“It was a combination of a couple things,” Dayton coach Trevor Andrews said Wednesday. “We always go through things and look for things in the kicking game that can give us an advantage in every phase of it, but I think it was just effort, plain and simple.”
Gideon Lampron blocked two of the field-goal attempts and was named Pioneer Football League Special Teams Player of the Week on Monday.
Dayton (4-1, 2-0) returns to action at 1 p.m. Saturday against Butler (5-1, 1-1) in Indianapolis. The Bulldogs opened the season with five straight victories but lost 27-17 at Drake (4-1, 3-0) last weekend. Butler led 6-3 at halftime and trailed 13-9 after three quarters. Drake took control with two touchdowns in the fourth quarter.
Drake leads Dayton and St. Thomas (3-3, 2-0) by a half game in the Pioneer Football League standings. Davidson (4-2, 2-1) and Morehead State (4-3, 2-1) trail Drake by a game.
Dayton still has six games to play and does not play Drake, but the 2-0 start is a reason for optimism. Dayton lost its first six PFL games last season. It had not won its first two PFL games since 2019. Dayton hasn’t started 3-0 in the PFL since 2015 when it last won a share of the league title.
“We want to win the PFL championship,” safety Luke Mitchell said, “and we know we can after that win.”
Dayton has lost two straight games to Butler. A 31-0 loss at Butler in 2022 ended Dayton’s 501-game scoring streak. Butler won big again last season, 37-10 at Welcome Stadium.
This season, Butler leads the PFL with 38.7 points per game. It also has the best scoring defense (9.5 points per game).
Butler uses a two-quarterback system. Reagan Andrew and Nick Howard have combined to throw 12 touchdown passes.
“They are a very balanced, well-rounded team,” Andrews said. “I don’t feel like they’re particularly weak anywhere. They’ve got a good offense. They’ve got a good defense, and I think they’re tough in the kicking game as well. So they definitely present a challenge. We’ll definitely have to be focused, ready to go, ready to execute.”
SATURDAY’S GAME
Dayton at Butler, 1 p.m., 1290, 95.7
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