Marist Drops Back-And-Forth Contest

By Mike Ferraro

INDIANAPOLIS, IN – In a game that included four lead changes in the fourth quarter, the Marist University football team fell at Butler, 31-28, in the Pioneer Football League opener for both teams.

Marist drove 62 yards on 16 plays on its opening drive to the Butler 3, but was not able to convert a fourth-and-goal.

Butler scored first on a six-yard touchdown pass from Reagan Andrew to Cameron Heald with 1:24 left in the first quarter.

Matt Bonczek returned a Butler fumble 40 yards for a touchdown, which tied the score at seven with 12:31 left in the second quarter.

Griffin Caldwell’s 56-yard rushing touchdown staked Butler to a 14-7 lead with 4:28 left in the second quarter. The Bulldogs took a seven-point lead to the locker room.

Butler went up 17-7 on Ryan Short’s 26-yard field goal at the 10:02 mark of the third quarter.

With 1:40 left in the third, Patrick Grusser found Connor Hulstein for a 17-yard touchdown, which brought Marist to within 17-14.

Marist took its first lead on a 27-yard touchdown pass from Sonny Mannino to Devin Kennedy, which came on a fourth-and-two. The Red Foxes went up 21-17 with 13:20 left in the fourth quarter.

Butler took back the lead on its ensuing drive, with a one-yard touchdown pass from Andrew to Brady Preston, which gave the Bulldogs a 24-21 advantage with 9:49 to go.

On fourth-and-five, Mannino completed a 35-yard touchdown pass to Lance Martinez as Marist went up 28-24 at the 3:11 mark.

Andrew’s 48-yard touchdown pass to Archie Cox gave Butler a 31-28 lead at the 1:47 mark.

Marist is 2-2 overall and 0-1 in the PFL.

Butler is 3-2 overall and 1-0 in the PFL.

Marist returns to action on Saturday, Oct. 4 against San Diego at Tenney Stadium. This game will be part of Family Weekend at Marist.