Butler had their four-game home winning streak snapped on Saturday. Photo by Jonathan Wang.
OWEN PRISCOTT | STAFF REPORTER | opriscott@butler.edu
On a sunny Family Weekend Saturday in Indianapolis, 4-2 Butler faced the unbeaten No. 23-ranked Presbyterian Blue Hose in a pivotal Pioneer League showdown. Both teams entered unbeaten in conference play, but Presbyterian would escape with a 31-25 win.
Presbyterian received the opening kickoff and wasted no time putting pressure on Butler’s defense, redshirt sophomore quarterback Collin Hurst found graduate receiver Cincere Gill for the game’s first touchdown. The Blue Hose stayed aggressive, converting a two-point conversion try with a run from sophomore running back Justin Montgomery.
After an exchange of punts, the Dawgs responded behind redshirt junior quarterback Reagan Andrew — the reigning PFL Offensive Player of the Week — who capped the drive with a nine-yard rushing touchdown, his seventh of the season.
Presbyterian’s offense continued to find holes, highlighted by another long Montgomery run for 38 yards. Graduate running back Zach Switzer finished the drive with a touchdown, giving the Blue Hose a 15-7 lead after one quarter.
Butler opened the second quarter with a 13-play drive ending in a 33-yard field goal by redshirt junior kicker Ryan Short. Presbyterian answered with a 38-yarder of their own, but would later muff a punt to give the Bulldogs new life. Redshirt junior running back Griffin Caldwell quickly punched it in for a touchdown, but Presbyterian blocked the extra point to head into halftime leading 18-16.
The Dawgs opened the second half with a methodical 18-play, 67-yard drive that ate nearly ten minutes off the clock, resulting in Short’s second field goal — this one from 25 yards out — to take a 19-18 lead.
Early in the fourth, Andrew connected with redshirt junior receiver Nick Munson for a 34-yard strike inside the Presbyterian 10-yard line, but a third-down sack forced Butler to settle for Short’s third field goal of the day — a 37-yarder. Presbyterian quickly answered in a big way, as Hurst hit senior tight end Nathan Levicki on a go-route for a 75-yard touchdown that flipped momentum.
Presbyterian sealed the win on its next possession, with Hurst converting key third downs and Montgomery ripping another big gain before Switzer’s second touchdown of the day made it 31-22. Butler’s late field goal and onside kick attempt fell short as the Blue Hose escaped with a 31-25 victory.
After the game, head coach Kevin Lynch praised his team’s effort despite the result.
“Really hard-fought football game [between] two really good teams,” Lynch said. “You can tell why they’re undefeated and ranked nationally. I thought we played really hard and [the players] did everything we asked of them. We just needed a couple more plays in the red zone that we didn’t quite make. I told the team [that] we can’t let this beat us twice. We’ve got to get back to work and not let it carry over into next week.”
Andrew, who finished with 310 all-purpose yards and a career high on the ground, credited his offensive line for his success.
“That’s a testament to the five guys up front blocking their tails off every single play,” Andrew said. “They make my job a whole lot easier. It feels good, but I wish it happened under different circumstances. We’ve got to finish in the red zone [we] came up short too many times. It starts with me.”
The loss drops Butler to 4-3 overall and 2-1 in PFL play, while Presbyterian improves to 6-0 overall and 2-0 in PFL play. Butler will hit the road next week, heading to Dayton on Oct. 18th.
