INDIANAPOLIS – Butler recorded 442 yards of total offense to score 47 points in a 26-point victory over Wabash on Saturday night in front of 6,271 fans at the Sellick Bowl. The Bulldogs are now 2-0 at home and have scored 40+ points in each of their last two games.
The first points of the night went to the home team as Bushka kept the ball for a one-yard rushing TD with 10:09 to play in the opening quarter. The 7-0 lead would run into the second frame where each team came up with multiple scoring drives.
Ethan Loss snagged a 30-yard TD pass from Bushka to make the game 14-0 and a seven-yard rush from
Jyran Mitchell put BU out in front 21-0. Loss led all BU receivers with four catches and 73 receiving yards while Mitchell paced all BU backs with 82 yards on the ground off 13 carries.
The Little Giants fought back with 14 points in the final 3:43 of the first half. A fake punt extended a drive that ended with a nine-yard TD pass and Wabash would use a trick play to score a TD with 16 seconds remaining to get back within seven of Butler at 21-14. BU pushed the ball down the field just before half time and
Luka Zurak would make the score 24-14 with a 48-yard field goal.
Butler's defense was lights out in the second half and a Bulldog safety would help the home team score the first points of the second half. Later in the game,
Nick Bafia returned an interception 66 yards down the sideline for the final score of the contest.
Between those two plays, Butler got a four-yard TD rush from
Ershod Jasey II. The first rushing TD of his career came on a night where the running back collected 63 yards on the ground. Bushka and
Luke Wooten also connected on a 22-yard TD pass in the fourth quarter. Wooten now has a TD in two-straight games.
Bafia did it all on Saturday night by adding a team-high 11 tackles.
Danny Orgler was equally as impressive up front with 2.5 sacks, three tackles for loss, a forced fumble and a QB hurry.
With the win, the Bulldogs now move ahead to the PFL portion of the 2023 schedule. The Bulldogs will hit the road to play at Stetson on Sept. 23. Kick-off is slated for 12 PM.
