Redshirt junior wide receiver Archie Cox amassed a season-high 107 yards and a touchdown against Drake. Photo by Darcy Leber.
ROCCO SANTORO | STAFF REPORTER | rsantoro@butler.edu
Drake pulled away from Butler 24-19 in a battle of the Bulldogs on Nov. 1.
In a game with big Pioneer League championship implications, Drake set the tone on the opening play with a 66-yard touchdown by first-year running back Nick Herman. They kept the momentum going by forcing Butler to go three-and-out.
On their second possession, Drake had a 10-play drive but ended up missing a 26-yard field goal from the right hash to keep the score at 7-0. The Dawgs responded with a 54-yard touchdown pass from redshirt junior quarterback Reagan Andrew to redshirt junior wide receiver Archie Cox to tie the game at 7-7.
“I was just happy to get us a score. [It] ended up tying the game, so it got us back in it.” Cox said.
Both teams then failed to score on the next four drives, with three punts and a turnover on downs.
Drake reclaimed their momentum from the opening drive when they stretched the field 85 yards on eleven plays with a touchdown from first-year quarterback Logan Inagawa to sophomore wide receiver Jackson Voth with just over two minutes left in the half.
That momentum carried over on defense during Butler’s two-minute drill when Andrew was intercepted by senior defensive back Tommy Williams on a screen pass, sending the Dawgs into the locker room down 14-7.
Butler received the second half kickoff and made the most of it. The Dawgs started their drive with a 25-yard rush to midfield by redshirt junior wide receiver Ethan Loss. Butler scored eight plays later on a touchdown pass from Andrew to sophomore wide receiver Chet Yardley, who made a one-handed catch from three yards out. But on the PAT, Drake got in there to block the kick and keep the lead at 14-13.
Drake responded on their next drive with a long 51-yard field goal from senior kicker Harry Balke, who made up for his earlier miss.
On the first play of the fourth quarter, Andrew delivered a third down completion to Cox, but he coughed it up with the fumble being recovered by Drake junior defensive lineman Cole Sigler. The Bulldogs used that turnover to go up two scores, with a 1-yard rush by senior running back Luke Woodson to make the score 24-13.
The Dawgs responded on the ensuing drive, with a third down conversion from Andrew to Cox for 34 yards, and then Andrew punched it in himself to cut the game to one score. Butler tried to go for two to make it a field goal deficit, but Andrew’s pass fell incomplete in the end zone.
Butler forced a three-and-out with a little under five minutes to play, but redshirt junior wide receiver Nick Munson muffed the punt and Drake recovered. It was Butler’s third turnover of the game, and the most costly one. The Dawgs now needed another third down stop from their defense, but Woodson sealed the game for Drake with a 4-yard carry to pick up the first down.
After the game, head coach Kevin Lynch spoke about the losing the turnover battle and how the team will bounce back from a devastating loss.
“I think that our guys are resilient,” Lynch said. “They like to play, they like each other. I don’t think it’ll be a problem to get back to work tomorrow and get ready to pay Morehead State next week. [There is still] a lot to play for, crazier things have happened as well, but I don’t worry about our guys coming back to play. Turnover margin is sometimes a fluky thing. The guys that had [our] turnovers are some of our best players. [We] trust them big time. It’s just one of those deals. Sometimes it happens. Sometimes the ball doesn’t bounce your way.”
Cox, who had a big day catching four passes for 107 yards and one touchdown, credits his quarterback and offensive line for his success.
“Reagan threw me some great passes throughout the game,” Cox said. “The [offensive line] up front got some great protection going to allow that to happen and me getting open. The whole team was a part of [my success today].
Butler falls to 5-4 overall and 3-2 in Pioneer League play, while Drake improves to 6-2 and 5-0 in the Pioneer League. Butler travels to Morehead State next week to take on the Eagles on Nov. 8.
