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INDIANAPOLIS – Butler will face Davidson in the 2018 regular season finale. The Bulldogs are fresh off a 28-23 win against Stetson, handing the Hatters just their second loss of the conference season. The 'Dawgs will look to close the 2018 campaign with back-to-back wins. Kick-off at Davidson is set for 1 PM.
SCOUTING DAVIDSON: The Wildcats are a dangerous team that posted 91 points in a win earlier this season vs. Guilford. They lead the PFL in scoring offense (45.3), total offense (554.6), rushing offense (432.1), first downs (24.5), 3rd-down conversions (52.2), and red zone offense (91.7). Davidson heads into their Senior Day on a four-game losing streak, but have not lost by more than a touchdown in any of those four games. The Wildcats most recently lost by four at San Diego (56-52), lost by three vs. Stetson (56-53) and lost in double overtime at Marist (48-41). The rushing attack features Wesley Dugger, William Wicks and QB Tyler Phelps. All three student-athletes appear in the PFL top-ten list in rushing yards. Dugger ranks second in the league (126.4) and Wicks ranks fourth (97.0). Phelps accounts for 65.2 rushing yards per game, the tenth-best average in the PFL. Dugger rushed for 231 yards last weekend at San Diego. He averaged 15.4 yards per rush in the setback.
Davidson led San Diego 31-7 early in the second quarter last week. Dugger had a 94-yard TD run and Wicks was in the box score with a 90-yard score on the ground.
ALL-TIME SERIES: Butler leads the all-time series over Davidson 6-5. The Wildcats won the first five meetings, beginning with a 45-27 win in 2003. BU has won six-straight, with their most recent wins coming in 2015 and 2016.
Will Marty split time at QB in the last meeting at Davidson. He ended the game with 74 yards and a touchdown.
LAST MEETING: Butler won at Davidson in 2016 by the final score of 20-17.
Drew Bevelhimer connected on a 29-yard field goal attempt with just three seconds remaining in the fourth quarter to lift BU to victory.
Bevelhimer hit two, 4th quarter field goals to help Butler come back and win. Davidson led 14-0 at the start of the game.
DENNIS GOES DEEP: WR
Stephen Dennis scored two touchdowns in Butler's win over Stetson. He caught a 68-yard TD in the second quarter and a 73-yard pass in the third.
STOP THE RUN: Butler will have to slow down the Wildcat ground game in order to win at Davidson. BU ranks sixth in the PFL in rush defense, allowing 214 yards per game on the ground. Davidson averages 432 rushing yards per game and just 122.5 through the air.
Davidson rushed for 789 yards at San Diego on 73 attempts. They averaged 10.8 yards per rush and scored seven rushing touchdowns.
PROTECTION UP FRONT: Butler has recorded and allowed the same number of sacks this season.
Mickey Kane has five of Butler's 12 total sacks defensively. The experienced offensive line for Butler has only allowed 12 sacks over 10 games.
Butler recorded two sacks vs. Stetson last week and kept the Hatters off QB Will Marty for the entire game.
ALL-TIME GREAT: Pace Temple caught 12 passes for a career-high 196 yards at Jacksonville to become the Butler's all-time career leader in receiving yards (3,195). The old record belonged to Zach Watkins (2,994). Temple joined Watkins as just the second player in school history to catch more than 200 passes in his Bulldog career (215).
Temple became the seventh PFL player to reach 3,000 career receiving yards.
MARTY MAKES HIS MARK: QB
Will Marty continues to climb the all-time passing list at Butler. Marty heads into Saturday with 5,243 career passing yards, the fifth-highest total in school history. He is now 226 yards' shy of fourth place (Matt Lancaster '12-'13).
Marty scored his sixth rushing touchdown of the season vs. Stetson. He got around the edge to score from 14-yards out.
SENNETT AIMS FOR 100: Luke Sennett will attempt to become the first Bulldog to reach 100 total tackles in a single-season since 2012. Sennett recorded a career-high 17 tackles at Jacksonville and is now just three shy of 100. The last Bulldog to reach 100 tackles was LB Jordan Ridley (101).
Sennett has reached a double figure tackle total in five of BU's 10 games this year.
IRON MAN: Redshirt senior
Anthony Scaccia is on pace to become just the 10th player in Butler football history to play in 45 career games.
Scaccia has recorded 2,007 all-purpose yards in his Butler career (1237 rushing / 699 receiving, 71 returns). He has posted 500+ all-purpose yards in three consecutive seasons.
72 MORE: Pace Temple needs 72 more yards to reach 1,000 this season. Temple recorded 1,075 receiving yards as a junior (school record) and came up just 22 yards' shy of the 1,000 mark as a sophomore.
Temple has 20 receiving touchdowns in his career.
UP NEXT: Butler's first game of the 2019 season will be played against North Dakota State at Target Field. Tickets are on sale now. Visit twinsbaseball.com/football or call 800-33-TWINS.
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