Butler Visits Missouri-Rolla For Non-League Tilt

Oct. 26, 2006

ROAD WORK: Butler (3-5, 2-3 PFL) will try to pick up a second consecutive victory for the third time this season when it visits non-league foe Missouri-Rolla (4-4) on Saturday, Oct. 28. The game, slated for 1 p.m. (CDT), will mark Butler's first-ever visit to Allgood-Bailey Stadium. Butler, enjoying its best campaign since 2002, will wrap up its non-league slate with the trip to Missouri-Rolla. A win would give the Bulldogs four victories for the first time since the 2002 club finished with a 4-6 mark, and it would snap Butler's 20-game road losing streak. The Bulldogs earned their third victory of the season with a 32-10 Homecoming win over Valparaiso last weekend. That win lifted the Bulldogs into sole possession of fifth place in the Pioneer Football League and matched Butler's victory total for the previous three seasons. Following the game in Missouri, Butler will return to Indianapolis for its final home game on Nov. 4 against Morehead State.

Butler's last back-to-back victories came at the end of the 2003 season.

TROPHY GAIN: The Bulldogs' victory over Valparaiso gave Butler possession of the "Hoosier Helmet" trophy for the next year. Adding a trophy to the long and storied series between the two Indiana institutions was the mutual idea of the Butler and Valparaiso coaching staffs. This year's meeting was the initial trophy game, with both teams playing for possession of a white helmet bearing logos of both Butler and Valparaiso. The helmet is mounted on a wooden base, where game scores will be posted. Butler and Valparaiso, the only two schools in the PFL that share the same border, have met on the football field in every year since 1951.

SEASON HIGH: The 32 points Butler scored against Valparaiso were a season-high scoring total for the Bulldogs, eclipsing the previous team high of 30 points scored against Hanover. The Bulldogs jumped to a 17-0 lead against Valparaiso and stretched that margin to 30-3 in the third quarter. The 32 points were the most scored by Butler in the past 42 games.

SPECIAL HONOR: Butler sophomore placekicker Jordan Quiroz was named Pioneer Football League Special Teams Player of the Week for his performance in the Bulldogs' victory over Valparaiso. Quiroz was perfect on three field goal attempts and three extra point kick attempts in the win. He connected on field goals of 39, 45 and 27 yards in the game. The 45-yarder was a career-long field goal for the Butler kicker and the longest field goal made in the PFL this season!

Jordan Quiroz had connected on his last four field goal attempts.

SACK PACK: Butler's defensive unit recorded a season-high seven quarterback sacks against Valparaiso. Junior linebacker Mike Marzotto led the way with a pair of sacks, while sophomore linebacker Mike Bennett was in on one and a half sacks. Defensive end Chris Marzotto, defensive tackle Jared Branyon and safety Dale Murzyn each had one sack, while tackle Derek Guggenberger assisted on one.

LONG BALL: Butler wide receiver Nate Miller chose the largest crowd of the season to turn in his best career performance. With a Homecoming crowd of 4,048 on hand, the junior end caught seven passes for a career-high 169 yards and all three Butler touchdowns in the Bulldogs' victory over Valparaiso. He opened the scoring with a 40-yard touchdown catch on a pass from quarterback T. J. Brown in the first quarter and then made it 14-0 with a 76-yard reception on a halfback pass from Derek North. Miller added a third score on a 15-yard pass from Brown in the third period. The three touchdown catches matched the individual single game high in the PFL this season, while the 169 yards rank as the eighth-highest single game total in Butler football history!

Nate Miller caught two touchdown passes against Missouri-Rolla last year.

RUSH HOUR: Senior running back Brian Holthaus recorded Butler's first 100-yard rushing performance of the season with a career-high 100 yards on 17 carries in Butler's win over Valparaiso. He picked up 51 yards in the first half, including a long gain of 19 yards, and added 49 more rushing yards in the second half. It was the first 100-yard rushing performance by a Butler back since the final game of last season, when Billy Nardini gained 119 yards on the ground against Missouri-Rolla.

CHANGING ROLES: Junior running back Derek North became the first non-quarterback to throw a touchdown pass for the Bulldogs in the past five seasons. The last non-quarterback to throw a scoring pass for the Bulldogs was Roman Speron, who threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to quarterback DeWayne Ewing against Southern Utah in the final game of the 2001 season.

GIVE AND TAKE: Butler continues to lead the PFL in turnover margin (+9). The Bulldogs have recovered 10 fumbles and had nine pass interceptions on the year, while losing four fumbles and six passes. Butler ranks ninth in the NCAA I-AA in turnover margin.

BULLDOG BITS:

•The 12 points scored by Butler placekicker Jordan Quiroz against Valparaiso are the most kick-scoring points in a game by a PFL player this season.

•Jordan Quiroz ranks second in the PFL in field goals (6/0.86 pg) and fourth in the league in PAT Kicking Pct. (13-14/.929). He's fourth in kick scoring (4.4 ppg).

•Junior wide receiver Nate Miller ranks second in the PFL in pass receptions (5.88 pg) and stands sixth in the league in receiving yards (63.4 pg).

•Nate Miller has caught at least one pass in 20 consecutive Butler games.

•Junior Mike Marzotto leads the Bulldogs and ranks second in the PFL in tackles with 62 (7.8 pg). He's tied for third in the league in quarterback sacks (4.0/0.50 pg) and stands sixth in the circuit in tackles for loss (8.5/1.06 pg). Marzotto had a team-high nine tackles in the Bulldogs' victory over Valparaiso.

•Junior Chris Marzotto, who's played the past two games with a broken nose suffered at San Diego on Oct. 7, ranks ninth in the PFL in tackles for loss (6.5/0.81 pg). He had two tackles for loss against Valparaiso .

•Junior defensive lineman Richard Alcala is tied for the lead in the PFL in fumble recoveries with three in eight games. Teammate Ryan Schmidtz is tied for second in the league with two fumble recoveries.

•Junior safety Alex Davis is tied for first in the PFL in pass interceptions with four (0.50 pg), while sophomore Ryan Schmidtz is tied for fourth with two thefts (0.25 pg).

•Senior Phil Buchanan currently ranks fifth in the PFL in punting with a 35.6 average. Buchanan averaged 40.5 yards per punt on four kicks against Missouri-Rolla last year.

•Senior linebacker Dave Inman stands fourth among active PFL players in career tackles with 173. Inman missed Butler's last two games with an injury. Butler junior linebacker Mike Marzotto is tied for fifth in career tackles with 171.

•Offensive lineman Rick Tyson has started 19 consecutive games for the Bulldogs. Tyson was Butler's starting center against Missouri-Rolla last year.

*Defensive end Dave McMahon, who ranks sixth in the PFL in sacks and third in fumbles forced, is out for the season with a knee injury suffered at San Diego.