GAME NOTES | TICKETS
 
INDIANAPOLIS – The 2022 season opener will feature the Butler Bulldogs hosting the St. Thomas Bobcats on Saturday, Sept. 3. The 1 PM kick-off will stream on FloSports with Matt Schumacker and Joey Lindstrom calling the action.
 
Gameday
Date: Saturday, September 3
Time: 1:00 PM (EST)
Location: Indianapolis, Ind. / Sellick Bowl
Live Stats: Statbroadcast
Watch: FloSports.com
 
2022 PFL Schedule – Week 1
Morehead State at Mercer
St. Thomas at Southern Utah
Dayton at Robert Morris
Georgetown at Marist
St. Thomas (Fla.) at Butler         
Davidson at Jacksonville State
Drake at North Dakota State
Concordia (Mich.) at Stetson
Presbyterian at Austin Peay
Indiana Wesleyan at Valparaiso
La Verne at San Diego
 
Bulldog Bits
- Mike Uremovich became the 25th head coach in Butler football history on Dec. 27, 2021. Uremovich was the offensive coordinator at Temple and Northern Illinois before arriving in Indianapolis.
- The Bulldogs were picked 10th in the 2022 PFL Coaches' Poll.
- Skyler Spetter (OL) is a First Team Phil Steele Preseason All-PFL selection. Connor Reid (DB) made the second team while Bret Bushka (QB), AJ Deinhart (RB), Johnny O'Shea (WR), Austin Korba (DL), and Luka Zurak (P) made the third team. 
- Bret Bushka passed for 403 yards at Dayton last season to become just the fourth quarterback in program history to top 400 yards in a single-game.
- Bushka needs 242 yards on Saturday to reach 2,000 career passing yards.
- Johnny O'Shea caught 13 passes vs. the Flyers last year to place his name in the BU record book. The school record stands at 15 (Tom Redmond '72).
- O'Shea has caught 80 passes over 25 career games to accumulate 1,057 yards and five TD's.
- Butler added 46 newcomers to the 2022 roster, including transfers from Purdue, Cincinnati, Ball State, Harvard and Wake Forest.
- Luka Zurak is in line to punt, kick-off and hit field goals for the Bulldogs this fall.
 
SCOUTING ST. THOMAS: The Bobcats posted a 9-2 overall record last year by averaging 38.4 points per game. The offense moved the ball up and down the field to average 400 yards of total offense throughout the season. QB Tyler Thomas will return to the huddle this year for his senior season. He threw 23 touchdowns in 2021 with just five interceptions. His top targets were C'quan Jnopierre and Khalitri Zow.
 
Defensive back Sidney Porter was selected as an AFCA NAIA Second Team All-American in 2021.
 
STOP THE RUN: Rontavious Farmer rushed for eight touchdowns in nine games last year as a freshman for the Bobcats. He averaged 95.3 yards per game and 6.9 yards per carry.
 
Farmer rushed the ball 16 times for 112 yards in his collegiate debut. He capped off his rookie season with 221 yards on 19 carries at Point.
 
ALL-TIME SERIES: The game on Saturday is the first-ever meeting between Butler and St. Thomas University. The Bobcats are a NAIA school that play in the Sun Conference. Their campus is located in Miami Gardens, Fla.
 
St. Thomas added a football program in 2019. Butler will be the first Division I opponent to appear on the Bobcat schedule in their short four-year history.
 
WEEK 1 HOME OPENER: Butler will open the season at home for the first time since 2011. The 'Dawgs have played at  Western Illinois, South Dakota State, Wittenberg, Indiana State (2x), Illinois State (2x), and Youngstown State over the last decade. The Bulldogs also faced preseason favorite North Dakota State in Week 1 of the 2019 season. That contest was the first-ever Division I football game held at Target Field in Minneapolis.
 
Butler's 2020-21 Spring Season that was adjusted and shortened due to the COVID-19 pandemic also featured a home game in Week 1. The Bulldogs were limited to just six total games, all of which came against PFL foes. They played Valparaiso and Morehead State twice that year.
 
A YEAR AGO: The first touchdown of the 2021 season came on a 1-yard pass from Bret Bushka to Jared Suchevits at Illinois State. The Bulldogs scored with 3:40 to play in the second quarter.
 
BU used 17 plays to cover 75 yards to find the end zone against the Redbirds. It was the first career TD reception for Suchevits.
 
START HOW YOU FINISHED: Connor Reid led the Bulldogs in tackles six times last season, including in five of Butler's final six games. Reid led the team with 78 total tackles, pushing his BU career total to 106. He also has four interceptions and a sack over 17 games.
 
Reid played football at Holy Cross for two seasons before transferring to Butler. He was a PFL honorable mention selection for the Bulldogs in 2021.
 
YOUTH MOVEMENT: The 2022 Butler football roster has 26 upperclassmen and 80 underclassmen. The breakdown includes six graduate students, 12 seniors and just eight juniors. The Bulldogs have 20 sophomores ready for action and a whopping 60 freshmen!
 
The large freshman class includes 19 returners as redshirt-freshmen.
 
AROUND THE PFL: Three PFL student-athletes were recognized on Preseason All-America Teams. Dayton's Jake Chisholm was a second-team honoree (HERO Sports), Davidson's Jonathan Hammond picked up a third-team honor (Stats Perform) and his teammate Coy Williams was a third-team pick (HERO Sports).
 
The 2022 season marks the 30th year for the Pioneer Football League
 
THANK YOU COACH VORIS: Jeff Voris resigned from his Butler coaching career following his 16th season. Voris guided BU to 80 victories during that stretch. The 'Dawgs also won three PFL Championships ('09, '12, '13).
 
Butler became the first team in school and PFL history to earn a berth in the NCAA Division I Football Championship in 2013. Voris led BU to back-to-back PFL titles.
 
UP NEXT: Butler will host Taylor on Saturday, Sept. 10. Kick-off is scheduled for 6 PM.
 
Butler traveled to Taylor in 2021 and handed the Trojans a 77-24 setback. The 77 Butler points set a new modern day record for the Bulldogs. The victory also increased the Butler lead over Taylor in the all-time series to 8-1.