The Butler football team will play a 12-game schedule in the fall with a new goal in place.

As a member of the Pioneer Football League, a non-scholarship conference, the Bulldogs have never had the chance to make the playoffs. Beginning this season, the PFL champion will be awarded an automatic bid for the first time since the league’s formation in 1993.

“It’s obviously very exciting for us,” returning starting quarterback Matt Lancaster said. “That is an early goal for our team.”

PFL programs are allowed to play a 12-game schedule at the Football Championship Series level for the first time since 2010.

Butler assistant coach Joe Cheshire said the Bulldogs, especially the seniors, have been looking forward to playing a 12-game schedule.

“It’s a positive for our players,” Cheshire said. “It gives (our seniors) another opportunity to play another game in their Butler career.”

Butler will begin its campaign on Aug. 31 at South Dakota State, a perennial powerhouse who lost in the second round of the 2012 playoffs.

The Bulldogs open their home schedule under the lights in the Butler Bowl the following Saturday against Wittenberg.

Butler will host an Ivy League team for the first time when Dartmouth visits on Sept. 21.

The Bulldogs’ four other home games are  against Stetson (Oct. 5), Campbell (Oct. 12), Drake (Oct. 19) and Hoosier Helmet rival Valparaiso (Nov. 9).

“As a freshman, I remember thinking it would be a long time before senior year,” Lancaster said. “But now it’s like, ‘Where has the time gone?’

“There’s no better way to end a career than against our rival in the Hoosier Helmet Game.”

All four non-conference opponents—South Dakota State, Wittenberg, Franklin and Dartmouth—had winning records in 2012.

“It will be good to see who we are as a team with the Wittenberg and Franklin games sandwiched between two good teams in South Dakota State and Dartmouth,” senior defensive back Sean Grady said.

“We’ll hopefully get back at Dartmouth for the beating they put on us up there last year.”

Senior defensive lineman Jeremy Stephens said the schedule will challenge Butler right from the start.

“I feel like our schedule will prepare us more than any other year has so far because we play a strong South Dakota State team in our first game,” Stephens said. “We’ll most likely be favored to win the Pioneer League, and we will get everyone’s best shot, which will also prepare us.”

Stephens said the South Dakota State game will be a good test because Butler players will know where their team ranks among the nation’s top competition.

Cheshire said the tough schedule will prepare the Bulldogs and give them a good shot at winning the automatic bid in the PFL.

“For me to say we don’t have a chance, that would be crazy,” Cheshire said. “If we can play our best and play to our potential, there’s no doubt in my mind that we’ll be in contention.”

In college sports, “redshirt” is a common term that is thrown around.

Being redshirted as an athlete means he or she is withheld from competition but does not lose a year of eligibility.

Freshman Sean Horan is on Butler’s football team and was redshirted this year.

Horan said he wanted to play coming into his first collegiate year, but it just didn’t happen.

“(Coach Jeff Voris) pulled me and the three other redshirted linebackers aside after a practice before the season started and told us that we probably won’t have the opportunity to play this year,” Horan said.

“There weren’t really any other options besides redshirting because I knew I wasn’t prepared to play in a college game just yet.”

Sitting on the sidelines was a new experience for Horan, who was used to starting.

“I was understanding and knew that I was making the team better in practice even though I could not go out on the field on Saturdays,” Horan said.

Junior Sarah Hamm is another Butler athlete who was redshirted this year, but in her case, it was due to injury.

Hamm earned all-conference honors last season for the Butler women’s basketball team but had to sit out this season after she tore her ACL.

Hamm said she thought about trying to battle back from her injury, but she decided redshirting was her best option because of the lengthy recovery time.

Players may receive a “medical redshirt” if they appear in less than 30 percent of their team’s competitions.

Hamm can play next year as a senior and can also compete in a fifth year at Butler if she chooses.

Like Horan, Hamm did not let redshirting prevent her from contributing to the team this year.

Hamm was one of the most experienced players on the team and used her knowledge to help others.

“We have such a young team this year that I think having a more seasoned player on the sidelines to help really helped them understand things a little better,” Hamm said. “As a post player, I’m always watching my fellow posts and seeing if there’s anything I can help them with.”

Hamm took a lot away from being sidelined this year.

“I also feel like I’ll be a smarter player because I have been able to sit on the sidelines and watch a lot of basketball, and I think I’ve learned a lot from being an observer,” Hamm said.

Had she recovered from her injury mid-season, she could have given up her redshirt to help the team out this year because receiving a redshirt does not mean a player is ineligible for the entire year.

The best example of this can be found in senior Becca Bornhorst, another women’s basketball player.

Bornhorst, like Hamm, had a medical redshirt but decided to play in the second half of the season.

A redshirt can be lifted from a player if he or she shows significant talent, growth or recovery.

Bornhorst understood due to the delay in her surgery date that even if she waited out this year, she may have missed next year because of the recovery time for her surgery.

Bornhorst had her redshirt lifted because she missed the game of basketball and wanted to help her team.

“I’m not going to be a starter like I was last year, but, you know, I would be a role player if they need me for a few minutes here and there and just be able to play and practice a little bit,” Bornhorst said.

Bornhorst made her first appearance for Butler on Feb. 17 against St. Bonaventure, playing six minutes in the contest.

Regardless of the situation, it is hard for athletes to be taken from the competition and the game they grew up playing.

“I love playing basketball, and that makes it very difficult to sit and watch,” Hamm said. “It’s hard to have something like that taken away from you.”

Stuart Harvey, a Carmel native and a former wide receiver for the Butler University football team, is looking to become the second Butler player in two years to make it to the National Football League.

After Harvey graduated from Butler in 2011 with a degree in psychology, he decided not to go straight to the NFL but, instead, to take a year off to prepare himself.

Harvey contacted St. Vincent Sports Performance and signed with a sports agent to begin his path to the NFL.

History is against Harvey. Not many players from the Pioneer Football League go on to the NFL.

“It’s hard,” said Kenan Smith, Butler assistant coach and wide receiver coach. “It’s really hard coming from our level of football.

“It’s so hard to make it from non-scholarship FCS football to the next level, but there are rare occasions where it has been done.”

Harvey said he will not let history prevent his lifelong dream. He said he believes he has the characteristics of a successful NFL player.

“I’ve never been the biggest guy or the strongest guy in the weight room,” Harvey said, “but I was always fast, a hard worker, had good hand-eye coordination and was willing to out-work everyone to be the best.

“That’s how I became team captain in high school, and that’s why I was successful at Butler.”

Harvey said his work ethic is already at an NFL level.

“His work ethic will transfer to the NFL,” said Brandon Johnson, a performance specialist at St. Vincent. “He brings it every day and works hard.”

Butler football and the Butler Way polished Harvey’s dedication to the sport.

“On and off the field, I’m a guy who is going to be committed to helping a team do their best and win games,” Harvey said. “I’m a guy that is focused and dedicated to being part of a team.”

Harvey said learning the Butler Way gives him an advantage over other NFL prospects.

“There are intangibles that go beyond my combine that (scouts) will see,” Harvey said. “My results at my combine and in my routes will speak for themselves, but there are ideologies and qualities off the field that you can’t really change.

“All my coaches and mentors along the way have built me into the person I am.”

Harvey remains confident he can make it to the next level.

“I’ve always believed in the mantra, ‘Everything is possible for those that believe,’” Harvey said. “When I was at Butler, I worked as hard as I could.

“Once I graduated, I knew I wanted to go to the NFL at some point. I played and graduated with Grant Hunter, a defensive end who signed as a free agent with the Cincinnati Bengals last year, so I knew it was possible to make it to the NFL.”

Hunter attended training camp for the Bengals in August 2012 but was cut during training camp.

For six weeks, Harvey has dedicated his time to St. Vincent Sports Performance.

Harvey used the program to improve his skills and prove to NFL scouts that he is serious about playing football at the professional level.

Since joining the program on Jan. 7, Harvey has been at St. Vincent five and half days per week.

During the week, Harvey works on his speed, positioning and strength work, said Greg Moore, a strength and conditioning specialist at St. Vincent.

Harvey worked on position work with current NFL players and former NFL players and coaches.

“Some days, I will be catching balls from Jim Sorgi, former Indianapolis Colts quarterback,” Harvey said.

Even with hard work and improvements gained out of St. Vincent, Harvey was not invited to the 2013 NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis.

Although Harvey was not invited to the combine, he found ways to get his name out to NFL teams and scouts.

“My agent and I have been working together, and we sent my film out to numerous teams,” Harvey said.

The agent scheduled Harvey for NFL scouting combines in Chicago on March 10 and another combine in Seattle on March 24.

Harvey will also demonstrate his skills at Ball State University’s football pro day on March 20.

For the weeks leading up to the 2013 NFL draft, Harvey needs his skills and work ethic to impress NFL scouts, managers and coaches.

“It takes only one team to give you a shot,” Johnson said.

When the NFL draft concludes April 27, Harvey may end up being a late-round draft pick or an undrafted free agent.

He said his expectations have to be realistic.

“I’m someone that, if I get the opportunity, I’m going to make the most of it,” Harvey said. “No matter what team I’m on or where I end up, I know that I’m going to give them everything I have.
I’m going to stay dedicated and help the team win games.”

Butler will play for sole possession of the Pioneer Football League title on Saturday in Des Moines.

The title, which Butler already owns a share of is the Bulldogs’ first since 2009, marking a big turnaround over the past two seasons.

Redshirt junior quarterback Matt Lancaster’s outstretched arms were the difference-maker Saturday as Butler completed a 19-16 come-from-behind win over Jacksonville.

The victory, Butler’s first ever against Jacksonville, kept the Bulldogs (8-2, 7-0) undefeated in PFL play and secured them at least a share of the conference title.

“All three phases had their points in the game where they made key stops or stands or plays to get us to that point with the touchdown late,” Butler coach Jeff Voris said.

“It was a great team win and one that we need all hands on deck and a full 60 minutes to get it done.”

Lancaster’s final score capped a 95-yard drive and kept the Bulldogs’ perfect league season alive.

“It was wild,” Lancaster said. “We’ve had that the last couple games, and it just shows how much heart that we have as an offense and as a team.”

Lancaster finished with two touchdowns and 260 yards through the air.

The game marked the last home game for seven seniors, including co-captain and linebacker Jordan Ridley.

“Every senior wants to win on Senior Day, and the fact that we’d never beaten that team is an added bonus,” Ridley said.

The victory is Butler’s seventh straight and second-consecutive comeback win at home.

“This team never quits,”  Ridley said. “They always fight.That’s led to us pulling out a lot of victories that a lot of people wouldn’t think we’d be able to pull out.”

The Butler football team used running back Trae Heeter’s career high 231 rushing yards and two touchdowns to beat Davidson 31-20 on Saturday and remain undefeated in Pioneer League play.

“The win was good, because they’ve always given us trouble,” Butler head coach Jeff Voris said. “They play hard, and especially at their place, they’re really good.

The Bulldogs (7-2, 6-0) won their sixth straight game, while Davidson fell to 1-7 (1-4) on the year.

Butler was tied at 5-0 for the PFL going into the weekend, but Drake didn’t play Saturday and they took sole possession of first place. They now control their own destiny for the PFL championship.

Senior captain linebacker Jordan Ridley said they have tried to go 1-0 each week, and nothing was different against Davidson.

“We always take it one week at a time and treat each game like a championship,” Ridley said.

Heeter’s first touchdown came early in the second quarter to put the Bulldogs in the lead for good.

The PFL’s rushing leader scored his second touchdown on a 78-yard run late in the second half to give the Bulldogs momentum going into the locker room. At the time the Wildcats were making a push in momentum. Heeter said they needed the big play to get the momentum back in their favor.

“The offensive line made a big hole and I raced 78 yards to the end zone,” Heeter said.

Quarterback Matt Lancaster threw for two touchdowns and 277 yards and no interceptions. Lancaster has thrown just two picks all season, leading all PFL quarterbacks.

Davidson cut Butler’s early lead to 24-20 in the fourth quarter, but Lancaster’s 17-yard touchdown pass to Marque Martin-Hayes put the game out of reach for the Wildcats.

The Bulldogs host Jacksonville (6-2, 4-1) on Saturday, who was tied for the lead most of the season until losing to San Diego two weeks ago. The game is the Bulldog’s final home game.

The following week Butler travels to Drake for what could be a potential PFL championship game.

Ridley and co-captain Matt Storrey, an offensive lineman, were both a part of the 2009 PFL championship team.

Ridley said Saturday’s game against Jacksonville will be an emotional one.

“We’re lucky to be in the position that the last two games will mean something,” Ridley said.

Ridley said it would mean a lot to come in with a ring and go out with a ring.

“It would be amazing to do that,” Storrey said.

Storrey said it makes it a lot more exciting to end his career in the Butler Bowl being in the position they are in.

The Butler Football team got off to a slow start and couldn’t recover Saturday night, losing to Ivy League school Dartmouth 35-7.

The Bulldogs’ (1-2) lone touchdown came on a 5-yard pass from quarterback Matt Lancaster to Derek O’Connor with under 7:00 in the first half.

The Mean Green answered with 19 seconds remaining to extend their lead to 21-7 at the half.

Dartmouth added another touchdown in the third quarter and led 28-7.

The Bulldogs threatened to score late in the game, but fell short on a fourth and goal, before the Mean Green went on to score their final touchdown.

Lancaster went 25-for-35 passing and 267 yards. O’Connor led the Bulldogs with 164 receiving yards, including a 57-yard strike from Lancaster.

Running back Trae Heeter accounted for 61 yards on the ground on seven carries.

Jeremy Stephens and Jay Brummel led the Bulldogs defense with eight tackles apiece. Senior captain Jordan Ridley had seven.

The game was the first-ever meeting between the Bulldogs and the Mean Green, and Butler’s first contest against an Ivy League team.

The Butler football team used the atmosphere created by its first night game since 1941 to fuel a 42-13 win over Franklin College on Saturday.

“The energy on campus all week has been outstanding, and the band and the cheerleaders and all that really made it special for us,”  Butler coach Jeff Voris said.

“There was just a lot of energy around it, and that made it a little more exciting for us,” Butler wide receiver Brendan Shannon said.

Shannon had 134 yards receiving, including two touchdowns on eight catches. Shannon said the Bulldogs (1-1) used the energy to start faster than they did in last week’s loss at Western Illinois.

“It was a great team effort on offense to come out like that, and we just wanted to keep going with that,” Shannon said.

Butler led the Grizzlies (0-2) 27-0 at halftime.

Matt Lancaster, redshirt junior quarterback talllied 354 yards of total offense and five total touchdowns for the Bulldogs.

Lancaster was the leading rusher with 96 yards and two touchdowns on the ground.

“Matt definitely brings (the running) element to the game,” Voris said. “Last week, we were able to avoid pressure and do some things, so we took the next step this week and had some planned runs in there for him.”

Lancaster, a transfer from Illinois State, said the team fed off the energy in the Butler Bowl.

“(There is) nothing better than being under the lights,” Lancaster said. “Our team came ready to play.”

The Bulldog defense also had a strong showing in the home opener. Butler led 33-0 at one point during the third quarter and held Franklin to four first downs in the opening half.

Sophomore defensive back Bryce Barry had an interception for the Bulldogs.

“For the second week in a row, our defense was solid,” Voris said.

Butler will head to the East Coast next week to face Dartmouth, an Ivy League school.

Voris said the team is used to the traveling aspect but expects a good experience from the contest.

“(It will be) just a unique atmosphere as far as being on an Ivy League campus and being in that environment,” Voris said.

The game will be the season-opener for Dartmouth, who is projected to finish sixth in the Ivy League by media outlets.

The Butler football team is building a buzz around the approaching season, which kicks off tomorrow night on the road against Western Illinois.

The Bulldogs just finished up training camp, and senior captain and offensive lineman Matt Storey said the energy and effort throughout camp has led to high expectations.

“I’d say things are definitely looking a lot better than last season,” Storey said. “I think having a bit of a younger team and having a lot of competition in spots has caused people to step up their game and work a lot harder in practice.”

The team is returning only nine total starters, but the youth of the team is poised to rise to the occasion.

“We’ve got a lot of young guys that see their opportunity to play,” coach Jeff Voris said. “They’ve worked like this is their chance.”

Voris said the energy and enthusiasm in working for the team’s goal of a Pioneer Football League title has been off the charts since January.

“We’re not going to win the PFL in one week, but I think every week, we can come closer to that goal,” senior captain and linebacker Jordan Ridley said.

Ridley, who has led the PFL in total tackles for two consecutive seasons, was named to the Football Championship Subdivision Senior Scout Bowl Preseason All-America Football Team.

While Ridley may be a leading player, Voris said he’s surrounded by many good football players on defense.

“With us, it’s never been about one guy or about a couple players. It’s about guys fitting into the system and believing in the Butler Way,” Voris said.

The PFL contains a unique level of football with a lot of great traditions and football teams, but Voris said the that there’s not a better home stadium and a better home crowd than the Butler Bowl.

“It’s a great place to play because of the band, cheerleaders, mascot and the student section, and the more people we get excited about coming out here on Saturdays, the better we’re going to be,” Voris said.

Adding to the excitement was the announcement that the PFL will begin receiving an automatic bid next season, but Voris said it was not the most important thing to his team right now.

“When you have 96 guys like that, it’s not about some end result,” Voris said. “It’s about the journey and the little things that go into every day’s preparation and the things you get out of the game from along the journey.”

The Bulldogs lost 16 starters from last year’s team, including starting quarterback Andrew Huck and the top three receivers.

Huck and receiver Zach Watkins left Butler as the number one passing duo in school history.

Redshirt sophomore Wade Markley and redshirt junior Matt Lancaster have been battling for the starting job at quarterback. Lancaster has been named the starter for tomorrow’s game against Western Illinois.

“The nice thing is that we’ve got two guys that can win a lot of football games,” Voris said.

The Bulldogs bounced back from their one-point loss to Morehead State last weekend by recording the first shutout of an opponent for Butler football in 12 years.

In addition to holding Valparaiso scoreless for 60 minutes, the Bulldogs (4-5, 2-4 PFL) put up 48 points against the Crusaders (0-9, 0-6 PFL).

The Bulldogs face a tough challenge Saturday when they host league-leading Jacksonville, who put up 86 points on Valparaiso earlier this season.

Head coach Jeff Voris said he didn’t let the Bulldogs dwell on homecoming weekend’s close loss.

“It all goes back to the approach we’ve taken all season,” Voris said. “Homecoming was a hard pill to swallow, but if you don’t move on, you can’t get anywhere.

“We have 11 one-game seasons.”

Gaining 483 yards of total offense against Valparaiso, Butler distributed the ball evenly, picking up 270 rushing yards and passing for 221.

Junior Andrew Huck, the Butler quarterback for a majority of the snaps, went 12-of-15 on the day, throwing for 186 yards and two touchdowns.

Huck’s favorite receiver of the day was junior Zach Watkins, who had eight receptions for 92 yards. Huck also hooked up with six other receivers throughout the game.

“The chemistry among everyone is good,” Watkins said. “We’re all out there trying to get each other open.”

Some of the Bulldogs’ biggest plays, however, came on the ground.

Butler had three different players rush for touchdowns, and two of those touchdown runs were for more than 30 yards.

Senior Scott Gray rattled off a 34-yard run on a fourth-and-one late in the second quarter and Trae Heeter ran 64 yards for the last of Butler’s six touchdowns.

Senior Matt Kobli picked up the other Butler rushing touchdown on a three-yard rush with 3:27 remaining in the second quarter.

Butler had seven different players rush for positive yardage, with Gray leading the way. He carried the ball nine times for 87 yards.

Voris likes spreading the ball around the whole team.

“We’ve got a good group of offensive guys with a unique skill level,” Voris said. “The more we can get them into a position to make plays, the more comfortable they’ll be in those roles.”

After junior David Lang kicked a 41-yard field goal into the wind, the defense picked up a score for the Bulldogs.

Senior defensive tackle Tyler Skaggs recovered a fumble with 4:36 left in the first quarter and returned it 12 yards for a touchdown. The score put the Bulldogs up 10-0.

In the second quarter, Lang kicked another field goal and the Bulldogs scored three more touchdowns, including one on a 73-yard touchdown pass from Huck to senior Eddie McHale.

Up 34-0 at halftime, Butler cruised through the second half, tacking on another two touchdowns.

The defense kept the Crusaders off the board in all four quarters by forcing three fumbles and seven three-and-outs.

Valparaiso averaged only 2.8 yards per carry on the ground and were held to 80 total yards through the air.

Sophomore Jordan Ridley led the Bulldogs’ defense with eight tackles.

“The defense was just dominating,” Watkins said. “We came close to a shutout earlier in the year, but this shows how we can just ground it out.”

This Saturday, Butler will welcome Jacksonville (8-1, 6-0 PFL) into the Butler Bowl for the final home game of the season.

Jacksonville recently became 25th in the national rankings for the Football Championship Subdivision Poll this week.