Butler Opens 2006 Football Campaign On The Road

Aug. 28, 2006

FRESH START: Butler will open the 2006 season on the road with a new head coach, new uniforms and a new outlook. And the Bulldogs hope a new approach brings new results when visit Sprankle-Sprandel Stadium in Albion, Mich., on Saturday, Sept. 2, for a 1 p.m. (EDT) game against Albion College. New head coach Jeff Voris, who spent the last five years at the helm of Carroll College (Wis.), faces a tall order in his first season with the Bulldogs. Butler has dropped 17 straight games, and the Bulldogs are coming off an 0-11 campaign. But the first-year coach does have 39 letterwinners on hand, including 13 players who were in the starting lineup at the end of last season. The Bulldogs, who will sport new white helmets and white pants this season, return two starters at quarterback, last year's top three rushers and top four scorers, and two of last season's top three tacklers! Butler is seeking to snap a two-game losing streak against Albion and a two-game skid in Sprankle-Sprandel Stadium.

Butler's last victory in a season-opener came in 2002 against Tiffin, 54-31.

NEW LEADER: Jeff Voris, who spent five seasons rebuilding the football program at Carroll College (Wis.), was named head football coach at Butler in December of 2005. The appointment returned him to Indiana, where he began his collegiate football career as a record-setting quarterback at DePauw University. Voris served assistant coaching stints at DePauw (1994-2000) and Edinboro, Pa., (2000-01) before taking over the program at Carroll in 2001. Last fall, he guided Carroll to a 6-4 record and a third place finish in the Midwest Conference. Voris still holds DePauw career records for most passing yards (6,035), most touchdown passes (56), most pass completions (504), most pass attempts (910) and most total offense (5,754).

Jeff Voris began his football coaching career as a graduate assistant coach under head coach John Mackovic at both Illinois and Texas.

TWO FOR ONE: The Bulldogs went through spring drills and fall practice with two quarterbacks battling for the starting spot. They'll head to their 2006 season-opener at Albion in the same situation. Senior Ryan Diggins ended the 2006 season as Butler's starter, and he finished second on the team in passing with 698 yards and six touchdowns. He completed 65 of 99 passes (.657) in five games, including two as a starter. Junior T. J. Brown played in eight games last year, including three as a starter, and he passed for 503 yards and a pair of TDs. He completed 37 of 98 (.378) tosses as a sophomore. Neither of the two quarterbacks saw action in Butler's 2005 season-opener against Albion.

Ryan Diggins passed for a career-high 306 yards against Missouri-Rolla in Butler's final game of 2005.

ALL-LEAGUE: Three of Butler's returning players earned All-Pioneer Football League honors last year. Junior defensive end Chris Marzotto was Butler's lone first team All-PFL pick, while junior linebacker Mike Marzotto and senior punter Phil Buchanan both received honorable mention recognition. Senior defensive end Dave McMahon earned first team all-league honors and tailback Billy Nardini was an honorable mention pick in 2004.

RUSH HOUR: Butler's 2006 roster includes three tailbacks who combined for 1,036 rushing yards last season, but only two of the three will see action at Albion. Senior Billy Nardini, who led the Bulldogs in rushing (763 yards) and scoring (30 points) in 2006, suffered a knee injury during preseason drills, and he'll be sidelined indefinitely. Nardini rushed for 99 yards and a touchdown against the Britons last season. With Nardini out, head coach Jeff Voris will look to senior Brian Holthaus and junior Derek North for ground support. Holthaus picked up 196 yards on 51 attempts last season, while North added 77 yards on 34 carries.

FIFTH YEAR: Defensive end Dave McMahon is back for a fifth season, after missing nearly all of last year with a hamstring injury. Now a graduate student, McMahon finished sixth on the team in tackles in 2004. He started all 11 games as a junior and tied for the team lead in tackles for loss. A member of the I-AA Athletic Directors' Association Academic All-Star Team in 2004, McMahon earned his degree in finance.

BASH BROTHERS: Butler's 2006 defense could begin at home - the Marzotto home! Juniors Chris and Mike Marzotto emerged as two of the top defensive performers in the PFL last season. Chris was named Butler's Defensive MVP a year ago, after leading the team in tackles for loss and finishing seventh on the squad in total tackles. Mike, playing his first season with the Bulldogs after transferring from Eastern Kentucky, led Butler and ranked third in the PFL in total tackles with 109. He led the Bulldogs in both solo tackles (57) and assists (52).

Mike Marzotto had a team-high nine tackles against Albion last year.

BULLDOG BITS:

•Butler's last five games against Albion have been decided by five points or less, and four have come down to the closing seconds. The Bulldogs defeated Albion, 27-20, in overtime in 1999, before dropping a 24-23 decision on a game-ending field goal in 2000. Butler then grabbed a 31-28 victory on a field goal with five seconds remaining in 2001, before dropping a one-point decision, 13-12, in 2004!

•Senior Brian Holthaus rushed for a career-high 58 yards on 12 attempts against Albion last year. He finished with 134 all-purpose yards against the Britons.

•Head coach Jeff Voris has named senior offensive lineman Rick Tyson and senior defensive lineman Dave McMahon as captains for the 2006 Bulldogs. Tyson was Butler's Offensive MVP a year ago, while McMahon is returning after missing all but two games with an injury last year.

•Senior cornerback Collin McGann has started 22 consecutive games for the Bulldogs. He enters his final season with four career pass interceptions and 15 career pass deflections.

•Senior Dave Inman started all 11 games at linebacker for the Bulldogs in 2005, and he finished third on the team in tackles with 71. He had six tackles against Albion.

•Junior Nate Miller is Butler's top returning pass receiver, after catching 28 passes for 364 yards and four touchdowns last season. Miller led the Bulldogs in kickoff returns with 15 for 305 yards (20.3 avg.).

•Senior Phil Buchanan, who ranked third in the PFL with a 40.5 punting average in 2005, could see double duty for the Bulldogs this season. Buchanan performed well as a wide receiver during spring drills, and he worked his way into the Bulldogs' regular rotation during fall practice.

•The Pioneer Football League returns to a non-divisional format this season. The PFL had competed in two divisions (North and South) for the past five seasons, but Austin dropped out this year, leaving eight teams in the league.

•The Pioneer Football League and the Northeast Conference announced a two-year agreement to meet in the Gridiron Classic, an exempted postseason football game matching the champions of the two I-AA football conferences.