Saturday night’s matchup was Butler’s third game of the season against a scholarship program. Photo courtesy of Butler Athletics.

OWEN PRISCOTT | STAFF REPORTER | opriscott@butler.edu 

Similar to its season opener against Northern Iowa, Butler football had its first-ever meeting against the Weber State Wildcats on Saturday night in Utah. 

Playing without redshirt junior starting quarterback Reagan Andrew, the Bulldogs turned to a two-quarterback system with redshirt sophomore Jarrin Alley and redshirt freshman Gabe Passini. A slow offensive start and big runs from Weber State put Butler in a hole and appeared to turn into a blowout. However, Passini provided a spark that seemed to shift the momentum, leading Butler with 175 rushing yards on 23 attempts and adding a touchdown on the ground. He also threw for 51 yards and a score, accounting for two of the three Bulldog offensive touchdowns. 

Despite the Dawgs’ best efforts, Weber State responded with timely stops and explosive runs to put the game out of reach, handing Butler a 38–24 loss and dropping them to 2-2. 

Weber State struck quickly on its opening drive. Sophomore running back Davion Godley capped a five-play, 75-yard drive with a 15-yard touchdown run. Butler’s defense kept the Bulldogs within reach with a pair of critical goal-line stops, including a fourth-down pass breakup by graduate defensive back Onye Onuoha. Still, the Bulldog offense sputtered out of the gate, opening the night with three consecutive three-and-outs and managing just 10 total yards in the first quarter. 

Momentum finally shifted midway through the second quarter when penalties against Weber State extended a Butler drive. Passini rolled out and connected with junior wide receiver Ethan Loss for a catch-and-run to set up first-and-goal. Soon after, Loss capped the drive with a two-yard jet sweep touchdown to cut the Weber State lead to 13-7. 

The Wildcats answered with explosive plays through the air, with sophomore quarterback Jackson Gilkey finding sophomore wide receiver AJ Jayroe for a 20-yard touchdown strike to balloon the Wildcat lead back to 20-7. Just minutes later, another Weber State touchdown pass exposed the Butler secondary, extending the deficit to 27–7. 

Butler was able to find life just before halftime, as Passini broke free for a 43-yard run before hitting junior tight end Brady Preston for a wide-open 32-yard touchdown pass. On the next possession, senior defensive lineman Danny Orgler grabbed an interception — Butler’s first takeaway of the year — but the Bulldogs had to settle for a field goal, cutting the deficit to 27-17 before halftime. 

The Bulldogs threatened to score again before the break, as on the ensuing kickoff junior defensive back Blair Schonhorst forced a fumble, recovered by sophomore defensive back Kameron Armstrong. But the promising drive ended with an interception in the end zone, stalling Butler’s chance to close the gap. 

Butler opened the second half with a quick three-and-out, and a pair of shaky punts flipped the field position firmly in Weber State’s favor. The Wildcats added to their lead midway through the third quarter with a 36-yard field goal — their third of the night — to make it 30-17. 

The Bulldog defense continued to fight, as sophomore defensive lineman Luke Green stuffed a third-and-one and graduate defensive lineman CJ Wilson Jr. sacked Gilkey on fourth down to keep Butler within striking distance. That effort paid off when Passini delivered another jolt, converting a fourth-and-three with a 33-yard scramble and then capping the drive with a touchdown run. The score pulled Butler to within six points — 30-24 — the smallest deficit since the opening quarter. 

Butler’s defense came through once again, forcing another stop with a big hit from junior safety Steven Stephany and several timely pass breakups by Onuoha. The Bulldogs had a chance to take the lead in the fourth quarter, but Passini narrowly overthrew sophomore receiver Jack Weybright on a wheel route that would have gone for a touchdown. 

Weber State regained control late in the fourth, leaning on Godley to break free for a 52-yard run that set up a short touchdown by redshirt freshman backup running back Chauncey Sylvester. That score extended the lead to 38-24 with under three minutes to play, effectively putting the game out of reach. 

For Weber State, it was Godley proving to be the difference-maker, gashing the Butler defense for 193 yards and setting up multiple scoring drives.

The stat of the night, however, was Butler’s struggles on third down. Despite forcing three turnovers and winning the turnover battle overall, the Bulldogs finished 0-for-14 on third-down conversions — a key factor in stalling promising drives.

Butler will look to bounce back next weekend in front of the home crowd during Homecoming, hosting Marist at 1 p.m.