Story by Kalon Fullerton:
The Butler Grizzlies will be looking for their second monumental victory against a team from Iowa in a span of a week when they travel to Council Bluffs for a gigantic game against Iowa Western this Saturday as they will try to knock off the Reivers.
It won't be easy. Iowa Western goes into Saturday's contest ranked second in the country and undefeated, improving to 6-0 on the year with a thrashing of the sixth ranked Snow Badgers. Reviers Head Coach Scott Strohmeyer has turned his Iowa Western program into a behemoth. He's been the only head coach in the program's history. It's hard to imagine that the program was only created in 2009, as, in that span, Iowa Western has won a national title and been to the national championship three times, the last of which was last season when they narrowly lost in the title game to New Mexico Military Institute . Additionally, Strohmeyer has turned Titan Stadium in Council Bluffs into one of the most intimidating places to play in any division of college football in the country. Iowa Western is 63-10 at home all time, and they have not lost at their home stadium in nearly three seasons. The Reivers are on an 11-game winning streak with their last loss in Council Bluffs coming against Snow in 2020.
The Grizzlies faced the second best offense in the nation last week, and they'll face off against another superb offense this week, as the Reivers rank eighth in the nation averaging 34.7. The Reivers make most of their earnings on the ground, averaging 204 yards per contest, which is fifth in the country. They're third in the nation in rushing attempts, with 308. Freshman running back Bryant Williams leads the team on the ground with 346 rushing yards and four touchdowns on 80 carries. The Reivers have combined for 18 rushing touchdowns which is fourth in the nation.
The defense is where the Reivers make their name, however, and it will be a battle of the best offense in the country (Butler) against the best defense (Iowa Western) on Saturday. The Reivers have allowed just 28 points this season, holding their opponents to 4.7 points per game. Opponents have averaged just 148.3 yards of total offense, including holding opponents to 38.7 rushing yards per game, and Western has shut out three different opponents, holding Dodge City, Ellsworth and Snow to no points. They've forced 24 turnovers to the tune of 12 interceptions and 12 fumble recoveries, including six in their last game against Snow.
Butler comes into the game with a record of 5-2 overall and ranked sixth in the country. Butler is 2-1 away from home, with victories against Highland and Independence. Butler is about to enter their sixth game against a ranked opponent, and they're currently 3-2 against ranked teams, defeating Garden City, Independence and Iowa Central.
If there's any offense that can find success against the Reviers, it's the Grizzlies. Butler comes into the game ranked first in scoring and points per game. Butler put up 41 points in a win against the 10th ranked Iowa Central Tritons on Saturday to maintain their average for the season of 41.9, racking up 377 yards of offense. The Grizzlies are fifth in total offense, with nearly 3,000 yards of offense. Butler has put up 168 yards per game on the ground, and leads the nation in rushing touchdowns, with 20. Quarterback Jake Wolff comes off another impressive performance, going 18-27 with three touchdowns, bringing his total stats for the season to 123 completions for 1,647 yards, completing 57% of his passes and throwing for 13 touchdowns against only four interceptions.
The Grizzlies were special defensively last week, forcing four turnovers including three interceptions against the Iowa Central Tritons. Caleb Brown picked off the quarterback twice while Norman Massey cemented the victory with an interception for a touchdown. The Grizzlies defense has allowed just 22 points per game through the first seven weeks of the season .
Butler and Iowa Western have met eight times prior to Saturday's contest, with the Reivers having the Grizzlies' number so far, winning six of the eight. The Grizzlies' last trip to Council Bluffs came in 2019, with the Reivers narrowly winning, 23-13. The Reivers are one of only five active NJCAA football teams with a winning record against Butler.
