Last season, Butler football fans were left underwhelmed with the results of the 2025 campaign. Under first-year head coach Kevin Lynch, the Bulldogs amassed only six wins, their lowest total since 2021, and finished sixth in the Pioneer Football League (PFL). On top of that, the team lost several key players in the offseason — including wide receiver Ethan Loss, linebacker Jeremiah Jackson and defensive backs Devaon Holman, Will Mason and Onye Onuoha.
From a fan’s perspective, it was a dejecting start to a new era of Dawgs football. In Lynch’s view, however, it was only a start.
“It’s like [reps to a player],” Lynch said. “[Last season] was an opportunity to see everything, see how this place works and see what we have as a football team.”
Voted to finish fifth in the PFL Preseason Coaches’ Poll, Butler hopes to find itself vying for a conference championship or even an FCS playoff spot when November rolls around. While the team hopes to continue improving throughout the season, Lynch wants to see an immediate improvement in the turnover battle.
“For us to take the next step, we have to be better in turnover margin,” Lynch said. “We were minus seven [in turnover differential] last year, which was one of the [lowest differentials] in our conference, and to win as many games as we did [having that margin] is kind of crazy. So if we can flip that script, we have a chance to be pretty darn special.”
The Bulldogs’ defense notched 12 total turnovers last year, with six interceptions and six fumble recoveries, while the offense gave away the ball 19 times, throwing 10 interceptions and losing nine fumbles. Although they led the conference in average time of possession per game, giveaways led to multiple disappointing finishes for Butler in close contests last year — including games against Drake and Morehead State.
Another area of concern is the offense’s passing efficiency. Out of 11 PFL teams, the Dawgs finished seventh last year, a stark contrast to the 2024 season when they finished third.
However, Lynch is not concerned about his team’s ability to bounce back from adversity. He feels that as this season goes on, the already tight-knit unit will band together to form one of the strongest teams of recent memory.
“[It’s a] cool thing that I came into a place that has a pretty good established program [with] really great players,” Lynch said. “[These guys] have a lot of pride playing football and playing for Butler … It’s a fun group to coach. I think they really like to play. You can tell they really get along with each other, which is a lot of fun to see as a coach.”
Senior linebacker Mason Armstrong, who was selected to the Preseason All-PFL Team this year, shared similar views about how team synergy will impact this season and the upcoming matchup on Sep. 5 against the defending FCS champions, No.1 Montana State, in Bozeman.
“We spend all the time together,” Armstrong said. “We’re just all ready to let it rip on Saturday. We’re all working as one … The communication [is great and it] just fires me up. I know we’re ready to go [come] Saturday.”
Senior quarterback Reagan Andrew believes that although some things change every year, the mission stays consistent.
“The sky’s the limit,” Andrew said. “The goal is the same every year, but right now we’re just focused on winning the first game. So we’re taking it one game, one day at a time. I’m really excited to see what this team can do. It’s a really tight group [of guys], and I think that gives [us] an edge [on gameday] because it just comes down to who can execute better when the time comes.”
No matter what happens when pads begin to clash, Lynch hopes fans will see this team’s grit shine through the Sellick Bowl.
“I just hope we’re a team that plays really hard,” Lynch said. “[I hope] when people show up to watch us play on Saturday, it’s clear to them that we’re the most excited team to play. We got the right [team] makeup, and I think [our] guys are going to be jumping.”
The Bulldogs opened their season with a win on Aug. 29, coming back from an early 17-3 deficit to beat Georgetown College 27-23.
Following the contest against No. 1 Montana State, the Dawgs will return home to take on Franklin on Sep. 12.