The NCAA Tournament is here. Get yourself prepared for the first weekend of games with my analysis of the four Indiana teams in the field. IU, Butler, Notre Dame, and Valparaiso each have differing situations but some deep run opportunities are there.
Follow me on Twitter @thadvandeventer.
This week we make a call to the bullpen and bring in the big right hander from Arkansas, Jon Pratt. JP is filling for the Coach as he preps for the semi-state this Saturday. We talk all hoops this episode. Thoughts on IU’s Big Ten Championship and their prospects for March. Valpo wins the Horizon League title to earn their Big Dance ticket. Plus other basketball chatter.
Follow us on Twitter @thadvandeventer, @hoosier31, @IndySportsCrew.
Join us this week in the Man Room as the Coach and I really go in depth with some basketball talk. Dare I say even some “chalk talk”. The main focus is college basketball with some big games this week for Notre Dame, IU, and Indiana State. We also give a special shout out to the Shakamak Lady Lakers with coaches Troy Fougerousse and B.A. Shipman. Follow us @thadvandeventer, @C_K_42, and @IndySportsCrew.
We’re back!!! After a short time off due to the holidays and the birth of Graham, the Coach and I are back in the Man Room talking basketball. We had a ton of college basketball action to catch up on. Indiana and Butler are both in the top 10 plus other teams playing well. Listen and get ready for the weekly podcasts once again. Follow us on Twitter @thadvandeventer, @C_K_42, and @IndySportsCrew.
Statewide Round Ball Round Up
Just as we did last year at the start of each month we will run through the Division I college basketball programs in the state to get you caught up on where every program is. This month I waited an extra week as this completes the first full month of games. So lets get started.
Indiana
The Hoosiers are ranked #1 in the nation and through their first nine games have shown no reason why they shouldn’t be. IU has won all nine games this year by an average of 31.7 ppg. The schedule has not been loaded with top notch competition but in the three games so far against BCS conference teams Indiana has handled all of them with double-digit victories.
Indiana has showcased numerous offensive weapons as they have five players averaging double figures. The Hoosiers lead the country in scoring with 89.1 points per game. Cody Zeller, the preseason National Player of the Year, leads the team in both scoring and rebounding at 15.4 ppg and 8.9 rpg. IU has one more game against a solid opponent left before entering conference play as they will take on Butler next Saturday in the Crossroads Classic at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
Notre Dame
Notre Dame is the only other ranked team in the state coming in at #22 right now. They have rolled through the first month of the season with a record of 8-1. Their signature win thus far is a home victory over then #8 Kentucky 64-50. The Irish dominated that contest and showed that Coach Brey’s squad has the tools to compete with top competition. The question that still exist for them however is if they are just a home team or if they are able to play the same way on the road.
ND is lead this year by the same guy that lead them last year- Jack Cooley. Cooley is averaging a double-double with 14.2 points and 11.3 rebounds per game. They have also shown a balanced offense having three other players scoring in double figures (Jerian Grant, Eric Atkins, and Michigan State transfer Garrick Sherman). For Coach Brey however this may finally be the team that can some noise in March. The Irish’s next game is against Purdue in the Crossroads Classic.
Butler
Butler has been a little under the radar to this point even though they are 7-2 with several good wins. Butler showed what they are capable of at the Maui Invitational. The Bulldogs beat Marquette on a last second Rotnei Clarke trey and pounded North Carolina on their way to the title game. There they lost to still undefeated Illinois.
The improvement this year has come from the additions of Clarke and freshman Kellen Dunham who give the Bulldogs the outside shooting they missed last year. Clarke (17.3 ppg) and Dunham (11.0 ppg) have allowed the offense better spacing opening the post and driving lanes for Andrew Smith, Khyle Marshall, and Roosevelt Jones. Butler has played a tough schedule so far to get prepared for their new conference the Atlantic 10. The Dawgs will get their biggest test next Saturday against #1 Indiana. This will be a good game for both teams as it will be an offense versus defense battle. Butler’s defense has been very good and very physical while as we talked about before IU leads the nation in scoring.
Purdue
Matt Painter has a young team this season and they have started off slow. The Boilers are just 4-5 and coming off a very disappointing loss at Eastern Michigan. They lost that game 47-44 shooting a dismal 29.8% from the field. Purdue has been very up and down as you may expect from a young team. They have looked good in a few games (Clemson and UNC-Wilmington) while really struggling in others (Bucknell, Oregon St., and Eastern Michigan).
The biggest bright spot for Purdue is their work on the boards. They have out rebounded every opponent this year and rank eighth nationally with 44.2 rebounds per game. Terone Johnson and A.J. Hammons have been their most consistent scorers. Johnson is only Boiler averaging double figures at 13 a game. Hammons as a freshman is becoming a reliable post presence. He is putting in 9.3 points a game and six rebounds. Purdue only has three games remaining before the conference schedule hits so they have limited time to get it straightened out before going against the top league in the country.
Indiana State
The Sycamores are in a similar situation as Purdue in that they have a young squad. Coach Greg Lansing is relying heavily on Jake Odum to steer his ship. Just as the Boilers, they have had their ups and downs early on. After dropping their opener at UCLA, the Trees won four straight games. They have dropped their last two however which were a tough overtime home loss to #25 New Mexico and yesterday on the road at Morehead State.
Sitting at 4-3 right now the Sycamores are starting to gear up for Missouri Valley Conference play. ”The Mayor” Jake Odum leads the team in scoring 15.1, assists 4.4, and steals 1.6. They will rely on him all season to put them in positions to win. Gonzaga transfer Manny Arop has been a nice addition as well even as he is learning to fit in. Arop is putting in 10.9 points and pulling down 6.4 rebounds a game. Moving forward in the MVC they will also need freshman Khristian Smith (from Pike High School in Indianapolis) to continue to improve as he is starting to score more consistently at 9.4 ppg.
IUPUI
The Jaguars have had a rough start to the season. Not only in the win-loss column but also on the health front. The Jags have started off 3-8, but have not been able to put consistent line ups on the court. Yesterday in their game at Western Kentucky, IUPUI made the trip with only eight scholarship players able to play.
The largest bright spot and possibly surprise has been Mitchell Patton. Patton is second on the team scoring 14.6 points and rebounding 5.7. He is struggling with a lower leg injury right now, but the improvement he has made from his freshman year to now has been impressive. Purdue transfer John Hart leads the team in scoring at 14.9 ppg. For the Jags right now the biggest thing is getting healthy. It is going to be tough but in a one bid league they need to focus on getting back on track and peaking at the right time for the conference tournament.
Ball State
Billy Taylor’s team is off to a 4-4 start, but the Cardinals are still trying to find their offensive rhythm. They are only scoring 62.4 points per game. Finding buckets consistently has been a major issue for the Cards. Majok Majok has been a big contributor so far. He is averaging a double-double at this point with 13.1 points and 10.9 rebounds. The Cards are going to have to work inside out a little more to open opportunities for Jesse Berry and Jauwan Scaife. They have four games remaining before MAC play begins with a major test coming against Purdue on December 18. The Cards dropped their other big match ups this year against IU and Butler. A win against Purdue to boost their momentum into the conference.
Evansville
The Purple Aces have been playing some good basketball even with an injury to star Colt Ryan. The Aces are 5-4 but have lost tough road games to Notre Dame and Colorado State. They also dropped a home contest to very good and underrated Murray State. Once completely healthy the Aces should be a player in the MVC this year.
Stud freshman D.J. Balentine is leading the team in scoring (12.1 ppg). Balentine was an Indiana All-Star last year and after a slow start has really taken off. With Colt Ryan (second on the team with 11.6 ppg) back, UE looks to get back on track. We will learn a lot about where they are at the final week of December as they will play at Butler the 22nd and at #16 Creighton the 29th.
Valparaiso
The Crusaders are off to a solid start at 6-3. Bryce Drew has his team playing well even in their three losses. Losing at two NCAA tournament teams from last season in Saint Louis and New Mexico. Drew always lays out a non-conference schedule that is challenging for his team and gets them ready for the Horizon League.
Valpo returned their top two scorers from last year in Ryan Broekhoff and Kevin Van Wijk. So far this season they have not disappointed. Broekhoff is averaging 17.4 ppg and 7.3 rpg and will be a candidate for Horizon League Player of the Year. Van Wijk is a big key for the Crusaders. If he can stay out of foul trouble, Valpo has a solid team and will be able to win a lot of ball games. The Crusaders should be challenging at the top of a very competitive Horizon League.
Follow me on Twitter @thadvandeventer and @IndySportsCrew.
Who? What? When? Where?
College Football Recap Week 13 (or Notre Dame Edition)
Who?
Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly has taken the Fighting Irish to the National Championship game. In just his third year at the school, Kelly has turned the program around and changed the fortunes of the most recognizable college football institution in the country. The Irish were not expected to be in this situation at the season’s outset, but coach Kelly remade this team. The Irish became a physical team relying on the run game and defense. This was not Kelly’s M.O. coming to Notre Dame. He was known as an offensive guy who utilized the spread offense to out score his opponents. This season however he was smart enough to play to his team’s strengths and now they have earned the opportunity of playing for ND’s first national championship since 1988.
What?
The Notre Dame defense has been one of the most surprising things in all of college football this season. The Irish defense has finished their regular season second nationally in points against average (10.3 ppg). ND has played this season in an old fashioned style depending heavily on the defense. Manti Te’o and the boys did not disappoint. The most points they allowed in a game was a 26 point effort by Pittsburgh in triple overtime. The play by the defense was without a doubt keyed by their leader Te’o. Te’o leads the team with 103 tackles and seven interceptions. He also has 5.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, and two fumbles recovered. Without a doubt Te’o will be in New York for the Heisman Trophy ceremony and his defense will be showcased in the title game.
When?
Notre Dame coaches have had a great history of championship third seasons under the golden dome. Frank Leahy, Ara Parseghian, Dan Devine, and Lou Holtz all won national titles in their third season guiding the Irish. Brian Kelly looks to join the pantheon of legendary ND coaches this year. Kelly has the Irish on the precipice of hoisting that crystal football. They are the only undefeated team in the FBS ranks and are awaiting to find out who their final opponent will be. Kelly has turned Notre Dame back into the winning program many have hoped for. They have the chance now to put his name down with the rest of the legends in South Bend including Mr. Rockne himself.
Where?
Sun Life Stadium in Miami, Florida is the location the Irish will take the field against the SEC Champion with the national championship on the line. Notre Dame has played in some big games but without a doubt this will be the biggest contest since 1993. Notre Dame will look to do what they did following the 1989 Fiesta Bowl and that is rush the field to celebrate an undefeated season and national championship.
Other Notes from the Final Week
The Ball State Cardinals won their sixth straight game to finish the season 9-3. BSU took down Miami (OH) on Friday 31-24. Pete Lembo has completely turned this program around and back to where it was a few years ago under coach Brady Hoke. Lembo’s Cardinals finished second in the MAC West and third overall in the conference. Now Ball St. will wait to see what bowl game they will get invited to and who their opponent will be.
Purdue beat Indiana for the second straight season. With their third straight victory, the Boilers became bowl eligible. They finish the regular season 6-6. Although Purdue beat IU again and will be going bowling, that was not enough for coach Danny Hope to stay on board. Purdue Athletic Director Morgan Burke announced this afternoon that coach Hope will not be returning and will not coach the bowl game.
The Marian University Knights have advanced to their second consecutive NAIA Football Championship Series semifinal. Marian beat fellow in-state NAIA power St. Francis 45-34. The Knights lost last season in the semifinal round to St. Xavier. Next Saturday Marian will travel to #2 rated Missouri Valley College with a trip to Rome, GA and the NAIA title game on the line.
Follow me on Twitter @thadvandeventer and @IndySportsCrew.
Notre Dame Taking Talents to South Beach for Title Shot
The stage was set for USC to ruin the Irish run to the National Title game. Over hyped team goes into a rivals house, rookie QB, much maligned coach, and an underachieving team rises up and destroys the BCS. But the thing about that story is that Notre Dame wasn’t over hyped, they went into the Coliseum and punched USC right in the mouth. The rookie QB had 2 picks and was rattled early and often. Lane Kiffin and his play calling and clock management are highly questioned today (4th qtr USC had 11 snaps inside the Irish 5 and came away with 3 points), and the over hyped team was USC! Came into the season as preseason #1 and ended the season 7-5 and lost 5 of 6 to close out the year. This Irish team isn’t going to win any beauty contests but they’re going to win a lot of football games and that is far more important.
Brian Kelly and his coaching staff were the perfect fit to replace Charlie Weis and his underachieving staff. Kelly is a program builder and that was exactly what those under the Golden Dome were in need of 3 years ago. Kelly had just led Cincinnati to an undefeated regular season and knew the Bearcats were on their way to a BCS game and what did he do? He took the Notre Dame job and almost immediately started laying the ground work for this season’s undefeated bunch. He put together a staff of strong recruiters, free thinkers, and simply great college football coaches. The previous regime had a lot of NFL coaches, yes men, and over the hill recruiters. That began to change in the last year when they got Manti Te’o to commit, Zeke Matta, Theo Riddick, and Tyler Eifert. So I will say thank you to Charlie Weis for that. I will now thank Brian Kelly for being exactly what Notre Dame needed then, needs now, and will need in the future.
Notre Dame is on the cusp of something I never thought I’d see again. A shot at a National Championship. Can you still underestimate them? Yes, but I wouldn’t recommend it. To underestimate this Irish team is to do what everyone did in the preseason did, what everyone did after they started 4-0…..6-0…..11-0 did! To continue and underestimate the heart, skill, and will of this Irish team would be dumb but to each his or her own.
Bennett Jackson and Fans celebrate after the Win Saturday at USC
The Irish will continue their world wide tour to South Beach on January 7th and hope to bring home the most storied football progam’s first National Title since 1988. Not a single player on the squad was born, hell I was 5 and know I wasn’t watching it. My dad was but me I was probably asleep or playing with some Lincoln Logs and GI Joe’s. But on January 7th I will be glued to my TV and having a few adult sodas, some snacks, and I will have my phone off. I will not be bothered and I will say this as I go; if you don’t believe in this years Notre Dame team, I don’t care and I’ll be laughing all the way to the “Natty” or National Championship come January and after that game is over I believe all of College Football will stand up applaud and watch as Brian Kelly, Manti Te’o and Co. hoist that Title amongst the confetti, streamers, and tears. If they win I’ll be crying and I’ll even video it and post on the website.
Let me know what you think and hit me up on Twitter @C_K_42.
Irish back on top of College Football
So many haters out in College Football land have said Notre Dame isn’t that good, they have been lucky, and they can’t beat the big boys. Well the Irish ARE good, they have been lucky, and they have beaten the big boys!
Manti Te’o hugs Coach Brian Kelly as he leaves field for last time
The next step in the Irish journey is to take care of a USC team that is in the midst of a bad season, off field controversy, and a coach who has proved time and time again that he can’t be a leader of men! The Irish will roll into So Cal next Saturday night with an 11-0 record, the nation’s #1 ranking, and the keys to the BCS National Title Game in their pocket. That being said USC is going to play this game all out, this is essentially the Trojans Super Bowl. They’ve had a lack luster season and what better way to salvage your season then to ruin your long time rivals shot at a National Title? Brian Kelly will not allow the Irish to feel good about the new #1 ranking. He will use it as another motivating tool and get the Irish to rally around it and hopefully make another statement on the national stage. Early reports out of USC is that QB Matt Barkley won’t play because of a separated shoulder he suffered in Saturday’s loss to UCLA. If that is true then the Irish road will be a little easier, but I don’t believe a thing out of USC’s mouths and I’m fully expecting Barkley to be under center Saturday night.
It’s been 19 years since Notre Dame sat atop the rankings in College Football. It’s hard to believe it’s been that long, but if you remember the lows of the past few years this makes this high even better! The #1 will be lit above Grace Hall on campus for the first night since beating Florida State all the way back in 1993. The bulbs were replaced today and the #1 is bright above the Irish campus. That is not the goal coming into this season, that goal won’t be reached until the Irish play on January 7th in Miami, Florida in the National Championship Game. If the Irish are able to win Saturday and then Monday the 7th of January it would mark the first National Championship for the Irish since 1988. Not to get ahead of ourselves but if ND is playing in that game I won’t be able to focus on much else the entire Christmas/New Years holiday.
Kapron Lewis-Moore waving to the Irish crowd upon leaving the field for the Final time at Notre Dame.
I’d now like to take some time to thank the Irish Senior Class. Everyone knows Manti Te’o, but how bout Kapron Lewis-Moore, Roby Toma, Tyler Eifert, Braxton Cave, Zach Martin, Zeke Motta, Theo Riddick, and the list goes on and on. These men stuck it out in South Bend when they could’ve rolled out to an easier school academically, an easier place to get wins or BCS appearances, but the stayed and have left their mark on the University of Notre Dame and the hearts of Irish fans everywhere. We will look back and say this was the Senior class that led the Irish back to national prominence. So I’ll simply say Thank You Seniors!
As I wrap up today I’d like to leave a video the University of Notre Dame has put together about Manti Te’o. http://youtu.be/n7UxpYMNd5w
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Ugly, Lucky, and Still Unbeaten in South Bend
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish did just that last night in defeating upstart Pitt in triple OT. They fought like crazy to stay undefeated and in doing so they still have a shot at playing for a National Title on January 7th.
Everett Golson celebrates after the game winning TD in triple OT Saturday night
It was a perfect storm in South Bend yesterday; emotional let down after a huge win in Norman, a Pitt team dealing with some off field issues, an underdog knowing this was their Super Bowl, and the Irish defense playing the worst game of the season. The Irish had heard from everyone all week how great they are. How after the win at Oklahoma they were beyond a doubt back and better then ever. In hearing and seeing “how great” they are, the Irish forgot to show the same respect to this weeks opponent as it did last week. The unit I felt showed this lackadaisical attitude was the defense, especially early on as Ray Graham racked up a 50+ yard run on the Panthers opening play. The Irish gave up 144 yards on the ground which is by far the most all season. They looked a step slow all afternoon, especially when Pitt got the ball out on the edges. Graham had a big TD run in the first half after he popped it outside and ran away from the Irish defenders. A chink in the defensive armor? A fluke? Just a flat out lack of respect for Pitt and their senior leaders? I believe all of those are 100% true of the Irish effort yesterday, but like any great team the other unit picked them up.
Golson dives for the 2 point conversion at the end of regulation Saturday at ND
The Irish Offense was slow out of the gates. Golson got benched, Rees was worse then Golson, the Offense turned it over 3 times, and some how, some way the Irish offense answered the call when they were most needed. With under a minute to go in the 3rd quarter Notre Dame was staring an 8-1 record directly in the face. The Panthers had just made a FG to make it 20-6 and Notre Dame hadn’t scored in 23 and a half minutes. Not exactly setting the offensive world on fire. But then Everett Golson brought the Irish down the field for a big TD pass to TJ Jones and suddenly it was 20-12 after a missed PAT. Then some sketchy Pitt play calling and another Irish possession which ended when Golson under threw a potential TD pass to Troy Niklas and it was intercepted in the end zone and I for one thought the game was over. But then some more suspect play calling on Pitt’s end and the youngster from Myrtle Beach got the ball back and this time he started by dropping a beautiful deep ball into Davaris Daniels lap, then he found Theo Riddick for a 5 yd touchdown on the next snap. Then the 2 point try and young Mr. Golson rolled right and found a crease and lunged for the goal line and a 20-20 tie and overtime was on its way. Golson made play after play on the last few drives for Brian Kelly and crew, yes he threw the pick in the end zone but the D stepped up and got him another chance.
The Panthers of Pitt had a golden opportunity to wreck the dream season and ruin my weekend but somehow, some way they just couldn’t do it. In the 2nd OT when Cierre Wood could’ve given the Irish a 7 point lead he fumbled on his dive into the end zone and Pitt recovered. All the Panthers had to do was kick a FG and it was bye, bye dream season. And hello the ghost of David Gordon, whose that you might ask yourself. He was the kicker for Boston College in 1993 who beat the Irish on a kick from 41 yards out and destroyed the National Title season I thought I was witnessing (Yes, that was the last time I cried watching a sporting event). Kevin Harper a 5th year senior kicker for Pitt had to knock through a 33 yarder and he could be mentioned in the same sentence as David Gordon. But we won’t be looking back 15, 20, 25 years from now talking about Martin’s dagger from 33 yards out. He pushed it wide right, the snap was bad and thus threw his timing off just enough to afford the Irish another shot. I was watching from a cigar shop in Decatur IL, and when Martin missed I looked to my buddy and said “Jesus loves me, yes I know!” The Panthers did respond with a Martin FG of 44 yards just moments later to give them a 26-23 lead.
But young Everett Golson looked poised to not only end the game at hand but the game of musical quarterbacks! Golson grabbed the QB job by the throat and in my mind isn’t going to allow Rees another shot. But with his 2nd down completion to Riddick for 11 yards he cemented his spot as ND’s #1 guy and moments later Golson touted the rock across the goal line for the game ending score and Notre Dame Stadium went nuts and the Irish faithful cheered and let out a gasp in disbelief that the Irish had survived this scariest of post Halloween ghouls!
The Irish have found their man to play under center and he has finally gotten my nod of approval. I know that doesn’t mean anything to him but to me and the rest of Notre Dame Nation Everett Golson was finally able to deliver us from evil when Manti Te’o and the defense just couldn’t!
This isn’t going to help them in style points for the BCS or some human pollsters but when you look at the result it will only say WIN. So if this Irish squad makes it’s way to Miami for the Title Game this will be the game we look back on and say they had no business winning, but somehow did! Great teams every year win games like this and this years ND team is no different. Ugly yes, scary yes, but most importantly it is a WIN! Winning UGLY is still winning and an ugly win beats an exciting loss any day!
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Who? What? When? Where?
College Football Recap Week Ten
Who?
There were two individual performances yesterday that came in victories which have to be pointed out. The first is Notre Dame quarterback Everett Golson. The redshirt freshman had a huge game in a wild triple overtime come-from-behind win against Pittsburgh. Golson used his versatility to lead the Irish comeback. He finished the game 23-42 passing for 227 yards and two touchdowns. Adding to that Golson had 15 rushes for 74 yards and a touchdown. That touchdown was the one yard quarterback sneak in triple overtime that won the game for Notre Dame keeping their National Championship hopes alive.
The second person we have to point out is Indiana quarterback Cameron Coffman. The Hoosiers have been using a rotation at quarterback since starter Tre Roberson went down with a broken leg, but yesterday they rode the hot hand of Coffman. He torched the Iowa defense in the final three quarters and finished the game with 315 yards on 21-33 passing. In those 21 completions were three touchdown passes (15 yds, 6 yds, 30 yds) all to wide receiver Cody Latimer. None were bigger than the 30 yard strike to Latimer with 10:58 remaining in the game. That touchdown put the Hoosiers up to stay 24-21 and came just one minute and nineteen seconds after Iowa scored to take the lead.
What?
An Indiana Hoosiers winning streak that’s what. IU won their second consecutive conference game beating Iowa 24-21. For IU, this is the first time they have won back-to-back Big Ten games since 2007 and maybe more shocking than that their first home conference win since October 17, 2009. That is more than three years since the faithful of The Rock left happily after a Big Ten win. IU has played much better this season and most importantly there is evidence in the win column of the improvement. With these back-to-back victories, the Hoosiers have turned a few heads for two reasons. They are now 4-5 overall which gives them a shot at bowl eligibility with three games remaining. Probably more astonishing than that is IU controls their own destiny to the Big Ten Championship. Yes it is shocking but also true. With Ohio State and Penn State ineligible to play for the conference title, the Leaders Division now comes down to Wisconsin and Indiana. Bet you can’t guess who comes to Bloomington next week. That is right Bucky and the Badgers come in with the division’s driver seat on the line.
When?
Pittsburgh ball in double overtime on 4th and one. The Panthers lined up for a 33 yard field goal on the 16 yard line and a chance to win the game. Notre Dame’s Cierre Wood had fumbled on the goal line as he was going in for a score and Pitt had recovered. The Panthers had the opportunity to crush ND’s national title dreams as kicker Kevin Harper trotted onto the field. Harper had already connected on three field goals. This time however after a high snap his kick was just wide right of the upright. The Fighting Irish had escaped 2OT by the skin of their teeth and went on to win the game in 3OT. Sometimes in a dream season you have to survive a scare and just like in the NCAA Tournament the Irish survived and advanced for another week.
Where?
The one yard line on 4th and goal with just seconds remaining trailing 16-13 is where Butler found themselves in their game with Jacksonville. Instead of going for a field goal to tie and play for overtime, Coach Jeff Voris sent his offense back onto the field. Junior quarterback Matt Lancaster took the snap and was able to stretch through the crowd to get the ball to the goal line with :02 remaining. That play was the finishing touch on a 14 play, 95 yard drive and those two seconds were the only amount of time the Bulldogs lead in the game. This thrilling 19-16 come-from-behind win had even more importance than just one more W on the record. With the win, Butler moved to 7-0 in the Pioneer Football League and clinched at least a share of the championship. They play at Drake next weekend who lost their first league game at Dayton yesterday. Butler can win the league outright for the first time in school history by beating Drake.
Follow me on Twitter @thadvandeventer and @IndySportsCrew.
