Butler takes down No. 10 Tritons in 41-24 victory Saturday night in El Dorado

The Butler Grizzlies earned their third win against a ranked opponent with a 41-24 top 10 victory against Iowa Central under the lights at BG Products Veterans Sports Complex on Saturday night.

The Grizzlies forced a fumble on the opening drive, and turnovers would be the theme for this one. The Tritons came into the game with only one lost fumble and three interceptions. Butler forced four interceptions on the night in addition to the fumble recovery. Caleb Brown picked off the quarterback twice, while Norman Massey earned a pick six on an 85-yard interception return for a touchdown in the third quarter.

"Our goal this whole week was to be the more disciplined team, and be the more physical team," said Grizzlies linebacker Mason Thrash.

The Grizzlies improve to 2-1 at home with the victory this week. Butler won the game on homecoming weekend, with Butler legend and Hall of Famer Troy Morrell in attendance as well as Roger Bernhardt, the first Grizzly to make the National Football League. Bernhardt also served as the honorary captain for the game Saturday night. 

"When you have your mentor in town, you always want them to look at the program and be proud of what we're doing," mentioned Vignery. "I think that he (Troy Morrell) would be proud of what we did tonight." 

"I think we should play every game at night," said Butler Head Coach Brice Vignery. "It presents a lot of problems for the opposing team and the energy and crowd here is unbeatable."

"It was a great atmosphere, and I just thought our kids played really hard, all the way through." commented Vignery in his post-game press conference.

"Every time we step out on this field, we know it's rich with tradition," said Butler quarterback Jake Wolff. "We want to keep carrying that forward and I think we did a good job of that tonight."

It was a battle of the top two offenses in the nation, with Butler's offense coming out on top. 

It was tight early as turnovers and key stops paved the way for a 7-7 score at the end of the first quarter.

After a penalty was called on the Tritons after their first score of the game, AJ King provided a 68-yard kickoff return that set up a key touchdown at the end of the first half. Chas Carlgren found the end zone with 27 seconds left to give the Grizzlies the lead at halftime, 14-7, a lead they would never relinquish.

Butler got the ball after the break and drove down the field and got on the board with a 27-yard field goal by Kaden Claasen.

"That was basically a 10-point swing for us," said Vignery. "The penalty before half allowed us to get a return and set up a chance to put points on the board. We drew up a nice place to Chas and scored before the half knowing we would get the first after the break. Getting a field goal on the opening drive of the third quarter was big."

Those two scores were the start of Butler's 24 unanswered points that would eventually cement the victory. 

Jeremiah Payton caught a dime from Wolff in the third quarter and Norman Massey picked off the Tritons and took it to the house giving Butler a 38-14 lead late in the third. Carson Arndt drilled a 29-yard field goal in the fourth to finish of the scoring for the Grizzlies.

Jake Wolff finished with three touchdowns and 231 yards, throwing 18 completions on 27 attempts. AJ King was sensational again, catching five receptions for 102 yards and scoring a touchdown. King also had two kickoff returns for 114 yards. Azhaun Dingle led the team on the ground, with 110 yards on just 16 carries, finding the end zone on a two-yard run to open the game. Paris Brown was his partner in the backfield, earning 56 yards, as Butler combined for 146 yards rushing.

Mason Thrash led the defense with nine tackles in the contest, half a sack and a tackle for loss. Malik Berry and Jonathan Forson each finished with seven tackles on the night. Caleb Brown had two interceptions and six tackles while also breaking up two more passes. Norman Massey finished with four tackles and the 85-yard pick six. Devaca Parks also had an interception to go along with his five tackles. Jalen Moore ripped the ball out of the runners hand stripping it clean as he forced and recovered a fumble to go along with four total tackles.

The schedule doesn't get easier for the Grizzlies, as they head to Council Bluffs, Iowa for a game against second ranked Iowa Western. 

"Our goal is to always be 1-0 each week," said Vignery. "As long as we take care of each week, I think we'll like where we will be."