DAVIDSON, N.C. – Head Coach Jeff Voris went for the win on Saturday afternoon in the 2018 regular season finale, but RB Brad Sznajder was stopped just one-yard shy of the end zone to give Davidson a 41-38 victory. The game featured 53 first downs and not a single punt.
 
The Bulldogs trailed the Wildcats 41-30 in the fourth quarter with just 7:21 left on the game clock. Will Marty would go to work in the hurry-up offense to get Butler down the field for six in crunch time. He hit Pace Temple for a nine-yard TD pass and a two-point conversion from Marty to Sam Yeaton would move the score to 41-38.
 
The Bulldogs were trying to find some of the same magic that they ran into at the start of the season and elected to go for an on-side kick with 3:44 left in the fourth. It worked, as Evan Giebel recovered his own kick to keep Butler alive.
 
Marty would go back to Temple for 11-yards and three-straight carries from Sznajder would get Butler down to the Davidson 30-yard line. Drama would build after a Davidson timeout as Marty once again hit Temple, this time for a 28-yard gain dropping down to the Davidson two-yard line.
 
BU called a timeout after the big play and decided on a quarterback sneak on first down. Marty would gain one yard, but was unable to cross the goal line. On second down, Marty would once again make a push but this time the ball came out and Butler would lose a yard on the recovery by Yeaton.
 
After being stuffed up the middle on back-to-back plays, Butler would try the outside edge with a carry going to Anthony Scaccia. The senior didn't find any room and the ball would be placed back at the three-yard line after a loss of one.
 
Butler called their final timeout with three seconds to play and elected to go for it on fourth down on the three rather than kick for the tie. Sznajder rushed for two on the final play of the game, but the goal line stand by Davidson would hold giving the Wildcats the win.
 
Sznajder had a good game on the ground for Butler, rushing for 122 yard and a score. Scaccia ended his BU career with 12 carries for 48 yards and a TD.
 
Butler mixed the run with the pass to post 461 yards of total offense. They picked up 11 first downs on the ground and 16 through the air. QB Will Marty ended the game 29-for-43, throwing for 307 yards and two touchdowns. Each TD pass went to Pace Temple who ended his brilliant career with 14 catches for 169 yards.
 
The impressive performance from Temple moved him past 1,000 receiving yards on the year. He caught 85 passes in 2018 for 1,097 yards (breaking his own Butler single-season record) and nine touchdowns. Career numbers for the all-time great included 229 catches for (school record) 3,364 yards and 22 TD's.
 
Butler ends the 2018 campaign with a 4-7 overall record that includes a 2-6 mark against PFL opponents.