Sunday, November 24, 2013

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Pioneer Football League automatic qualifier Butler University will host Ohio Valley Conference at-large pick Tennessee State in a 1 p.m. (ET), Saturday, Nov. 30 first-round contest in Division I Football Championship.

The game, which will be played at the Butler Bowl, will be avialable nationwide on ESPN3.

Butler, which shared the PFL's 2013 title with Marist, earned the right to be the league's first team into the Division I Football Championship by virtue of winning the league's tiebreaker. The Bulldogs posted a 9-3 overall record and a 7-1 PFL mark en route to a share of its second consecutive league title.

Butler’s defense has been one of the nation’s best at generating takeaways this season, ranking seventh nationally with 30 takeaways this season. The Bulldogs plus-0.9 turnover margin also ranks 10th nationally. Senior defensive back Sean Grady has a team-best four interceptions and is one of nine players to record an interception this season.

Offensively, Butler is led by senior quarterback Matt Lancaster who has averaged 239.9 passing yards per game and 276.4 total offensive yards per game. He has thrown 19 touchdown passes and run for 12 touchdowns. Meanwhile, senior running back Trae Heeter leads the Bulldogs running game as the only PFL rusher to average 100-plus yards per game, finishing the season with 1,311 yards (109.2 ypg) and 13 touchdowns.

Tennessee State finished second in the OVC race with a 6-2 conference mark and a 9-3 overall mark. The Tigers defense has been its hallmark in 2013, ranking sixth among FCS teams in pass efficiency defense (101.41 rating), ninth nationally in rushing defense (104.8 yards per game) and sixth in scoring defense (16.8 ppg).