Butler Kicks Off Spring Football Practice
INDIANAPOLIS, IND. -- Butler will begin its 2011 football bid
this week with the first of 15 spring practices on Thursday, March
24. The Bulldogs will have three practices in the first week
and then four practices for three straight weeks, concluding with
the annual Blue-White Spring Game on April 16.
Head coach Jeff Voris has to replace last year’s Offensive
MVP Matt Kobli and leading rusher Scott Gray, as well as several
other key starters. Kobli played multiple offensive positions
for the Bulldogs and wound up second on the team in passing, fourth
in rushing and eighth in pass receiving. Gray led the
Bulldogs in rushing for the second consecutive year and for the
third time in four years.
Butler also loses All-PFL players Tadd Dombart (DB), Mike
Staniewicz (OL) and Donnie Gilmore (OL) to graduation.
But the Bulldogs have a stable of talented players returning,
including 2010 Defensive MVP Jordan Ridley, quarterback Andrew Huck
and top receiver Zach Watkins.
Ridley, a first team all-league linebacker, led the Pioneer
Football League and ranked in the “Top 10” in the NCAA
Division I FCS in tackles with 130 (11.8 pg). He had 10 or
more tackles in nine of Butler’s 11 games, including a
league-high 17 tackles against Youngstown State. He led the
Bulldogs in both solo tackles (55) and assists (75), tied for the
team lead in pass interceptions (2) and finished second on the
squad in tackles for loss (9.5).
Huck passed for 1,865 yards and 12 touchdowns, while completing
58.7% of his attempts. In the past two seasons, the Butler
quarterback has thrown for more than 4,000 yards and 33
TD’s. Watkins has been on the receiving end of many of
those aerials. The talented wide receiver has 147 receptions
for 1,621 yards and 13 touchdowns over the past two seasons.
His 10 touchdown catches last season were the second-most in Butler
football history.
Also back are six additional players who gained mention on the
All-PFL team last year - defensive lineman Ross Teare, punter
Michael Wilson, offensive lineman Pete Mattingly, tight end Carter
Walley, linebacker Nick Caldicott and placekicker David Lang.
Butler’s spring game will be played at the Butler Bowl at 10
a.m. on Saturday, April 16.
