The Butler football team opened the season with a hard-fought 27-23 victory against the Georgetown College (KY) Tigers on Aug. 29.
The Bulldogs were led by junior quarterback Gabe Passini, who broke his career record for single-game rushing yards with 176, and also scored two touchdowns.
Both teams started their seasons with turnovers on downs, but after two long receptions from senior wide receivers Clayton Davis and Chandler Godby, the Tigers opened the scoring with a 24-yard field goal from sophomore kicker Braden Widener.
Butler turned it over on downs for a second straight drive, then the Tigers converted a 4th-and-8 and scored the very next play on a touchdown pass from sophomore quarterback Justice Burnam to sophomore wide receiver Trace Jallick to make it a 10-point lead.
The ensuing kickoff landed out of bounds, giving the Bulldogs good field position for their third drive of the game, where junior kicker Beck Janki converted a 34-yard field goal to get the Dawgs on the board for the first time this season.
The following sequence saw both special teams units make an impact. First, the Bulldogs forced a fumble on the kickoff. However, the offense stalled out and settled for a 42-yard field goal that was blocked by junior defensive lineman Delshan Davis and returned by junior defensive back Javyn Martin for a touchdown, putting the Tigers up 17-3.
Butler finally found the end zone with a 20-yard strike from Passini to junior wide receiver Chet Yardley to get the Bulldogs back into the game. Following a special teams miscue and subsequent three-and-out from the Tigers, graduate running back Desmin Jackson found the end zone to even the score at 17.
Right before the break, the Tigers made a final push in the first half, driving down to the Dawgs three-yard line, but were held to a field goal that put them up three going into halftime.
Bulldog head coach Kevin Lynch felt that holding the Tigers to three was huge for the team going into the break.
“[It is] always huge when you can get a team that tight and then hold them to three,” Lynch said. “It was a very sloppy first half for us, and for us to [get a stop] on two plays from inside the three and hold them to a field goal was big.”
In the third quarter, the Tigers made a field goal to extend their lead to six. On the Bulldogs’ next possession, Passini would display his speed with a 49-yard rush and a nine-yard scamper that gave Butler a lead for the first time this season.
Passini credited his offensive line for doing the dirty work.
“I [have to] give all the props to my offensive line, [they are] such a good group to be behind,” Passini said. “Also my tight ends, receivers selling [their routes] or blocking, whatever they need to do. They are the ones that make it happen, I’m just the one who carries the ball.”
A sack from sophomore defensive lineman Okemdi Eze ended the third quarter, then with that momentum the Bulldogs defense came up with an interception from graduate linebacker Will Beesley at the Tigers’ 38-yard line. The offense responded with a 27-yard field goal to extend the lead to 27-23.
The Tigers would mount two charges in the fourth quarter, but failed to cash in as they missed a 35-yard field goal and then stalled out on their final drive — capped off with a sack by senior defensive lineman Luke Green.
The Bulldogs only needed one first down to seal the game, and on a 3rd-and-3, Passini took it himself while setting a new career best.
Passini credits the work done in the offseason in developing a strong bond with coach Lynch.
“It’s awesome to have that trust between [Lynch] and I because I was a sophomore [last year] and [we developed] that trust coming into the year,” Passini said. “And it’s good that [Lynch] believes in me to go [get the first down]. It means a lot that we built that over the last year.”
Butler would kneel out the clock to start their season on a high note.
Lynch says winning is a challenge and that is the beauty of the sport.
“That’s the beauty of football,” Lynch said. “Winning is hard and when you get an opportunity to win, you have to celebrate it and enjoy it because they’re hard to come by. We did a lot of things that should lose a football game and we were able to overcome it by forcing two turnovers and winning the [turnover] battle 2-0. Things like that make it huge.”
Butler will travel to Bozeman, Montana on Sep. 5 to take on the defending FCS champion, No. 1 Montana State Bobcats.