INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – The Presbyterian College football team kicked off an eight-week string of only Pioneer Football League meetings on Saturday afternoon, visiting Butler for the very first time (the lone PFL opponent that hadn't yet tussled with the Blue Hose). Although a three-point edge at the half was acquired, the Bulldogs regrouped to post a second-half shutout and 27-17 victory.

Reigning all-conference receiver and second-year wideout Dominic Kibby erupted in the first two periods during the inaugural matchup of the series, snaring respective touchdowns of 93 and 75 yards on his way to 199 altogether. In the end, Butler's meticulous offense proved to be the difference-maker as time of possession played a major role moving forward.

Extending to a combined length of 15 minutes and 39 seconds over separate drives that wrestled the lead back in their favor and later pushed the final deficit to 10, Butler tallied their fourth straight win after dropping the '23 opener to #16 Montana, prevailing despite an interception and second-half fumble forced by head coach Steve Englehart's crew.

After nearly a full month of absence from Bailey Memorial Stadium, Presbyterian will make their long-awaited return home next weekend in a bid for payback against Stetson. The first of a quartet in Clinton from October-November, PC will face the Hatters at 1:00 PM.
 
FINAL SCORE: Butler, 27 – Presbyterian, 17
RECORDS: Presbyterian (2-2, 0-1) – Butler (4-1, 2-0)
LOCATION: Bud and Jackie Sellick Bowl (Indianapolis, Ind.)


 
NOTABLES
 
- Gaining the starting nod for the fourth straight time, second-year QB Tyler Wesley put together a 61% completion rate (17-for-28) that amounted to 323 yards through the air, beating out his personal-best from the Wofford victory 14 days ago by 42 yards.

- Kibby remained Wesley's primary target on the afternoon behind his two longballs, reaching 168 yards on his first two catches alone. Over 90 percent of PC's offense on Saturday was mustered in the passing game.

- After Kibby's 93-yarder, which is a new school record for longest reception since the university transitioned to the Division I level in 2007, newbie Mack Mikko drilled an individual-best 44-yard field goal with under five minutes left in the 2^nd, the third-longest make by a PC kicker in the past 16 years.

- Just three off a career-high for the team's leading tackler each of the past two campaigns, linebacker Alex Herriott gathered 13 more stops against the Bulldogs (11 of which landed by himself), followed closely by a season-high nine from Jaydn Harris-Ervin and another all-time best from Bradley Russ-Martin (seven).

- At the 3:26 stamp of the opening stanza, junior corner George Wilder notched a diving interception in the end zone off of preseason all-PFL quarterback Bret Bushka, the second pick of the fall from the Blue Hose after Caleb Francis' 32-yard pick six versus Virginia-Lynchburg.

- Englehart's D lined up another takeaway near the close of the 3^rd quarter on a fumble recovery by Malek Horlback that was thumped out of Butler's hands by Russ-Martin. PC recorded five tackles for a loss in the defeat, including a couple by Sebastian Conwell.

- Transfer specialist Ezra King continued to make a sizable impact after clocking his season debut earlier this month in a W over his former Wofford team, averaging 45 yards per boot on four punts.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED – FIRST HALF
 
- When the Bulldogs strung a 56-yard touchdown drive on their first series of the contest, the Blue Hose wasted no time at all in delivering a counter strike despite worrisome starting field position. Placing a perfect lob to Kibby who had sprinted past Butler's secondary, Wesley's sixth passing TD of the year brought things right back to an even playing field.

- Wilder's red zone INT kept the momentum intact for a Presby offense that had just landed its longest play from scrimmage over the past decade-plus, responding to a 2^nd-quarter score from the opposition with yet another astounding completion to Kibby.

- Averaging 84 yards per catch on his first two hauls, last season's conference leader wrangled the score to a stalemate for the second time on the day at 14 each.

- Forcing a three-and-out on their next trip, PC's defense handed the squad their best field position of the bout at the opposing 47, able to complete a 10-0 run from there with some trickery on the second snap.

- The first QB-to-QB connection of the year was in the cards for Wesley, who reversed his direction to place a 29-yard gain to Ty Englehart. That clever alignment opened the door for Mikko to cement his seventh made FG of the month.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED – SECOND HALF
 
- On the ropes with a three-point hole, Butler was able to control the pace of the final 30 minutes thanks to a rushing attack that assembled 299 yards from start to finish. Two-time Pioneer League Offensive Player of the Week Jyran Mitchell found 149 of them for a squad that elected to carry the ball 57 times.

- Right out of the gates in the 3^rd, a 16-play drive was executed that ended in seven points and a permanent lead from then.

- A season-long 56-yard punt by King led to the aforementioned Russ-Martin / Horlback fumble recovery, although a misfired field goal try from 47 yards away started the final frame at a disadvantage for the blue and garnet.

- Presby's defense was able to keep the Bulldogs out of the end zone through the last 21 minutes of action, making the home side settle for three points on two occasions after surrendering the advantage.

- Unfortunately for PC, the same stubbornness on the defensive end was applied by Butler on their way to a victory that was perhaps much tougher to obtain than expected for the current conference frontrunner.
 
UP NEXT
 
- The Blue Hose will aim to hit .500 in the infant stages of PFL territory in seven days, taking on the Hatters in a duel where both sides will be looking for their first league W of the semester.

- Grabbing two wins in as many attempts to begin the campaign, Stetson has faltered since then in a 57-20 blowout loss at the hands of #3 Montana State and consecutive 10-point PFL defeats to Butler and Marist.

- Presbyterian was bested by the Hatters in the 2022 finale 10 months ago, dropping a 42-21 decision in DeLand, Florida.