DAYTON, Ohio – The Dayton Flyers (4-4, 3-3) recorded a 38-31 win over Butler (2-7, 0-6) on Saturday afternoon at Welcome Stadium. The Bulldogs posted 530 yards of total offense and outscored the Flyers 24-14 in the second half, but were unable to find the win column.
 
How it Happened
Bret Bushka threw for 403 yards and added a team-best 58 yards on the ground to lead the Butler offense. His favorite receivers on Saturday were Johnny O'Shea and Yogi Flager. O'Shea was targeted 20 times which led to his 13-catch game. He ended the day with a game-high 164 receiving yards. Flager pulled in six of his nine targets for 125 yards and a touchdown.
 
Bushka's counterpart Jack Cook was in the box score with 269 yards and two touchdowns. Dayton's top performer on Saturday was running back Jake Chisholm. He rushed 24 times for 161 yards and three touchdowns. He also opened up the scoring with a 50-yard TD reception.
 
Butler and Dayton were tied at 7-7 after the first quarter, but the Flyers would take control of the action by winning the second quarter 17-0. A BU fumble set up a short field for Dayton to start the second quarter and the Flyers would go up 10-7 after a 20-yard field goal.
 
Butler looked to get those points back after a Tommy Carlsen interception. Bushka would push the ball downfield after the pick and hit Flager for a gain of 26. The Bulldogs got the ball down to the Dayton 30 yard line, but would be stopped on fourth and four to turn the ball over on downs.
 
Dayton used that momentum to take control of the second quarter. A pivotal part of the game came on a huge third down conversion. Cook faced third and 11, but found Bubonics for a gain of 30. The next pass from Cook covered 22 yards and eventually Chisholm would cash in to give Dayton the 17-7 advantage.
 
Dayton scored that touchdown with 2:30 left in the first half and the Flyer defense would get the ball back to their offense with 1:28 to play in the second quarter. Cook helped Dayton cover 70 yards in just three plays (44 seconds) to get another TD before the half.
 
After the stoppage, Butler's offense went back to work and scored on their first drive. BU would face a fourth down and six situation on the Dayton 25 yard line. Bushka kept the ball on fourth and gained 19 yards. Two plays later, AJ Deinhart crossed the goal line from one yard out to make the game 24-14.
 
Butler's offense was back on the field in a hurry after Dayton scored on a two-play drive that covered 49 yards. Butler wouldn't match the six points, but instead would settle for three on a 32-yard field goal by JJ Wadas making the score 31-17.
 
Dayton used another quick score to extend their lead to 38-17. Chisholm would break free and scatter 49 yards to the end zone for his third touchdown of the day.
 
The Bulldogs didn't blink and would score their own touchdown just 11 seconds later. Flager beat his man and Bushka would find him for the 75-yard TD pass. The 'Dawgs would keep grinding and get a second touchdown run from Bushka in the fourth quarter to get within seven points.
 
Bushka's TD came with 2:06 on the clock, and with just two timeouts remaining Butler elected for the on-side kick. The attempt was unsuccessful, but the Bulldog D would hold strong and force a Dayton punt. Butler tried to get the ball down the field with less than a minute to play, but a Dayton interception would end any chance of a comeback and Cook would take a knee to deliver the victory.
 
Stat of the Game
Dayton's final three touchdowns of the game all came on big plays. They scored on a three-play drive in just 44 seconds before the half, then added a two-play TD drive to start the third quarter. (33 seconds). Their final touchdown on Saturday came on the third play, covering 60 yards (44 seconds).
 
Inside the Box Score
- Butler recorded eight more first downs than Dayton and won time of possession (36-24)
- BU passed for 22 of their 28 first downs
- AJ Deinhart rushed the ball 16 times for 55 yards and a TD
- Bushka recorded 58 rushing yards and scored twice on the ground
- Nick Orlando completed one pass for eight yards and caught two for 34
- Sam Rogers caught three balls for 26 yards
- Connor Reid led BU with 11 tackles at Welcome Stadium
- Michael Wellman recorded a sack for the Bulldog defense
- Tommy Carlsen returned his interception 18 yards for BU
- BU never punted in the second half (3 TD's, 1 FG, 2 INT)
 
Up Next
The final home game of the 2021 campaign is up next on the schedule for the Bulldogs. Butler will host Valparaiso on Saturday, Nov. 13. Senior Day will feature a 12 PM kick-off. The Hoosier Helmet will also be on the line.