GAME NOTES | LIVE STATS | WATCH | TICKETS
 
INDIANAPOLIS – The final home game of the 2021 spring football season will be played at the Sellick Bowl this Saturday at noon. Butler will host Drake for the 18th time in program history. The contest will be the 30th overall meeting between the PFL foes.
 
Bulldog Talk
- Nick Orlando threw a TD and rushed for a TD last week vs. Morehead State.
- Austin Schwantz's first reception of the 2021 season was a touchdown.
- Butler averaged 4.6 yards per rush vs. Morehead State.
- Yogi Flager leads the PFL in yards per reception (18.8).
- Johnny O'Shea ranks second in the PFL in receptions per game (5.5).
- Sam Brown ranks third in the league in completion percentage (56.7) and passing yards per game (194.0).
- The longest play of the season for Butler was a 49-yard pass from Brown to O'Shea in the first quarter last Saturday.
- Gabe Hicks and Devin Aguilar each recorded an interception and a tackle for loss Saturday vs. MSU.
- Aguilar led BU with a team-best 10 tackles.
- Luka Zurak set a new season-high with a 58 yard punt vs. the Eagles.
 
SCOUTING DRAKE: The Bulldogs head to Indianapolis with a 1-2 overall record. Drake lost 13-10 at home to San Diego in the season opener, but would bounce back with a 17-6 road win at Valpo the next Saturday. Week 3's tilt at Stetson was canceled due to COVID-19 issues within Stetson's Tier I personnel. Football activities for Drake resumed last Saturday in Des Moines. The Bulldogs lost that game 10-7 to Valpo with all 17 points coming in the second half. QB Ian Corwin was named to the 2021 Preseason All-PFL Watch List, but appears behind Hunter Wendling in the Week 5 depth chart. Wendling completed 12 passes last weekend in his first start for 173 yards. On the other side of the ball, Drake has two standout defensive backs in Danny Morales and Alex Rogers. The duo rank fourth and fifth on the team in tackles. Morales has one interception and a team-high four pass break-ups.
 
Drake leads the PFL in total defense, allowing just 237 yards per game. They are also the least penalized team in the PFL.
 
BUTLER VS. DRAKE in 2019: Butler took a 42-7 loss to Drake in the last meeting. The highlight of the day for Butler fans came in the closing seconds of the first quarter when Joey Lindstrom hit Johnny O'Shea for a 34-yard touchdown pass.
 
Drew Dingman hit an extra point vs. Drake that day. It was the first of his career.
 
SERIES HISTORY: Drake leads the all-time series 20-8-1. The first-ever meeting was played in 1932 and resulted in a 0-0 tie.
 
Butler's last win against Drake came at home in 2015; 20-13.
 
LAST SATURDAY: Morehead State jumped out to a 21-0 lead at the Sellick Bowl to claim a 35-14 victory last Saturday. Butler turned the ball over four times, helping the Eagles even their conference record at 2-2.
 
Kavon Samuels topped 100-yards on the ground for the second time this season vs. MSU. He rushed 25 times for 104 yards.
 
SENIOR DAY: The Butler football team will recognize senior Brad Huth before the coin flip on Saturday afternoon. Huth has appeared in 27 games at Butler and has caught 32 passes for 368 yards and two touchdowns.
 
Huth hauled in five catches for 40 yards and a touchdown in the home opener vs. Indiana Wesleyan in 2019.
 
NEXT MAN UP: The top two tacklers on Butler's defense are not listed on the depth chart this week due to injuries.
 
LB's Isaac Kolosik and Malachi Pike are not expected to play against Drake.
 
BALANCED OFFENSE: Butler rushed for 11 first downs last Saturday and passed for 10. QB Sam Brown completed passes to a season-high eight different receivers.
 
Johnny O'Shea was Brown's top target against the Eagles. He had eight catches for a team-high 108 yards.
 
FEATURED BACK: Kavon Samuels has rushed the ball 20+ times in three of Butler's four games this season. He is coming off a season-high 25 carries vs. Morehead State.
 
Samuels has rushed for 344 yards this season and is third on the team with 132 receiving yards. He ranks second in the PFL in all-purpose yards (119.0).
 
UP NEXT: Butler will end the 2021 spring season at Morehead State on April 17. The game will start at 4 PM. Fans can catch the game on ESPN+.
 
Morehead State recorded a 35-14 win at Butler on April 3. BU played Morehead State and Valpo twice this season due to other PFL programs opting out due to Covid-19.