No. 17 Butler ends regular season with 31-9 win at Iowa Central

FORT DODGE, Iowa - Butler football ended the 2016 regular season with a 31-9 road win at Iowa Central on Saturday afternoon at Dodger Stadium.

The 17th-ranked Grizzlies (7-4 overall, 4-3 conference) trailed 9-7 in the first quarter, but finished the contest with 24 straight points for the victory.

Butler led 17-9 at halftime behind a pair of rushing touchdowns by Kevon Abrams and a 42-yard field goal from Luke Winter. The Grizzlies then added two third-quarter touchdowns for the non-conference victory over the Tritons.

Butler opened the game with an Abrams 4-yard rushing score with 3:47 remaining in the opening quarter to go up 7-0.

Iowa Central then put together an eight-play, 55-yard drive that stalled at the 2-yard line when Tritons quarterback Paul Mitchell was stopped by the Butler defense led by Hank Honas.

On the next play, Butler quarterback David Isreal was hit and fumbled the ball out of the end zone, resulting in an Iowa Central safety. Isreal would leave the game with an injury, giving way to Bruere at quarterback.

Following the safety, the Tritons then took the lead on the ensuing drive when Mitchell ran 24 yards into the end zone on a quarterback keeper early in the second quarter.

Butler would re-take the lead when Abrams capped a 14-play, 94-yard drive by crossing the end zone just inside the pylon with 5:37 remaining in the second quarter. Abrams had a key 14-yard run on fourth and 2 from the Iowa Central 29-yard line. Five plays later, Abrams ran up the right sideline to put Butler up 14-9.

The Grizzlies added a 42-yard field goal from Luke Winter just before halftime for a 17-9 advantage over Iowa Central. C.J. Sims caught a 31-yard pass from Bruere during the drive to set up the field goal.

Butler scored on its opening possession to start the second half on a 19-yard pass from Bruere to Gerrit Prince to go up 24-9. Bruere then added a 13-yard rushing score with 5:52 remainin in the third quarter to cap the scoring.

Abrams went over the 1,000-yard mark with 126 rushing yards and two scores, finishing the regular season with 1,044 yards. Bruere led the Grizzlies in passing, completing 8-of-17 passes with 109 yards and one touchdown. Sims was the top receiver with seven receptions for 80 yards.

Defensively, Hank Honas had a team-high seven tackles with a pair of tackles for losses. Butler forced four interceptions, with Octavious Morgan grabbing two picks. Linebackers Jeremiah Fettke and Sean Bernard also had interceptions.

Butler outgained Iowa Central 301 to 162 in total yards. The Grizzlies had a balanced attack with 161 yards rushing and 140 through the air.