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2011 Butler Letterwinners Watkins, Ridley, Cook Earn Football MVP Awards
2011 HONORS: Senior Zach Watkins,
junior Jordan Ridley and sophomore Kevin
Cook earned Butler football Most Valuable
Player awards for the 2011 season. The
three MVP’s were among a host of players
honored at the team’s annual season-ending
awards banquet on Sunday, Jan. 22.
Watkins, who finished his career as
Butler’s all-time leading pass receiver, was
named the Bulldogs’ Offensive Top Dog.
He set Butler single season records for
receptions (80) and receiving yards (1,044)
in 2011, and he wound up second on the
team in scoring with eight touchdowns.
The first team All-Pioneer Football League
receiver finished his career with Butler alltime
records for catches (254) and receiving
yards (2,994).
Ridley, the leading tackler in the PFL
for a second consecutive year, earned
Butler’s Defensive Top Dog Award for the
second straight season. He ranked among
the national leaders in the NCAA Division I
FCS in tackles in both total tackles (140) and
assists (94), The talented linebacker, who
earned first team All-PFL honors for a second
consecutive year, had 10 or more tackles in
eight of Butler’s 11 games, and he recorded
the top two single game performances in the
PFL with 20 tackles against Valparaiso and
19 against Campbell in 2011.
Cook, who saw action in all 11 Butler
games on special teams and as a defensive
back, was named Butler’s Special Teams Top
Dog. He finished the season with 12 solo
tackles and 16 assists.
Senior Jeff Poss received the team’s
Bulldog Pride Award, given to the player
who best exemplifies The Butler Way, for
the second consecutive year. Poss played
in all 11 games as a starting defensive end,
and he tied Butler’s career record for games
played with 45. Senior Pete Mattingly,
a starting offensive guard in all 11 games
this season and in 40 consecutive Butler
games, earned Butler’s Offensive Battle of
the Trenches Award Offense (Lineman of the
Year) for the second straight year. Senior
Grant Hunter, who led the Bulldogs in
quarterback sacks (9.5) and tackles for loss
(19), earned the team’s Defensive Battle of
Pioneer Football League
2011 Final Standings
Seniors: Dominick Atkinson (Kokomo), William
Bork (Dyer), Chris Burns (Aurora, Ill.), Nick
Caldicott (Oak Park, Ill.), Taylor Clarkson
(Fortville), Andy Dauch (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.),
Steven Depositar (Mishawaka), Matt Foor (West
Chester, Ohio), Stuart Harvey (Carmel), Andrew
Huck (Bloomington), Grant Hunter (Liberty
Township, Ohio), Jordan Koopman (Chula Vista,
Calif.), Robert Koteff (Lexington, Ky.), David Lang
(Lowell), Jeff Larsen (Chicago, Ill.), T. J. Lukasik
(Lowell), Pete Mattingly (Zionsville), Jack McKenna
(Elmwood Park, Ill.), Ryan Myers (Fort Wayne),
Jeff Poss (Salt Lake City, Utah), Charlie Schmelzer
(Bloomington, Ill.), Ross Teare (Sammamish,
Wash.), Larry Thomas (West Chester, Ohio), Zach
Watkins (Chicago, Ill.), Michael Wilson (Grand
Rapids, Mich.).
Third Letter: Jordan Ridley (Indianapolis), Jace
Tennant (Champaign, Ill.), Ryan Webb (Batavia,
Ill.).
Second Letter: Jay Brummel (Cedar Falls, Iowa),
Kevin Cook (Fishers), Sean Grady (Geneva,
Ill.), Dan Haber (Calabasas, Calif.), Trae Heeter
(Indianapolis), Jay Howard (Dublin, Ohio), Phillip
Powell (Indianapolis), Brendan Shannon (Lombard,
Ill.), Matt Storey (St. Louis, Mo.), Jayme Szafranski
(Barrington, Ill.), David Thomas (Chicago, Ill.).
First Letter: Greg Ambrose (Dayton, Ohio), Bryce
Barry (St. Charles, Ill.), David Burke (Cincinnati,
Ohio), Greg Egan (Naperville, Ill.), Brandon Grubbe
(Lowell), Matt Jenson (Green Bay, Wis.), Tom Judge
(Elmhurst, Ill.), Wade Markley (Fort Wayne), Bobby
McDonald (Orland Park, Ill.), Charlie Perrecone
(Roselle, Ill.), Thad Satre (Ogden, Iowa), Jimmy
Schwabe (Downers Grove, Ill.), Zach Sedivy
(Strongsville, Ohio), Bret Shannon (Geneva, Ill.),
Glen Somers (LaGrange, Ill.), Jeremy Stephens
(Indianapolis), Don Stewart (St. Louis, Mo.), Paul
Yanow (Cincinnati, Ohio).
the Trenches Award (Lineman of the Year).
Senior offensive lineman Charlie Schmelzer
received the team’s Most Improved Player
Award, while freshman linebacker Zack
Sedivy earned the team’s Newcomer of the
Year Award. Sedivy finished eighth on the
team in tackles with 39.
Head coach Jeff Voris presented Unsung
Hero Awards, honoring scout team Players
of the Year, to sophomore JoJo Ciancio
(Defense), freshman Matt Lancaster
(Offense) and freshman Dan Satterthwaite
(Special Teams). The Butler coach also
presented a “One Play Warrior” Award for
Special Teams performance to senior Robert
Koteff for the second straight season.
2011 Butler Football Awards
Captains: Nick Caldicott, Jordan Ridley, Andrew
Huck, Jeff Larsen
Offense Top Dog: Zach Watkins
Defensive Top Dog: Jordan Ridley
Special Teams Top Dog: Kevin Cook
Bulldog Pride: Jeff Poss
Battle of the Trenches Offense: Pete Mattingly
Battle of the Trenches Defense: Grant Hunter
Most Improved Player: Charlie Schmelzer
Newcomer of the Year: Zack Sedivy
Unsung Hero (Offense): Matt Lancaster
Unsung Hero (Defense): JoJo Ciancio
Unsung Hero (Special Teams): Dan Satterthwaite
One Play Warrior: Robert Koteff

Butler at Morehead State
Saturday, November 19 – Jayne Stadium
1 p.m. (ET)
Live Stats | Audio

ROAD CLOSING:  Butler will have a winning season on the line when it close out the 2011 campaign at Morehead State on Saturday, Nov. 19.  The Pioneer Football League game at Morehead State’s Jayne Stadium is scheduled for a 1 p.m. (ET) kickoff.  Butler (5-5, 3-4 PFL) is looking for its third winning season in the past four years.  The Bulldogs had a chance to wrap up that winning campaign a week ago, but fell in the fourth quarter to high-powered Jacksonville, 34-24.  Butler had a 24-17 lead in the final period of that game.  Morehead State (2-8, 1-6 PFL) also suffered a fourth quarter defeat in its last outing.  The Eagles had a 24-21 lead in the final minute at Davidson, but the host Wildcats scored the go-ahead touchdown with just 0:44 left.  Morehead State’s Zach Lewis passed for 338 yards in that game and became the first quarterback in the program’s history to throw for more than 3,000 yards in a season.  Butler has won six or more games just three times since 1994.  The Bulldogs had a school-record 11 victories in 2009 and won six games in both 1997 and 2008.  Two of those seasons have come under head coach Jeff Voris.

Butler has matched its third-highest win total in the past 14 years.

LATE SHOW:  For the second straight year, Jacksonville used a late comeback to upend the Bulldogs.  The host Dolphins, fighting for a share of the PFL title, scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter to overcome a 24-17 Butler lead and post a 10-point victory.  Quarterback Josh McGregor tossed scoring aerials to Josh Philpart and Adrian Riley early in the final period to give Jacksonville its first lead of the game, and placekicker Bladen Gudz closed the scoring with a 27-yard field goal in the final minute of the contest.  A year ago, Jacksonville scored two fourth quarter touchdowns at the Butler Bowl to post a 24-16 come-from-behind victory over the Bulldogs.  Butler had led, 13-10, in the final quarter.

RECORD KICK:  Senior David Lang kicked a 23-yard field goal with 8:20 left in the third quarter to give Butler a 24-17 lead at Jacksonville.  It was his 13th field goal this season and the 34th of his Butler career, giving him a share of Butler’s all-time record for field goals.  He tied the school mark first  set by John Jenkins, 1985-88.  The kick at Jacksonville also gave Lang sole possession of the No. 2 spot on the Pioneer Football League’s all-time field goal list.  The PFL’s all-time record is 49 field goals by Drake’s Billy Cundiff (1998-2001).  Lang currently leads the PFL in field goals (13), and he’s third in the league in field goal percentage (.867).  The two players ahead of him have attempted fewer than seven field goals.  Lang ranks second in the PFL in kick scoring (6.7 ppg) and fourth overall in scoring.

David Lang needs one field goal to tie his own Butler single season record (14), set last year.

PASSING GRADE:  Sophomore Tom Judge was given his first collegiate start at quarterback at Jacksonville, and he responded a strong initial performance.  Judge completed 17 of 25 passes for 163 yards in the game, and he led Butler to an early 14-0 lead with a pair of first quarter touchdown tosses.  The second-year signal caller hit wide receiver Jordan Koopman with a five-yard scoring pass just over five minutes into the contest for the game’s first score, and then he found senior Jeff Larsen with a six-yard touchdown pass nine minutes later.  Judge also contributed 60 rushing yards on seven carries, including a career-long, 27-yard run that helped set up Butler’s final touchdown.

QB HUNTER:  Senior defensive end Grant Hunter has spent a considerable portion of his Butler career in the opposing team’s backfield, and he has a shot at becoming the Bulldogs’ all-time leader in quarterback sacks.  He positioned himself for that shot by racking up three quarterback sacks in Butler’s game at Jacksonville.  That total tied the second-highest single game performance of his career and gave him 35.5 sacks for his career.  Hunter had four quarterback sacks against Dayton in 2008, and he recorded three quarterback sacks at Morehead State in 2009.  Butler’s all-time record for quarterback sacks is 39, set by Tony Pence, 1978-81.  Hunter finished with a team-high seven tackles at Jacksonville, including 3.5 tackles for loss (-23 yards).

Grant Hunter is the PFL’s all-time leader in quarterback sacks.

FINAL SHOT:  Butler’s senior Zach Watkins (right), will close out his career as Butler’s all-time leading pass receiver. The wide receiver from Chicago, Ill., begins his final game with 240 career pass receptions, 2,814 career receiving yards and 20 career touchdown receptions.  His career catches and career yards both are school records, while his 20 career touchdown catches are just two shy of the all-time school mark (22), set by former teammate Dan Bohrer (2006-09).

Zach Watkins owns three of Butler’s top five single season receptions totals.

BULLDOG BITS:

•Butler rushed for a season-high 236 yards on 37 attempts at Jacksonville.  Sophomore Trae Heeter led the Bulldogs with 88 rushing yards on 17 carries, while redshirt-freshman Brandon Grubbe added 79 yards on nine attempts.

•Linebacker Jordan Ridley continues to lead the PFL in tackles (12.5).  He currently ranks sixth in the NCAA Division I FCS.

•Wide receiver Zach Watkins is ranked 11th in the NCAA Division I FCS in pass receptions per game (6.60), and he stands 19th in the nation in receiving yards per game (86.40).  Watkins is second in the PFL in both receptions and receiving yards.

•Zach Watkins caught eight passes for a season-high 118 yards against Morehead State last year at the Butler Bowl.

•Running back Trae Heeter ranks third in the PFL in rushing (78.4).  Heeter missed two games this season with injury.

•Trae Heeter is ranked third in the PFL in all-purpose yards (143.5).

•Senior Jordan Koopman, who led the Bulldogs with five receptions for 29 yards and a touchdown at Jacksonville, stands fifth on Butler’s all-time list for pass receptions with 130.  He needs seven receptions to catch Mike Chrobot (1975-78) in the No. 4 spot on Butler’s all-time list.

•David Lang is tied for 19th in the NCAA Division I FCS in field goals (1.30).  Lang booted two field goals against Morehead State last year, including a career-long, 45-yard kick.

•Defensive back Sean Grady came up with his third pass interception of the season in Butler’s game at Jacksonville.  He’s tied with five other players, including teammate Andy Dauch, for fifth place in the PFL in interceptions (0.30).

•Redshirt-freshman Brandon Grubbe scored his first collegiate touchdown on a 36-yard run at Jacksonville.  His scoring run helped Butler to a 21-10 lead.

•Senior offensive lineman Pete Mattingly has started 38 consecutive games for the Bulldogs.

•Senior linebacker Nick Caldicott, who suffered a season-ending knee injury against Marist, finished his career with 171  tackles.

HOMECOMING:  Butler will try to put together back-to-back wins for the first time this season when it hosts first-time foe Marist in a Pioneer Football League game on Saturday, Oct. 22.  The two teams will square off in Butler’s annual Homecoming contest at 1 p.m. (ET) at the Butler Bowl.  The Bulldogs are coming off a 42-14 victory over Valparaiso.  That win gave Butler the Hoosier Helmet Trophy for the fourth straight year and for the fifth time in six years.  It also lifted the Bulldogs to 4-3 on the season and 2-2 in league play.  Marist (2-5) fell at home to Campbell, 35-21, last week and slipped to 1-3 in PFL action.  The Red Foxes had picked up their first PFL win with a 13-9 decision over Davidson just one week earlier.  Marist is in its third season as a member of the PFL, but the Red Foxes did not play Butler in their first two seasons in the league.  Butler dropped last year’s Homecoming game to Morehead State, 21-20, on a field goal with just 0:11 remaining.

Butler improved to 18-14 at home under head coach Jeff Voris.

LAST WEEK:  Butler ran just 51 plays, but rolled up 400 yards in total offense and handed visiting Valparaiso a 28-point setback in the annual Hoosier Helmet Trophy game.  The Bulldogs broke a 7-7 tie in the second quarter on a 13-yard Andrew Huck to Zach Watkins touchdown pass and then added three more touchdowns before Valparaiso scored again in the final period.  The Crusaders actually dominated the time of possession (38:32-21:28) in the game, while running 100 plays.  The visitors had 463 yards in total offense and 28 first downs, but only managed to find the end zone twice.

CATCHING UP:  Wide receiver Zach Watkins caught three touchdown passes for the second time in his Butler career to lead the Bulldogs to their victory over Valparaiso.  Watkins gave Butler a 14-7 halftime lead with his first touchdown reception in the second quarter, and then he added touchdown receptions of four yards and 22 yards in the third period.  The three catches boosted his career total for touchdowns to 20, two shy of the Butler all-time record held by former teammate Dan Bohrer (2006-09).  Watkins, who had seven catches for 98 yards against Valparaiso, also had three TD receptions in Butler’s victory over Albion in 2009.

Zach Watkins leads the PFL in receptions (7.7/game).   

RECORD RETURN:  Sophomore Sean Grady made sure his second career pass interception was memorable.  The Butler cornerback picked off a Valparaiso pass at the Butler 10-yard line in the fourth quarter, reversed his field and raced 90 yards down the right sideline for a touchdown!  The 90-yard return, the longest in the PFL this season, broke Butler’s previous school mark of 89 yards, set by Derek Bradford against Valparaiso in 2008.

POWER HITTER:  One week after recording a career-high 19 tackles at Campbell, linebacker Jordan Ridley topped himself with 20 tackles against Valparaiso.  The Butler junior had four solo tackles and 16 assists against the Crusaders.  The 16 assists tied Butler’s single game record, shared by John Doctor (vs. Ashland, 1982) and Joe Miles (vs. Dayton, 1997).  His 20 total tackles are the most in the Pioneer Football League this season, and the most by a Butler players since 2004, when Chris Haynes racked up 20 stops against St. Francis (Ind.).  Ridley has had 10 or more tackles in five of seven games this season and in 14 games during his Butler career.

Jordan Ridley leads the PFL and ranks third in the NCAA Division I FCS in tackles (13.14/game).

SCORING TOSS:  Quarterback Andrew Huck matched the second-highest single game total of his career with four touchdown passes in Butler’s victory over Valparaiso.  The senior signal caller also threw four TD passes against Franklin and Morehead State in 2009, while he had a career-high and Butler record five scoring passes against Albion in his sophomore season.  The four touchdown aerials boosted his career total to 50.  The Butler all-time record is 60 touchdown passes by Bill Lynch, 1972-76.

Andrew Huck ranks third in the PFL in touchdown passes (17).

CAREER DAY:  Junior Jordan Ridley wasn’t the only Butler player to rack up a single game high for tackles in the Bulldogs’ win over Valparaiso.  Linebacker Zach Sedivy, defensive tackle Jeremy Stephens, and defensive backs Kevin Cook and Greg Egan also had career-best performances.  Sedivy recorded 12 tackles against the Crusaders, the most by a Butler player not named Ridley on this year.   Stephens finished with a career-best nine stops, including one-and-a-half tackles for loss, while Cook, who entered the game with 10 career tackles, racked up nine stops, including his first career quarterback sack.  Egan, seeing his most extensive action of the season, finished with five tackles.

BULLDOG BITS:

•Quarterback Andrew Huck leads the PFL and ranks eighth in the NCAA Division I FCS in total offense (298.3).  He stands second on the league’s list of active career leaders with 7,276 total offense yards.

•Andrew Huck completed 14 of 26 passes for 189 yards against Valparaiso, boosting his career passing total to 6,209 yards.  He’s just the second quarterback in Butler football history to pass for more than 6,000 career yards.

•Andrew Huck ranks fourth in the PFL in passing average (270.0) and passing efficiency (141.1).

•Running back Don Stewart Jr., getting his first collegiate start, rushed for a career-high 64 yards against Valparaiso.  He shared team rushing honors with quarterback Andrew Huck.

•Senior Jordan Koopman, who missed the Campbell game with injury, had four receptions for 68 yards and a touchdown against Valparaiso.  He moved into sixth place on Butler’s all-time list for pass receptions with 121, three shy of current Valparaiso assistant coach Kyle Conner (1997-2000) in the No. 5 spot.

•Senior placekicker David Lang matched his career-high by hitting six of six PAT kicks against Valparaiso.  It was the fourth time in his career that he was perfect on six PAT kicks.

•David Lang is the PFL’s active leader in career field goals (31).

•David Lang leads the PFL and ranks 14th in the NCAA FCS in field goals/game (1.43).  He stands second in the league in kick scoring (7.4) and third in the circuit in overall scoring.

•Senior offensive lineman Pete Mattingly has started 35 consecutive games for the Bulldogs.

•Running back Trae Heeter, who ranks third in the PFL in rushing (82.7), sat out the Valparaiso game with injury.  He remains questionable for the Marist game.

•Sophomore quarterback Tom Judge completed two of three passes for 66 yards and his first collegiate touchdown in Butler’s win over Valparaiso. His first collegiate completion was a 44-yard pass to tight end Ryan Webb, and his second was a 22-yard scoring strike to tight end Matt Jenson.