-yard performances during his career. Temple's receiving yards are eighth in FCS.

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 134 career receptions and went over 2,000 career yards in the game against Dayton Oct. 28.  

His 95.1 yards per game and 17.3 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.  

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. Lane also had 99 yards rushing at Morehead State and 98 yards against Jacksonville. Lane was a preseason All-PFL honoree after finding the end zone nine times last season.

Butler's offense has been incredibly efficient in a number of categories this season. The Bulldogs lead the PFL and are third nationally in time of possession, averaging 34:12 per game. The 41:49 of possession against Campbell Oct. 21 was actually the second-best mark of the season as Butler held the ball for 44:21 against Franklin in the second game of the season.

Butler's three lost fumbles are the lowest mark in the PFL, while the team has been penalized only an average of 54.2 yards per game this season. That is second in the PFL. The Bulldogs are converting third downs at a 43.4-percent clip, which is third in the PFL. And Butler's offensive line is allowing only an average of 0.60 sacks per game. That leads the conference and is fourth nationally. The Bulldogs lead the PFL in red zone offense, scoring on 87 percent of their trips inside the 20 this season.

Butler's three-game conference winning streak prior to its Oct. 28 loss at Dayton was the first for the Bulldogs since 2013 when the team had separate four- and three-game stints. Butler went over 200 yards on the ground in all three wins. The Bulldogs used 229 yards on the ground to power by Campbell, 37-23, Oct. 21. Butler had 232 yards rushing against Jacksonville Oct. 14, and 253 yards on the ground in the 44-6 rout of Morehead State Oct. 7. Both Jacksonville and Campbell were undefeated in PFL play entering their match-up with Butler.

Newhouse led Butler with nine tackles, including seven solo stops, at Dayton Oct. 21. He was one of three Bulldogs with a team-high six tackles at Stetson last week. Newhouse's averages of 9.3 tackles per game and 6.7 solo tackles per game are third and first, respectively, in the PFL. Newhouse has led the Bulldogs in tackles in seven of the team's games. Newhouse had 13 stops against Jacksonville Oct. 14, including 10 solo tackles. 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.

Including the Bulldogs' five fumble recoveries in the win over Morehead State, Butler has 10 on the season. That mark is 11th nationally while leading the PFL.

In the most recent outing at Stetson, Butler's defense had five sacks and held the Hatters' rushing attack to negative-21 yards. It was the team's best defensive performance of the season. Another impreesive outing for Butler's defense was limiting Campbell to 34 rushing yards on 17 attempts and just three third-down conversions Oct. 21. 

Mason Brunner led the Butler defense with a career-high 15 tackles against Jacksonville Oct. 14. Linebacker Xavier Colvin had two sacks, five tackles, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery at Morehead State. 

Butler's coverage units have been among the best nationally once again this season. The Bulldogs lead the PFL, allowing only an average of 3.9 yards per punt return. Butler surrenders only 17.5 yards per kick-off return, which also leads the PFL.

Voris, in his 12^th season on the Butler sidelines, enters Saturday's contest with a 70-64 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.