INDIANAPOLIS - Butler defeated the St. Thomas Tommies 41-14 on Saturday afternoon at the Bud & Jackie Sellick Bowl. Michael Dellumo was sensational for Butler on offense, recording his first 100-yard rushing game as a Bulldog. The sophomore finished with eight carries for 143 yards and two touchdowns. With the win, Butler improves to 8-2 on the season and 5-1 in PFL action while St. Thomas slides to 7-3 overall and 4-2 in league play.
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​NOTEABLE STATS
- Dellumo was sensational for Butler, recording 183 all-purpose yards. The running back had eight carries for 143 yards and two touchdowns, both career-bests for the sophomore. He added 40 yards on two kickoff returns.
- Gabe Passini completed 13-of-23 passes for 135 yards and two touchdowns. Passini added 11 carries for 54 yards.
- Nick Munson had four catches for 36 yards and a touchdown.
- Michael Nix hauled in four catches for 45 yards and a touchdown.
- Desmin Jackson had eight carries for 43 yards and a touchdown.
- Okemdi Eze was spectacular on defense for Butler, recording nine tackles, 1.5 sacks, 4.5 tackles for loss, an interception, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.
- Jackson Stratton recorded nine tackles, one tackle for loss, one pass breakup and a QB hit.Â
- Evan Windley converted on a 44-yard field goal.
- Beck Janki converted a 32-yard field goal.
- Michael Pugh II forced a fumble and Ben Brandenburg recorded a fumble recovery.
- Butler forced three turnovers (one interception, two fumbles) and scored seven points off of turnovers.
- The Bulldogs had 390 total yards to St. Thomas' 276.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Butler received the opening kickoff and put together a 10-play, 66-yard drive that saw Windley convert a 44-yard field goal to give BU an early 3-0 lead. St. Thomas responded with a one-yard touchdown run from Nick Peipert as the visitors took the 7-3 lead. The Tommies held the 7-3 lead at the end of the first.
- After both sides traded possessions, the Butler offense put together a six-play, 57-yard drive that ended with a 19-yard rushing touchdown from Jackson, which gave Butler the 10-7 advantage. After forcing a punt, Butler had a three-play drive that saw Dellumo score a 67-yard rushing touchdown as BU took the 17-7 lead. Just before the half, Janki converted a 32-yard field goal as BU took the 20-7 lead with just over a minute left.
- St. Thomas started the second half with the ball and, on the second play from the line of scrimmage, the Tommies threw a screen to the right, and Eze jumped the route, intercepting the pass. BU then scored on the next play with a 23-yard touchdown reception from Munson. St. Thomas was able to put a scoring drive together late in the quarter as the Tommies completed a 77-yard drive with a nine-yard rushing touchdown from Anthony Policare. Butler took the 27-14 lead into the final quarter.
- St. Thomas had a fourth-and-short near midfield to start the fourth and the Bulldog defense stood tall as Stratton broke up the pass, forcing the turnover on downs. Butler took possession of the ball and put together a four-play, 51-yard drive that ended with a 29-yard touchdown reception from Nix. BU forced another St. Thomas punt before Dellumo ripped off a 56-yard touchdown run for his second score of the game. Butler held the 41-14 advantage with just under 10 minutes left in the quarter. The Bulldogs were able to fend off the Tommies in the final minutes of the game, securing the 41-14 victory at the final whistle.
UP NEXT
The Bulldogs will travel to Poughkeepsie, N.Y., next week to face the Marist Red Foxes. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m., with the game streaming live on ESPN+. The matchup marks Butler's final road contest of the season before the Bulldogs return home to close out the regular season on Nov. 21 against Morehead State. The Dawgs will celebrate Senior Day prior to kickoff.
