Will Marty and Pace Temple celebrate following a play last season. Marty threw for 181 yards in Butler’s victory over Taylor on Sept. 8. Collegian file photo.
JAROD LIPSON | STAFF REPORTER | jlipson@butler.edu
The Butler University football team remains undefeated following a 31-17 road win over Taylor University on Sept. 8.
With rain coming down steadily from the opening kickoff, offense was hard to come by for both teams early on. The first four drives of the game ended in punts.
On the fifth and final drive of the first quarter, Butler moved the ball deep into Taylor territory. Two passes in three plays by senior quarterback Will Marty, totaling 42 yards, got the Bulldogs ten yards from the end zone.
Butler was eventually able to get to the opposing 3-yard line, but a fumble on third down forced them to settle for a 32-yard field goal by junior kicker Drew Bevelhimer.
After each team went three-and-out, Taylor drove into Butler territory. They were eventually forced to punt, but the punt was mishandled by the Bulldogs, giving the Trojans a short field at the eight yard-line.
Butler was able to limit the damage to a field goal. Senior linebacker Carter Raleigh had a hand in all three plays, including two tackles behind the line of scrimmage and a pass breakup in the end zone. With the field goal, Taylor tied the game at three.
The Bulldogs would respond with a score of their own, this time a 16-yard touchdown run by redshirt junior running back Brad Sznajder.
Sznajder had a game to remember, rushing for 163 yards in the contest.
Head coach Jeff Voris said that this performance was crucial to his team’s victory.
“In a weather game, you’ve got to do a great job in the trenches,” Voris said. “You’ve got to be able to stop the run, you’ve got to be able to stop the ball because it’s going to be hard to throw the ball.”
After another forced three-and-out, Butler would get the ball back with less than two minutes remaining in the half. A 16-yard Sznajder punt return would bring the Bulldogs near midfield.
Pace Temple made his first two catches of the game on the drive, and Butler found themselves inside of Taylor’s 20-yard line.
A 12-yard Brad Huth touchdown catch with 32 seconds remaining in the half gave the Bulldogs a 17-3 lead going into the halftime.
The second half didn’t start out as well for Butler. After getting pushed to a fourth down on the first possession of the half, the Bulldogs had their punt blocked and returned by Taylor for a touchdown.
A 4-yard Anthony Scaccia rushing touchdown on Butler’s next drive pushed the lead back to two scores. After another forced punt, Butler would score once more, this time on a 9-yard run by Marty.
After a turnover on downs by Taylor was followed by a Butler punt, Taylor converted a 3-yard rushing touchdown after a pass interference call put them close to the end zone.
Butler then made two defensive stops and gathered enough first downs to run the clock out on the victory.
Voris said that Taylor never makes it easy to beat them.
“It’s going to be a 60-minute game with them,” Voris said. “They’re never going to quit and they’re well-coached. We were able to hang in there on defense, play really well and get some key stops deep in the red zone.”
The win raises Butler’s record to 2-0, a record no one on Butler’s current roster has seen as a Bulldog.
Voris said that even with the two wins, the focus has to be on next week.
“Every week you’re trying to be 1-0, and we have two good wins, but we’ve got to get back to 0-0,” Voris said.
Butler takes on Princeton University in their first home game of the season on Sept. 15.
