Butler Grizzlies fall to Northeastern in tight battle, 26-23

In a hard-fought match, the  Butler Grizzlies were defeated last Saturday by Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College (NEO) 26-23. Never able to get into a good rhythm with the tough squad of NEO, the Grizzlies started well in the match. 

   Zayden Laing-Taylor, freshman defensive back, celebrates following the first down. Photo by Kaylin Bergeron

Explosive kickoff returner Da'Realyst Clark returned the ball 64 yards to put Butler in business deep in Northeastern territory. Despite the great field position, the Grizzlies had to settle for just a field goal, as Aidan Battle, sophomore kicker, hit a 24-yarder to stake Butler to a 3-0 lead early in the first quarter. 

Butler's defense held firm initially, as Northeastern had to punt after their first series of downs. On the next possession, quarterback Mac Armstrong, freshman quarterback, connected with wide receiver Nolan Chambers, freshman wide receiver, in the end zone for a 15-yard touchdown, completing a 60-yard drive and sending Butler up 10-0. 

Battle scored another field goal as the second quarter began, upping their lead to 13. Northeastern responded in the second quarter with a fumble by Butler. Less than a minute into the second quarter, quarterback Eisenhower Owen found Daunte Moses down the middle for an 18-yard scoring pass to pull NEO within 13-7. Shortly thereafter, the Northeastern came up with an interception on Butler and looked to repeat the big play. 

On the following snap, the Grizzlies forced a fumble, but failed to capitalize and Northeastern tied the game at 13-13 late in the second quarter with on a 25-yard touchdown pass from Owen to Jamareon Bell.

During the second half, the Butler defense had a hard time trying to get a handle on Northeastern’s running game. Early in the third quarter, running back Ethan Lawerence broke free up the middle for 57 yards, which set up a 4-yard touchdown dive by him that put Northeastern in front, 20-13. 

Vinny Smith, sophomore running back, ran well at times, but Butler's offense had a tough time with things from there. The Grizzlies were hurt by a series of penalties that squashed opportunities. Butler looked like they were going to score from the 10, but had to punt after getting stuck in a 4th-and-1 following another delay of game penalty. 

As the second half progressed, the Butler defense allowed Northeastern just one touchdown, led by a handful of defenders including defensive linemen Seven Cloud, freshman defensive tackle, and Jaden Roper, sophomore defensive line, each with sacks in the contest. The Grizzlies were unable to score another touchdown of their own and came away empty on their final possession of the game. The defeat makes it a 1-1 season for Butler. They'll try to rebound in their next game, continuing to clean up mistakes and capitalizing on scoring opportunities. Despite that loss, the Grizzlies flashed signs of brilliance, something they'll hope to build upon as the season continues. 

On Saturday, Sept. 8, the Grizzlies will take on the Ellsworth Panthers at the Cadet Football Field at 1 p.m.