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INDIANAPOLIS – The Hoosier Helmet Trophy will be on the line Saturday afternoon when the Butler Bulldogs host the Valparaiso Beacons at 1 PM. FloFootball will stream the rivalry game at the Sellick Bowl with Joey Lindstrom and Caleb Groce on the call.
 
GameDay
Date: Saturday, October 28
Time: 1:00 PM
Location: Indianapolis, Ind. / Sellick Bowl
Live Stats: ButlerSports.com (Statbroadcast)
Watch: FloFootball.com
 
Bulldog Bits
- Butler won at Dayton on Saturday for the first time since 2013
- Jyran Mitchell scored three touchdowns in the victory and Luka Zurak was 3-for-3 on FG attempts
- Mitchell ranks eighth among all FCS running backs in rushing yards per game (116.1)
- Mitchell has five 100-yard rushing performances and has scored a TD in every game this season
- Mitchell leads the PFL in all-purpose yards (131.3), rushing yards (929), and yards per rush (6.6)
- Ryan Lezon has caught a TD pass in back-to-back games giving him a team-high four on the year
- Butler scored on their first four possessions at Dayton (FG, TD, FG, TD)
- Bret Bushka didn't throw an incomplete pass in the first half at Dayton (12-12)
- Bushka ended the game with 191 passing yards and two touchdowns
- Jeremiah Jackson led Butler with 11 tackles on Saturday (8 solo)
- Jackson and Charlie Bless each forced a fumble
- The Bulldogs lead the PFL in scoring defense, allowing just 20.8 points per game this year
- Butler ranks first in the PFL and second in the FCS in fewest penalty yards per game (29.8)
- The 'Dawgs didn't commit a penalty at Dayton
 
PFL Standings
Davidson 4-0, 5-2
Drake 4-0, 4-3
Marist 4-1, 4-3
St. Thomas 4-1, 5-3
Butler 3-2, 5-3
Morehead State 2-2, 3-4
Presbyterian 1-3, 3-4
San Diego 1-3, 1-6
Stetson 1-3, 3-4
Valparaiso 0-4, 1-6
Dayton 0-5, 2-6
 
PFL Schedule – Week 9
Valparaiso at Butler 1:00 p.m.
Stetson at Drake 1:00 p.m.
Marist at St. Thomas 2:00 p.m.
Morehead State at San Diego 5:00 p.m.
Presbyterian at Davidson 7:00 p.m.
 
SCOUTING VALPO: The Beacons are coming off a 42-21 road loss at Davidson that moved their overall record to 1-6. Their lone win this season was a one-point victory over Southwest Minnesota State at Brown Field on Sept. 30. The weekend prior, Valpo took Marist into overtime, but lost 36-30. Four of Valpo's six losses have been one-score games. The only two that were not, were their first (52-10 at Youngstown State) and their last. Head Coach Landon Fox is in his fifth season at Valpo. He arrived on campus after spending a decade at Dayton as the Flyers defensive coordinator. A defensive-minded HC has Valpo coming in at second in the league in rush defense (124.1).
 
QB Rowan Keefe came off the bench at halftime and completed 9-of-12 passes for 187 yards and three touchdowns at Davidson. Valpo's Evan Matthes also heads into the weekend leading the PFL in punt average (43.0).
 
HOOSIER HELMET HISTORY: The Hoosier Helmet Trophy was created to commemorate and intensify the long-standing rivalry between Butler and Valparaiso. The first game was played in 1927 with BU winning 58-0. The two programs have played each year since 1951.
 
Saturday will be the 83rd meeting between Butler and Valpo marking the most contests between the Bulldogs and any other PFL opponent.
 
ALL-TIME SERIES: Butler holds the upper hand against Valpo in the all-time series 52-30. The Bulldogs won 13-straight games against the Beacons from 1981-1993 to take control of the Hoosier Helmet rivalry.
 
Since 2017, Valpo has won five of the seven matchups. The 'Dawgs erased a 13-point deficit at Valpo a year ago to post a comeback win. Butler's last victory over Valpo at the Sellick Bowl came in 2019 (24-21).
 
LAST MEETING: Butler outscored Valpo 20-6 in the fourth quarter last year to storm back and capture a 26-25 victory. Bret Bushka threw TD passes to Luke Wooten and Jared Suchevits over the final 15 minutes of action and the BU QB would add a two-yard TD rush with less than two minutes on the game clock to tie the contest. Luka Zurak hit the PAT to push BU over the top.
 
Jacob Cain recorded a sack vs. the Beacons in 2022 and Lucas Kozlowski picked off a pass on the final possession to seal the win.
 
BULLDOGS IN BIG MOMENTS: Butler went 3-for-3 on fourth down conversions at Dayton and were 4-for-4 in the red zone with two touchdowns and two made field goals.
 
Butler set the tone early and converted 4th and 3 (Dayton 41) on the opening drive which led to a field goal.
 
MITCHELL ON A MISSION: Jyran Mitchell averaged 7.3 yards per rush vs. the Flyers and put Dayton away with a 59-yard TD run in the fourth quarter. He ended the contest with 117 rushing yards on 16 carries.
 
The graduate transfer needs just 71 yards to reach 1,000 this season.
 
LOCKED ON LOSS: Ethan Loss set new career-high totals at Dayton catching six passes for 86 yards.
 
Loss was targeted eight times in the victory and was responsible for the longest gain of the game for BU by hauling in a 55-yard reception, his longest of his career.
 
SAM WITH THE SACK: Redshirt-junior Sam Urbanski came up with the first sack of his collegiate career at Dayton.
 
Butler's defense has a sack in four-straight games and has recorded at least three tackles for loss in every contest this season.
 
'DAWGS ON D: Jeremiah Jackson has recorded double digit tackles in back-to-back games. He had six tackles in his first two games of the year but has recorded 23 over his last two!
 
Jack Belskis has stepped up with 14 tackles over Butler's last three games. He had six over Butler's first five contests.
 
BUSHKA IN BULLDOG HISTORY: Bret Bushka topped 5,000 career passing yards at St. Thomas on Oct. 7 to become one of just six quarterbacks in program history to reach the milestone.
 
Bushka is one of 35 FCS players to make the Preseason Watch List for the Walter Payton Award. He has passed for 1,279 yards and nine touchdowns this year. He also has four rushing touchdowns in 2023.
 
UP NEXT: Butler's final road game of the 2023 regular season will take the Bulldogs to Morehead, Ky. to face the Eagles.
 
Morehead State leads the all-time series over Butler 18-9, but the Bulldogs came up with a convincing win over the Eagles last year at the Sellick Bowl 56-20.