Butler’s win against St. Thomas saw their first 2-0 start in conference play since 2023. Photo courtesy of Butler Athletics.
OWEN PRISCOTT | STAFF REPORTER | opriscott@butler.edu
On a sunny Saturday in St. Paul, Minnesota, 3-2 Butler squared off against 2-2 St. Thomas in its fifth-ever meeting. The Bulldogs entered riding high off of their thrilling homecoming victory against Marist, while the Tommies were coming off a heartbreaking loss at the buzzer to San Diego. The Dawgs took home a 21-14 overtime win.
St. Thomas applied pressure on the Bulldogs immediately after receiving the opening kickoff. Graduate quarterback Andy Peters engineered an 11-play, 75-yard drive, ending with a 29-yard touchdown strike on a spectacular catch in double coverage by sophomore gadget receiver Quentin Cobb-Butler.
Butler answered quickly with a nine-play touchdown drive of their own, set up by redshirt junior quarterback Reagan Andrew hitting a 20-yard pass to redshirt senior tight end Cameron Heald to get inside the 5-yard line. Shortly after, Andrew ran two yards himself for a Dawgs touchdown. The first quarter came to an end with the score deadlocked at 7-7.
The second period of play began in opposite fashion, with back-to-back punts from the Bulldogs and St. Thomas. After forcing the Tommies to punt, the Butler offense put together a season-long 16 play, 80-yard drive touchdown that took nearly nine minutes off the clock. The drive featured four third-down conversions by Butler, and was capped off by Andrew’s second rushing touchdown of the day.
St. Thomas threatened to draw even before the half, but redshirt junior safety Steven Stephany channeled his performance from last year’s win over St. Thomas — where he intercepted two Tommie passes — by grabbing an interception in the end zone, the first of the season thrown by Peters. The Bulldogs went into the locker room with a 14-7 lead, and would receive the ensuing kickoff.
The third quarter turned the game into a defensive struggle. St. Thomas forced the Bulldogs into a punt to begin the second half, but the Bulldog defense responded by forcing a three-and-out.
After another short Bulldogs punt, St. Thomas found themselves driving inside the Butler 30-yard line. The promising drive stalled thanks to a timely pass breakup by redshirt junior defensive back Blair Schonhorst. The third quarter concluded with the no score — Bulldogs remained up 14-7.
Butler looked to take advantage of the chance, but gave it right back to St. Thomas near midfield after sophomore wide receiver Jack Weybright coughed up a fumble during a 14-yard run. St. Thomas cashed in the turnover with a Peters 1-yard touchdown run using the “Tush Push”, making it three rushing touchdowns between the two quarterbacks in the contest. The score tied the game at 14, with 10 minutes left in regulation.
The end of the fourth quarter was nothing short of chaos. For the second time, the Dawgs were able to drain nearly nine minutes off the clock all the way to the two-minute warning. The Bulldogs set up a 29-yard field goal attempt which redshirt junior kicker Ryan Short missed. St. Thomas then quickly drove down to the Butler 21-yard line courtesy of a 24-yard pass to graduate running back JaShawn Todd .
The Tommies had a 38-yard field goal try teed up to win the game, but it sailed wide to the right, sending the game to overtime.
In overtime, Andrew found redshirt junior wideout Nick Munson to go inside St. Thomas’ 15-yard line. Then, it was Andrew on the ground for 10 more yards down to the 1-yard line, and Andrew punching it in himself.
Butler’s defense was quickly put back on their heels due to multiple personal foul penalties, but in the biggest moment, they delivered. The Bulldogs stopped a first down run for no gain, sacked Peters for a loss of two yards on second down and forced an incompletion on third down. To seal it, it was senior defensive back Will Mason grabbing a tipped ball for the Bulldogs’ second interception of the day, and winning them the ballgame.
Andrew finished with 141 yards through the air, 68 on the ground and three rushing touchdowns, accounting for all of the scoring for Butler. After entering the game with no turnovers in the young season, the Dawgs forced Peters into two interceptions, the second being the game-winner. The defensive effort was also aided by sacks from graduate defensive lineman CJ Wilson Jr., and senior linebacker Jeremiah Jackson.
This result lifts Butler to 4-2 on the season 2-0 in Pioneer League play. St. Thomas falls to 2-3, and 0-2 in conference play.
Butler now shifts their focus to a family weekend clash with No. 23 Presbyterian at the Sellick Bowl on Oct. 11 at 1 p.m.
