Bulldogs Complete Historical Football Season
RECORD RUN: When the final seconds ticked
down on Butler’s Gridiron Classic victory over Central
Connecticut State, the Bulldogs had not only their first-ever
postseason victory but also a coveted place in the school and
Pioneer Football League all-time record books! The win in the
postseason game matching the champions of the PFL and the Northeast
Conference capped a magical season for the Bulldogs, who were
coming off a 6-5 campaign and were predicted to finish fifth in
this year’s PFL race. Butler finished with a
school-record 11 wins and just one setback, and the Bulldogs
captured their first PFL championship since 1994. The 11
victories tied the PFL single season record shared by Dayton (1996,
2002 & 2007) and San Diego (2005 & 2006). And the
Bulldogs joined Dayton and San Diego as the only PFL schools with a
Gridiron Classic Trophy. Butler finished the 2009 season with
an unbeaten record at home and set a school record with seven
victories in the Butler Bowl. The Bulldogs also tied the
school record for most consecutive victories in a season with nine
to start the year. Butler was unbeaten in three non-league
tests, before posting a 7-1 PFL mark to tie Dayton for the league
regular season championship. The Bulldogs earned the bid to
the Gridiron Classic by beating Dayton during the regular
season. Butler also captured the Hoosier Helmet Trophy for
the second straight year with a victory over
Valparaiso.
Butler tied the PFL record for league victories with seven
in 2009.
CLASSIC WIN: Sophomore quarterback Andrew
Huck scored three touchdowns, and Butler’s defense held off a
late comeback attempt to lift the Bulldogs over Central Connecticut
State, 28-23, in the 2009 Gridiron Classic at the Butler Bowl on
Dec. 5. The game was Butler’s first postseason football
appearance since 1991. Huck gave the Bulldogs the lead for
good at 14-10 with a 10-yard touchdown run late in the third
quarter, and then he added two more scoring runs in the final
period to help keep Butler in front. Central Connecticut
State (9-3) cut Butler’s margin to five points, 28-23, with a
touchdown with less than two minute to play, and the Blue Devils
had the ball again with less than a minute to play. But
sophomore Jack McKenna intercepted a pass with 0:29 left to seal
Butler’s first postseason win.
Butler won seven games by seven points or less in
2009.
MVP: Quarterback Andrew Huck was named Most
Valuable Player of the 2009 Gridiron Classic, after helping Butler
to the victory over Central Connecticut State. Huck scored
three touchdowns in the second half to spark the Bulldogs to a
come-from-behind win over the champions of the Northeast
Conference. His touchdown runs covered 10 yards, 19 yards and
seven yards, and he finished the game with 41 rushing yards on nine
carries. Huck also passed for 182 yards, completing 15 of 21
pass attempts with no interceptions.
RECORD CATCH: Butler’s second play in
the Gridiron Classic was an eight-yard pass from Andrew Huck to
senior Dan Bohrer. That reception gave Bohrer 2,180 career
receiving yards made him the all-time Butler leader, breaking the
previous record of 2,176 yards held by Eric Voss (1990-93).
Bohrer went on to catch seven passes for 69 yards in the game, and
he finished his career with 2,241 receiving yards. He also
set Butler career records for receptions (192) and touchdown
catches (22) in 2009.
TOP THREE: Sophomore Andrew
Huck, in just his first year as a starter, became the
eighth Butler quarterback to pass for over 2,000 yards in a
season. He finished the year with 2,454 passing yards, the
third-highest single season total in Butler football history!
Huck completed 233 of 371 passes with 11 interceptions. His
completions and pass attempts both were the most in the Pioneer
Football League and his passing yards were the second most in the
circuit. Huck’s 21 touchdown passes on the year were
the second-most in the PFL this season and the third-most in Butler
football history.
Andrew Huck finished third in the PFL in passing average
(204.5) in 2009.
LEAGUE LEADER: Sophomore safety Mark
Giacomantonio missed three games with injuries during the 2009
campaign, but he still wound up leading the PFL in pass
interceptions with five (0.56 pg). The second-year defensive
back ranked ninth in the NCAA Division I FCS in pass thefts, and he
racked up the most pass interceptions by a Butler player since
2003.
RUSH JOB: Junior Scott Gray rushed for more
yards in 2009 than any Butler player in the past seven
seasons. The Butler rushing leader picked up 868 yards on 169
attempts (5.1) this year. The last Butler player to run for
more yards was Dale Jennings, who picked up 973 yards in
2002. Gray, who had 88 yards and a touchdown on 15 rushing
attempts against Central Connecticut State, wound up third in the
PFL in rushing (72.3 yards per game).
PRIME TARGET: Sophomore Zach Watkins turned
in a record-setting performance in his first season as a starting
wide receiver for the Bulldogs. He finished with a
league-leading 78 catches, breaking the previous Butler single
season mark of 73, set by Tom Redmond in 1973! Watkins’
total stands second on the Pioneer Football League single season
list for receptions, trailing only the 102 catches of San
Diego’s John Matthews in 2008. The Butler wide receiver
finished fourth in the PFL in receiving yards (76.5 pg), and he
tied for fifth in the league in scoring with 10 touchdowns.
Zach Watkins is the 12th Butler player to record over 100
career receptions (106).
PEER REVIEW: Butler head coach Jeff Voris
was the hands-down choice for Coach of the Year in the Pioneer
Football League this season. Voris, in his fourth season with
the Bulldogs, guided Butler to a school-record for victories and a
share of the 2009 PFL title, Butler’s first since 1994.
And he did it with a team that was picked to finish fifth in the
PFL’s preseason poll. Voris has increased
Butler’s win total in each season that he’s coached the
Bulldogs.
Jeff Voris is the first Butler football coach to be named PFL
Coach of the Year.
ALL-LEAGUE: Butler was represented by 14
players on the 2009 Pioneer Football League All-League Team,
selected by league coaches and released on Nov. 24. Chosen
first team All-League were senior defensive back Spencer
Summerville, junior offensive lineman Donnie Gilmore, junior
running back Scott Gray and sophomore wide receiver Zach
Watkins. Butler’s second team players were senior wide
receiver Dan Bohrer, senior offensive lineman Brian Crable, junior
offensive lineman Mike Staniewicz, sophomore linebacker Nick
Caldicott and sophomore defensive lineman Grant Hunter.
Earning honorable mention on the All-League team were sophomore
quarterback Andrew Huck, senior linebacker Derek Guggenberger,
sophomore defensive back Mark Giacomantonio, freshman punter
Michael Wilson and sophomore return specialist Jordan Koopman.
BULLDOG BITS:
•Butler became the fourth team in PFL history to record 10
victories in a season, following Dayton (1996, 2001, 2002, 2007),
San Diego (2005, 2006) and Drake (2004).
•The Bulldogs put together back-to-back winning seasons for
the first time as a Division I program. Butler’s last
back-to-back winning seasons came in 1991 and 1992, when the
Bulldogs were competing in the NCAA Division II.
•The Bulldogs led the PFL and set a Butler single season
record with 4,644 yards in total offense in 2009. This
year’s squad racked up 2,113 rushing yards and 2,531 passing
yards.
•Butler led the PFL in fewest quarterback sacks allowed.
The Bulldogs yielded 14 quarterback sacks on the season.
•The Bulldogs topped the PFL in first downs (21.2), third down
conversions (.417), interceptions (18) and turnover margin (+7,
0.58).
•Quarterback Andrew Huck finished second in the PFL in total
offense with 2,921 yards (243.4). With just the national
championship game remaining, he ranks 27th in the NCAA Division I
FCS
•Defensive end Grant Hunter, who didn’t play in three
Butler games because of illness, wound up second in the PFL in
quarterback sacks (0.83). He ranks 11th in the NCAA Division
I FCS in sacks.
•Zach Watkins stands fourth on Butler’s single season
list for receiving yards with 918 this season.
•Jordan Koopman finished second in the PFL in kick return
average (22.7) in 2009. He ranked fifth in the league in
all-purpose yards (1,122).
•Punter Michael Wilson led the PFL in 2009 in number of punts
inside the 20-yard line (29). Wilson had seven punt of 50 or
more yards, including a long punt of 69 yards.
•Senior wide receiver Dan Bohrer tied the Butler career record
for games played (44). Dale Murzyn (2004-07) and Rob Noel
(2005-08) also played in 44 games during their Butler careers.
•Offensive guard Donnie Gilmore started his 34th consecutive
game for the Bulldogs in the Gridiron Classic victory.
