Bulldogs Face Davidson In Halloween Matinee
TRICK OR TREAT: Halloween at the Butler
Bowl won’t involve ghosts, goblins or witches’
brews. It will feature a Pioneer Football League showdown
between Butler and visiting Davidson, starting a 12 p.m.
(ET). And both teams will be seeking the same treat.
The Bulldogs, unbeaten in seven outings this season including four
league games, are looking to hold onto a share of first place in
the PFL against a team they’ve never beaten. Davidson
(2-5, 2-3 PFL) is seeking its sixth consecutive victory over Butler
and its third win in as many visits to the Butler Bowl.
Butler improved to 7-0 for the first time since 1983 with a 23-16
victory at Campbell last weekend. The last time a Butler team
was 8-0 was in 1961! The win at Campbell left the Bulldogs in
a three-way tie with Drake and Dayton for first place in the
PFL. Davidson is coming off a 21-16 loss to Drake. The
Wildcats also fell to Dayton two weeks ago and will be facing a
league-leader for the third consecutive week. The Bulldogs
have already tied their highest win total in the past 15
years.
Butler is one of just three unbeaten teams in the NCAA
Division I FCS.
ON THE AIR: For the fifth straight year,
Butler football games can be heard on XL 950 (AM) in Indianapolis
and on the internet at BigPlayProductions.com. Calling the
game are play-by-play announcer Brian Giffin and former Butler
football coach Ken LaRose. This weekend’s game against
Davidson will be carried live on the internet, starting with a
pre-game show at 11:40 a.m. (ET) and will be tape-delayed on XL
950, starting at approximately 3:30 p.m.
EARLY OFFENSE: The Bulldogs scored on three
consecutive possessions in the first half at Campbell to grab a
20-0 lead over their host. Tailback Scott
Gray capped a four-play, 50-yard drive on Butler’s
third possession with a five-yard touchdown run to give the
Bulldogs an early advantage that they never relinquished.
Quarterback Andrew Huck followed with touchdown
passes on Butler’s next two possessions, before the host
Camels finished the half with 10 unanswered points. Campbell
added two more field goals in the second half, wrapped around a
21-yard field goal by Butler’s David Lang. The victory
was Butler’s second in as many visits to Campbell.
Butler continues to lead the PFL in team scoring offense (33.1
ppg).
LEAD DOG: Quarterback Andrew
Huck passed for 214 yards and two touchdowns and rushed
for a team-high 56 yards to lead the Bulldogs past Campbell.
Huck connected on 22 of 30 passes in the contest, including 13 of
his final 15 tosses. The Butler signal caller threw a 22-yard
touchdown pass to wide receiver Zach Watkins for
the Bulldogs’ second score, and then he increased his
team’s margin to 20 points with a one-yard scoring aerial to
wide receiver Dan Bohrer. The two scoring
tosses gave Huck 17 for the season and lifted him into sixth place
on Butler’s single season chart for touchdown passes, one shy
of Bill Lynch (1975), Curt Roy (1983) and Paul Romanowski (1991) in
third place.
Andrew Huck leads the PFL and ranks 18th in the NCAA Division
I FCS in total offense (262.1).
HIT PARADE: Senior Brian
Adika was given his second consecutive start in
Butler’s win at Campbell, and for the second straight week,
he led the Bulldogs in tackles. Adika topped both teams in
North Carolina with five solo tackles and five assists. A
week earlier, the Butler linebacker had a career-high 13 tackles to
help lead the Bulldogs past Valparaiso. Adika was given his
initial starting nod prior to the Valparaiso contest, because
sophomore Andrew Cottrell, Butler’s starter
in the first five games this season, was sidelined by
illness.
END GAME: For the second straight week,
linebacker Nick Caldicott turned in a key
defensive play to help keep the Bulldogs unbeaten. The
sophomore from Oak Park, Ill., intercepted a pass on
Campbell’s final drive to help seal the win in North
Carolina. A week earlier, he forced a fumble on a quarterback
sack that led to Butler’s eventual go-ahead touchdown against
Valparaiso.
RECEIVING LINE: Sophomore wide receiver
Zach Watkins finished with five catches for 54
yards and a touchdown at Campbell, while senior slot receiver
Dan Bohrer finished with three receptions for 28
yards and a score. Both rank in the “Top 3” in
the PFL in touchdown catches this season. Watkins leads the
league with nine touchdown receptions, and he tops the circuit in
scoring with 54 points. Bohrer ranks third in touchdown
receptions with five. Watkins leads the PFL in total
receptions with 49, while Bohrer is fifth in the league with
32.
Dan Bohrer owns Butler’s career record for touchdown
catches with 20.
ALL-AROUND EFFORT: Sophomore Jordan
Koopman had a busy afternoon in North Carolina, and he
wound up with a career-high 132 all-purpose yards in the victory
over Campbell. Koopman picked up 81 yards on three kickoff
returns, and he added 11 yards on a punt return. He also
caught three passes for 26 yards, and he had his first career
rushing attempt for 14 yards.
BULLDOG BITS:
•Butler leads the PFL in scoring offense (33.1), total
offense (400.4), first downs (157), pass interceptions (11) and
sacks against (4). The Bulldogs are second in the league in
pass offense (230.4), rushing offense (170.0), pass efficiency
(141.0) and turnover margin (+6).
•The Bulldogs stand fourth in the PFL and 12th in the NCAA
Division I FCS in total defense (266.71). The PFL boasts thee of
the top ten teams in the FCS in total defense - Dayton (1), Drake
(6) and Morehead State (9).
•Butler boasts a league-best 90.3 (28 of 31) scoring
percentage in the “Red Zone.” In the 31 trips,
the Bulldogs have recorded 24 touchdowns and four field goals.
•Quarterback Andrew Huck became the 12th
quarterback in Butler football history to pass for over 1,500 yards
in a season during Butler’s win at Davidson. Huck ranks
second in the PFL in passing average (219.4) and third in passing
efficiency (140.5).
•Defensive end Grant Hunter ranks second in
the PFL and sixth in the NCAA Division I FCS in quarter back sacks
(10).
•Sophomore Zach Watkins has moved into a tie
for 10th place on Butler’s single season for pass receptions
(49). He’s six catches shy of Paul Page and Mike
Chrobot in a tie for fourth place on the all-time list.
•Junior Scott Gray has scored 22 touchdowns
in 19 career games at Butler. Gray rushed for two scores
against Davidson last year.
•Senior Dan Bohrer, who caught seven passes
for 146 yards and one touchdown at Davidson last year, enters this
week’s action with 2,034 career receiving yards.
He’s 36 yards shy of Adam Lafferty (1999-2002) in second
place on Butler’s all-time receiving list and 142 yards away
from the all-time record held by Eric Voss (2,176 yards,
1990-93).
•Offensive guard Donnie Gilmore started his
29th consecutive game for the Bulldogs in the victory at
Campbell.
ON THIS DATE: Running back Steve Roberts
rushed for 148 yards and scored four touchdowns to lead Butler past
Franklin, 49-14, at the Butler Bowl on Oct. 31, 1987. Roberts
scored on a nine-yard run, a three-yard run and a pair of two-yard
runs in the win. The Butler Hall of Fame back finished the
1987 season with 1,490 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns.
