DAYTON - The University of Dayton football team will head back out on the road to take on Butler University in Indianapolis, Ind. this Saturday, Oct. 17 at 1 p.m. ET. The Pioneer Football League contest will take place at the Bud and Jackie Sellick Bowl. 

Dayton got back on the winning track with a dominant win over Morehead State last weekend, improving to 4-1 on the year. The Flyers are 1-1 in PFL play and 1-1 on the road this season. 

As a team, the Flyers lead the PFL in first down defense, kickoff return defense, net punting, and fewest tackles for loss allowed. Overall, UD is scoring 33.6 points per game and holding opponents to just 19.8 points each outing. 

Dayton's offense is powered by senior quarterback Bryce Schondelmyer with 939 yards and nine touchdowns on 99 completions through five games. Senior running backs Luke Hansen and Mason Hackett have each rushed the ball 54 times, combining for 501 yards and six scores. Dayton has had 11 different receivers this season, led by senior Michael Mussari with 30 catches for 365 yards and three touchdowns. 

The defense has been anchored by the secondary with juniors Ross Coppock (34 tackles) and Steven McCalmont (26 tackles) leading the team in tackles. Senior linebackers Joe Kingsbury and Sam Schmiesing provide the stability in the middle while rangy sophomore David Curl III has chipped in 4.5 TFLs from the linebacker position. 

SCOUTING THE OPPONENT
Butler sits atop the PFL standings at 2-0 in league play and is 5-1 overall on the season. The Bulldogs' lone loss came at No. 1 Montana State, 51-24. Butler has postseason aspirations and hopes to stay unbeaten at home and push its winning streak to five. 

Head coach Kevin Lynch is in his second season at the helm of the Bulldogs, where his father was a legendary coach in the 1970s. 

Butler leads the country in turnover margin at +2.33 and ranks top 10 nationally in time of possession, rushing offense, red zone offense, red zone defense, and fewest interceptions. As a team, the Bulldogs are scoring 37.3 points each contest and giving up just 22.0 to opposing squads. 

Junior quarterback Gabe Passini is the main threat for Butler, leading the team with 896 passing yards and 10 touchdowns on 74 attempts while also rushing for a team-high 436 yards and five more scores on 83 carries.

Defensively, Will Beesley and Tommy Diamond are tied for the team-lead with 32 tackles with both chipping in tackles for loss. Speaking of which is the name of the game for defensive end and Dayton native Okemdi Eze who has 6.0 tackles for loss for 39 yards and 5.0 sacks for 37 yards. 

SERIES HISTORY
Dayton and Butler are meeting for the 51st time in program history with the Flyers leading the series 34-15-1. The Bulldogs were victorious last outing in 2025, a 23-17 decision at UD.

NEXT UP
Dayton will return home to host San Diego Saturday, Oct. 24 at noon at Welcome Stadium. 

FOLLOW #UDFB ON SOCIAL
Follow Dayton Football on X @DaytonFootball; on Instagram at DaytonFlyers; and Facebook at Dayton Flyers Football.