INDIANAPOLIS – The Bulldogs were defeated by Dayton on Saturday afternoon by the final score of 38-28. BU outscored Dayton 21-17 in the second half, but were unable to mount the comeback which moves their overall record to 3-5.
 
Dayton scored a touchdown on three of their first four possessions and finished strong with 17 points on three of their final four drives. QB Jack Cook threw for 254 yards and five touchdowns in the win. Three of his five scores through the air went to TE Adam Trautman. The final two went to WR Ryan Skibinski. Skibinski ended the game with five catches for 135 yards.
 
The Dayton ground game was strong with RB Tucker Yinger rushing for 222 yards on 28 carries. BU RB Brad Sznajder also topped 100-yards on the ground, going for 113 on just 12 attempts.
 
Anthony Scaccia took a majority of the reps at the running back positon for Butler. He gained 69 yards on 18 carries. BU also got a rushing TD out of Will Marty who took a dive across the goal line from one-yard out.
 
Butler's first TD of the game came with less than five minutes to play in the second quarter. Marty dropped back and hit Austin Schwantz for a 22-yard score. The extra point by Drew Bevelhimer would move the score to 21-7.
 
Butler looked to have momentum on their side at the start of the second half after an eight-yard TD run from Sznajder. The 14-play 75-yard scoring drive got Butler within one score, but the failed extra point would make the score 21-13.
 
The following kick-off was unique as Dayton tried to call for a fair catch after the ball had already landed in play. As a result, the ball was placed at the Dayton 3-yard line where the Flyers would take over offensively. The Butler defense held strong and would get the ball back, but a booming 80-yard punt would flip the field for Dayton. The 80-yard punt rolled out of bounds at the Butler 19-yard line and would go down as a Dayton school record.
 
BU went three-and-out on the following drive and Dayton would field the BU punt at the 50 to set up another short field scenario. Cook would send a shovel pass to Trautman from three-yards out to give the Flyers a 28-13 advantage less than four minutes later.
 
The fourth quarter opened up with Dayton scoring off a TD pass from Cook to Skibinski. Butler would counter with a 75-yard scoring drive that ended with the Marty keeper. BU went for two and made it with a trick play. Sznajder took a jet sweep around the end and pulled up to throw the ball to Sam Yeaton for the conversion.
 
The Flyers would eat up seven minutes of the game clock on their next possession and add three points to the scoreboard with a 28-yard FG from Joseph Bruni. Butler's final points would come on a 29-yard TD pass from Marty to Sznajder.
 
Butler will look to rebound next week with a road game at Jacksonville. Kick-off is slated for 12 PM.