The Butler football team got off to a slow start Saturday night against the Dartmouth Big Green and never recovered, falling 35-7.

The Bulldogs (1-2) were able to keep pace for most of the first half in their first-ever game against an Ivy League opponent.

Despite giving up an 85-yard touchdown on the opening kickoff to Miles Gay, Butler trailed 14-7 late in the half. But Dartmouth was able to score with 19 seconds left to lead 21-7 in their season opener.

Butler coach Jeff Voris said the team kept it closer than the score shows.

“We didn’t play complementary football,” Voris said. “When the defense got a stop, we didn’t capitalize on it, and when the offense scored, they came back and scored.”

The Bulldogs threatened multiple times in the second half, but they lost momentum after a goal-line stand by the Big Green (1-0) in the fourth quarter.

Butler receivers Derek O’Connor and JT Mesch each set career highs in the losing effort. O’Connor had 164 receiving yards on nine receptions, both career marks. Mesch accumulated 67 yards on his record eight catches.

O’Connor caught a 5-yard pass from quarterback Matt Lancaster in the second quarter for the team’s only points.

The Bulldogs return home on Saturday to open Pioneer Football League play against Campbell University.

“Our goal is to win the conference championship, and that starts this week,” Lancaster said.

The Camels (1-2) fell on the road last week to No. 6 Old Dominion 70-14.

Campbell junior quarterback Dakota Wolf, made his first career start last week in the loss.

He, like Butler’s Lancaster is an athletic quarterback that can run the ball.

Wolf finished with 22 carries for 101 yards and a touchdown. He threw for 56 yards on 8-of-16 passing.

Voris said Campbell is a relatively new program, but it has a good team.

“They’re kind of a mirror image to us,” Voris said.

Kickoff is at noon on Saturday.

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 fell short of a comeback in its season opener against Western Illinois.

The Bulldogs trailed 23-0 late in the third quarter before the offense showed its first signs of life in the season.

Junior running back Trae Heeter scored on a 5-yard run with four minutes remaining in the quarter to make the score 23-7. The Bulldogs snuck an onside kick past the Leathernecks (1-0) but were unable to capitalize.
Redshirt junior Sean Grady intercepted a pass that set up the team’s next scoring drive.

Grady said it was a big spark for the Bulldogs (0-1).

“We hadn’t been able to get a turnover all game, and as a defense we really look to put the offense in a good situation by turnovers,” Grady said.

On the ensuing drive, former quarterback Tom Judge made a circus catch for the Bulldogs (0-1) to get the drive moving.

On the next play, redshirt junior quarterback Matt Lancaster connected on another long screen to Heeter before running the ball into the end zone on the final play of the drive.

On the 2-point conversion attempt, Butler ran a reverse pass from Judge to make it a one-possession game, 23-15.

“The defense helped the offense, and the offense capitalized,” coach Jeff Voris said.

By getting the 2-point conversion, Voris said they felt completing the comeback was doable.

With two minutes remaining the Bulldogs were able to use their timeouts to get the ball back on their own 1-yard line.

Butler used four complete passes and three first downs to get the ball to the Western Illinois 7-yard line. The game clock was malfunctioning during the drive, and the officials kept the time on the field.

“You never know what’s going to happen with the clock,and the officials,” Lancaster said. “It’s just a matter of going out there and competing and worrying about ourselves.”

Lancaster completed a pass to Heeter, who attempted to get out of bounds but was brought down at the 4-yard line. The game clock ran out, and the Bulldogs’ 95-yard drive came up short.

“It was a little adversity thrown at us, and we needed to respond to it a little bit differently to get it done,” Voris said.

The Bulldogs will be playing under the lights for the first time since 1941 on Saturday.

Voris said he knows the atmosphere will be special, but his team is preparing the same way as it always does.

“We understand it’s a big game,” Voris said. “It’s a game that people are going to want to attend just because of the uniqueness of the lights.”

Spring has arrived on campus, but that does not mean the school’s fall athletic teams are resting easy.

The Butler men’s and women’s soccer and volleyball teams are currently participating in spring seasons even though their regular seasons are still months away.

The men’s and women’s soccer teams are both in the middle of month-long exhibition seasons that run from late March to the end of April.

The men’s squad took on Oakland last Saturday and has four games remaining this spring. The women’s team has already faced three teams and will take on Indiana on April 21.

Men’s soccer coach Paul Snape said playing games against other schools in the offseason gives players a chance to face off against different competitors.

“The problem is when you play against each other, you can get stale,” Snape said, “so playing other teams is a great opportunity to stay fresh.”

Junior forward Katie Griswold, a member of the women’s soccer team, said spring games help the team plan strategy for the fall season.

“[Spring games] let our coaches see what we need to work on, what will best suit the team and which formations will fit our team best,” Griswold said.

The volleyball team has matches scheduled on each of the first three Saturdays in April.

Junior outside hitter Rachel Barber said that the younger members of the team take advantage of the spring season.

“(The spring season) benefits the younger players the most,” Barber said. “It’s about getting comfortable with each other and allowing the coaches to develop players.”

The football team may not have games scheduled for the offseason, but coach Jeff Voris has 14 practices planned between March 23 and April 20.

The practices will culminate in the annual Blue-White Spring Game on April 21.

Sophomore running back Trae Heeter said that the squad focuses on re-implementing the team’s formations.

It also gives younger players time to impress the coaching staff.

“In the spring, we re-install either our offensive schemes or our defensive schemes,” Heeter said. “It’s basically a time for the guys that have been here to continue to work on their skills and for the freshmen and sophomores to go out there and show the coaches what they can do.”

The Butler football team sent its seniors out in style with a 17-7 conference win over Davidson Saturday. The game marked the final home game for Butler’s 23 seniors.

Each of those seniors saw action in the win, except quarterback Andrew Huck, who is nursing a shoulder injury suffered in Butler’s Homecoming loss to Marist.

Filling in for Butler’s second all-time leading passer makes for no easy feat, but coach Jeff Voris called redshirt freshman Wade Markley’s performance as quarterback “great.”

Photo by Taylor Cox

In his first collegiate start, Markley completed 15 of his 22 pass attempts, throwing for 168 yards and two touchdowns, including a third-quarter strike to sophomore tight end Matt Jenson. The 24-yard score put the Bulldogs (5-4, 3-3) on top 17-0.

“The thing with Wade  that allows everyone to relax and feel confident is the intangible things he brings to the game,” Voris said. “He spends as much time as anyone studying. He is the first guy here and the last guy to leave.”

Markley also connected with senior wide receiver Zach Watkins five times for 90 yards. Markley and the Bulldog offense finished with no turnovers on the day.

The Wildcats (2-7, 0-6) didn’t fare as well in regard to turnovers.

Led by sophomore quarterback Jonathan Carkhuff’s 304 passing yards, Davidson outgained Butler by more than 100 yards offensively. However, the Bulldogs’ defense forced four turnovers, including three interceptions.

Senior defensive linemen Grant Hunter, Jeff Poss and Ross Teare accounted for four of the Bulldogs’ five sacks.

Butler senior kicker David Lang added a 23-yard field goal in the effort and converted both extra points following Markley’s two touchdown passes.

Kicking for the final time at the Butler Bowl, Lang said what he will miss most are the relationships he has established with his teammates.

“I don’t think you can find this anywhere else,” Lang said. “These kinds of relationships are hard to make. I’ll definitely be friends with these guys for the rest of my life, and hopefully we can go places together.”

Butler will look to continue its winning ways when it visits second-place Jacksonville (6-3, 5-1) Saturday. The Bulldogs are 0-6 all-time against the Dolphins.
Jacksonville is coming off a 31-24 last-minute loss to league-leading Drake.

Three different Butler quarterbacks hit the turf in front of a crowd of more than 4,000 at the Butler Bowl Saturday, but their combined efforts were no match for Marist senior quarterback Tommy Reilly.

Reilly’s 283 passing yards and two touchdowns led the Red Foxes (3-5, 2-3) to a 28-10 win over the Bulldogs (4-4, 2-3).

“We knew they were a good team coming in,” Butler coach Jeff Voris said. “Our guys played with great effort, but Marist played better.”

Despite the final score, it was Butler who came out with a strong start.

Just three plays into the first half, senior defensive back Jack McKenna nabbed an interception at the Red Foxes’ 26-yard line.

The Bulldogs could not come up with a touchdown off the drive, but senior kicker David Lang put Butler on the scoreboard with a 28-yard field goal.

It marked the last time Butler would score in the first half.

“We came out really hyped up, but they outplayed us, and we just didn’t respond,” sophomore cornerback Kevin Cook said.

With 5:38 left in the first quarter, Reilly connected on a 29-yard pass to junior tight end Anthony Calcagni to give Marist a 7-3 advantage.

The second half saw two more touchdowns for the Red Foxes on a 4-yard pass by Reilly and a 1-yard run by senior running back Matt Gray. The scores gave Marist a 21-3 lead going into the locker room.

The Bulldogs were hit with two key injuries at the end of the second quarter as well.

Senior linebacker Nick Caldicott was helped off the field after suffering an injury during a tackle, and senior quarterback Andrew Huck suffered a shoulder injury on the last play of the half.

Play was much closer in the second half, with Butler holding Marist to one touchdown and scoring one as well.

“We weren’t going to bend over and let this happen,” Cook said. “There was a lot of good leadership showing at halftime.”

Things began to look bleak for the Bulldogs when the Red Foxes scored another touchdown, stretching their lead to 28-3.

Butler made the game respectable by scoring the final touchdown of the game in the fourth quarter, closing the deficit to 28-10.

Butler freshman quarterback Wade Markley recorded his first collegiate touchdown pass with a 29-yard toss to senior wide receiver Jeff Larsen.

“Those guys were put in a really tough situation,” Voris said. “I thought they did well for the situation they were in.”

Markley completed five of his six pass attempts for 83 yards in relief of Huck and redshirt sophomore Tom Judge.

Reilly was the star of the game though. He completed 21 of 24 passes for 270 yards and two touchdowns with one interception.

Marist held a 38:58–21:02 advantage in time of possession by the end of the game and outgained Butler 431-284.

Senior defensive back Andy Dauch led the team in tackles with a career-high 14 stops.

“[Dauch] is a good football player,” Voris said. “He does his job, and he’s an outstanding leader in the locker room.”

Junior linebacker Jordan Ridley tallied 12 tackles for the Bulldogs. He is currently leading the Pioneer Football League in tackles.

After an off-day this Saturday, the Bulldogs will be back in the Butler Bowl against Davidson Saturday, Nov. 5 at noon.

Butler senior kicker David Lang has been “good as gold” this season, to steal a term often used to describe Chicago Bears kicker Robbie Gould.

Lang drilled a game-winning, 35-yard field goal with less than two minutes remaining in the game to give the Butler football team a 29-27 victory over Dayton on Saturday.

“That was a great win,” Butler head coach Jeff Voris said.

Lang nailed another 35-yard field goal earlier in the fourth quarter as well as a career-long 46-yard field goal in the closing seconds of the first quarter.

The performance earned Lang the Pioneer Football League’s Special Teams Player of the Week honor, his second this season.

The Bulldogs (3-2, 1-1) needed all the points that Lang produced after blowing a 10-point advantage against the Flyers, (3-2, 1-1) the co-champion of the PFL last season.

Butler overcame Dayton’s defensive effort on its first drive of the game, moving the ball 83 yards in 11 plays.

The drive finished in the end zone with a three-yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Zach Watkins from senior quarterback Andrew Huck.

Huck ended the day with 255 passing yards and three touchdown passes.

The Bulldogs had a 10-0 lead by the end of the first quarter thanks to Lang’s 46-yard field goal.

The Flyers rallied in the second quarter to score two consecutive touchdowns and gain a 14-10 lead.

Butler responded by putting together an 80-yard drive in the last three minutes of the first half. Huck capped the drive with a four-yard pass to senior wide receiver Jeff Larsen, giving the Bulldogs a 16-14 lead at halftime.

Photo by Mickey Shuey

“We came out really strong,” sophomore cornerback Kevin Cook said. “Dayton has always been one of our biggest rivals. We had the mentality ‘we can win’, and that’s what gave us tempo.”

The third quarter saw tight defense and one touchdown for each squad. Dayton’s failed two-point conversion after its touchdown left the Bulldogs with a 23-20 lead.

The tide turned for the Bulldogs in the fourth quarter after a Butler punt was blocked and returned 42 yards, giving Dayton a 27-23 lead.

“That put us down, but we set the tempo on the next drive,” Cook said.

The Bulldogs erased part of the deficit when Lang made a 35-yard field goal, bringing the Bulldogs within one point of the Flyers with 7:52 remaining.

After the field goal, Butler’s defense held strong to give the offense another opportunity. The Bulldogs’ defense limited Dayton to 78 passing yards and 162 rushing yards while forcing three turnovers.

“[The defense] was more aggressive on the short passes, and we really wanted to press that,” Cook said.

Butler sealed the victory with Lang’s field goal with seven seconds left to go.

Cook said that beating last season’s PFL co-champs made the Butler win even sweeter.

“We don’t want to share anything with anybody,” Cook said. “If we can beat the league champs, then we can be the league champs. This win was crucial to the rest of our season.”

The Bulldogs will hit the road for their next game at Campbell Saturday.

Zach Watkins has made a habit of catching passes over the past four years. This season, the senior receiver is making a habit of breaking records.

After becoming the all-time receptions leader Sept. 17, Watkins  added another notch to his belt, surpassing Dan Bohrer as the Bulldogs’ leader in receiving yards with 2,308.

And Watkins made the record-breaking play in appropriate fashion.

Fully extended in the corner of the end zone, Watkins made a leaping touchdown grab that gave Butler a 7-6 lead over Drake.

Photo by Maria Porter

“He’s made some catches that you wonder how in the heck he made,” coach Jeff Voris said. “The one that broke the record, he’s probably laying on his back. That was just the perfect way for him to get it.”

Following the game, Watkins deflected his achievement back to his teammates.

“I see it more as a team goal than an individual goal,” Watkins said. “At the end of the day, I catch the ball, but it wouldn’t happen without 10 other guys.”

Voris, on the other hand, commented on the impressiveness of Watkins, a four-year letter winner, and his recently acquired records.

“To have those types of records, you need to be able to find the field early,” Voris said.

Watkins did just that, turning heads as an underclassman with his dazzling catches and big-play ability.

Butler receivers coach Kenan Smith knows what it takes to be a successful wideout. Smith was an all-conference receiver at Sacramento State and finished his collegiate career on the school’s  top 10 list for receptions.

“Zach has some of the strongest hands I’ve ever seen,” Smith said. “He makes catches that sometimes I’m even amazed he makes.”

Even so, Smith says that Watkins’ success is as much a product of off-the-field efforts as natural talent.

“I would come in to the office in the summer, and Zach would be sitting in the dark watching film,” Smith said. “He is always trying to get better.”

Assistant coach Nick Anderson oversaw the Bulldogs’ receiving corps from 2007 to 2010 before focusing specifically on cornerbacks this season. During that time, Anderson watched Watkins mature as both a player and a person.

“It has been really fun watching him grow from being a young guy who couldn’t remember one play to a guy who can line up at any position and know what he’s doing,” Anderson said. “The best part for me has been watching him grow as a person and young man.”

Four games into his final season as a Bulldog, Watkins has yet to reflect on his Butler career. Instead, the wideout is focusing on the short term, establishing one clear objective: win the Pioneer Football League conference title.

“Seeing the seniors hold up that trophy [in 2009] meant a lot to me,” Watkins said. “It’s something that I definitely want to do.”

Senior quarterback Andrew Huck was Butler’s offensive MVP in 2009 when the Bulldogs won a school record 11 games, were PFL co-champions and picked up the first postseason victory in school history.

That season, Watkins led the Bulldogs in receiving and scoring while garnering first-team All-PFL honors. His 78 receptions were a league best.

“[Watkins] and I have built quite a rapport over the past four years,” Huck said. “A lot of our success has to do with communicating and making adjustments in the game. It’s definitely a relationship where we both have a lot of trust.”

Bulldog fans and players alike are hoping the chemistry and trust Watkins and Huck have developed will equate to Butler victories.

When asked if the 2-2 Bulldogs still have a shot to win the conference title, Watkins was confident.

“Oh yeah,” Watkins said. “Definitely.”

Despite a stone-wall defense in the second half and a record-breaking performance by senior wide receiver Zach Watkins, the Butler football team fell to Drake 24-14 in a battle of the Bulldogs on Saturday.

The Bulldogs from Drake (3-1, 1-0) managed to find the end zone first, despite a sack by Butler senior defensive lineman Grant Hunter and an interception by senior linebacker Nick Caldicott.

Drake put the Butler Bulldogs (2-2, 0-1) in an early hole with a 6-yard run into the end zone by senior running back Patrick Cashmore. Butler blocked the extra point attempt, keeping the deficit at 6-0.

After the Drake touchdown, Butler’s defense continued to hang tough, with junior linebacker Jordan Ridley and junior defensive lineman Jack Tennant nabbing back-to-back sacks.

The defensive push sent Drake’s offense back 12 yards and started a Butler drive that carried into the second quarter.

Photo by Maria Porter

Less than a minute into the second quarter, the Butler Bulldogs found the end zone when senior wide receiver Jeff Larsen made a 24-yard reverse pass to Watkins for the touchdown.

“We try something every week that keeps them guessing, ‘will they or won’t they?’” head coach Jeff Voris said. “We thought we had that one pretty polished up.”

The reception gave Watkins his second school record in as many games. Watkins moved past Dan Bohrer on Butler’s all-time receiving yards list with 2,308.

Butler made the extra point, taking a short-lived 7-6 lead. A Drake touchdown with 6:58 left in the half followed by a successful two-point conversion and another run into the end zone gave Drake a 21-7 halftime advantage.

The third quarter was a defensive one for both teams, with a field goal by Drake accounting for the quarter’s only points. It would be the last score of the day for Drake’s offense.

“[The defense] was up to tempo on game speed,” Voris said. “Everyone was doing their job, being in the right place at the right time.”

Butler’s offense made a late push with a touchdown during the game’s final two minutes. Senior quarterback Andrew Huck completed a 27-yard pass to senior wide receiver Jordan Koopman to cut the lead to 24-14.

Butler’s defense recovered a fumble moments later, but the ensuing offensive drive ended with Huck being intercepted, preserving Drake’s victory.

“We have to move forward and leave this behind us,” Watkins said.

In addition to Watkins’ record-setting day, Huck attempted a school record 51 passes during the game, completing 27 of them.

Butler will travel to Dayton this Saturday for another Pioneer League matchup.

For five Butler football senior defenders, the start of this season has been no different than the past three seasons: all of them played on opening day then, too.

Even more surprising is that the five cornerstones of the Bulldogs’ defense have missed only 14 games combined during the past three seasons.

During their time together, Grant Hunter, Ross Teare, Jeff Poss, Robert Koteff and Larry Thomas have built up a strong defensive unit that relies on each person doing his job.

Photo by Rachel Senn

“From having played week after week, year after year, they trust each other,” head coach Jeff Voris said. “They can count on each other to have the right gap.”

Teare, finished fourth on the team in tackles last season with 14. The senior agrees with Voris that developing a cohesive defensive line should pay big dividends for the Bulldogs this season.

“When you play with the same guys for long enough, you get to know them as players and know what they are going to do,” Teare said.

While the durability of the five on game day is impressive, perhaps even more important is the dedication and perseverance they display in workouts.

“They hardly ever miss practice, a lifting session or team meeting,” Voris said. “That provides a great example for our younger guys to follow.”

Last season, the five defenders were responsible for 7.5 sacks and 114 tackles.

In 2009, when the Bulldogs won the Pioneer Football League championship, they were responsible for 16 sacks and 127 tackles.

“Obviously, we would like every season to be like 2009,” Voris said. “If we are going to get back to where we were then, it is going to start with our seniors.”

The Bulldogs are looking at every game as a championship game during this season, Teare said.

“That’s the mindset we need to have,” Teare said. “If we have that mentality, hopefully we will be where we want to be.”

Hunter said that he also understands an experienced senior class will be key to whatever success Butler has this season.

“As seniors, it is our job to lead by example,” Hunter said. “If we want to experience 2009 again, that’s what it is going to take.”

After the first two games, Voris said he likes what he has seen from his defensive and offensive lines.

“We have always said the improvement of our program goes hand-in-hand with the improvement of the offensive and defensive lines,” he said. “If we do those things right, the score will take care of itself.”