INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — Presbyterian displayed its ability to bust loose again, but Butler’s patient consistency wore down the Blue Hose, 27-17, on Saturday afternoon.

The vastly improved Blue Hose nonetheless fell in the Pioneer Football League for the 17^th time in a row. Butler (4-1, 2-0 PFL) is establishing itself as a favorite for the league title.

Presbyterian quarterback Tyler Wesley, a sophomore from St. Cloud, Fla., enjoyed his most efficient game to date, connecting on 17/28 passes for 323 yards and both touchdowns.

The scores were of unprecedented nature, both to Dominic Kibby, who scored on a 93-yard bomb in the first quarter and a 75-yard burst in the second.

Those two plays, among 45 run by the Blue Hose, made up 168 of Presbyterian’s 356 in the game. Butler ran 84 plays for 464 yards, but the Bulldogs’ average per play was 5.5 yards to PC’s 7.3. Self-evidently, there just weren’t enough of them.

It’s hard to win a bruising battle while averaging 1.9 yards per rush, PC’s return on a net of 33.

Kibby’s latter touchdown gave Presbyterian (2-2, 0-1) a 17-14 edge at halftime. The Blue Hose won the first-half statistics – gaining 246 total yards to the Bulldogs’ 209 – but Butler throughly turned the tables in the latter half, netting 255 yards to Presbyterian’s 110.

PC’s second-half drives – there were only four of them – ended twice with punts, once with a missed field goal and once on downs.

The Bulldogs possessed the balance that the Blue Hose lacked. Butler’s offense amassed 299 yards rushing and 165 passing. Presbyterian’s corresponding numbers were 33 and 323.

Butler scored first on Jyran Mitchell’s 12-yard rush with 9:52 remaining in the first quarter. Mitchell wound up with 149 yards in 31 carries. Bushka, the Bulldog quarterback, rushed for 99 yards in 16 attempts. Bushka also hit 17/26 passes for 148 yards.

Wesley’s 93-yard hookup with Kibby, who caught 11, occurred just 50 seconds and two plays after Mitchell’s touchdown.

Time of possession was a crucial factor. Butler kept the ball for 41 minutes, 19 seconds, to Presbyterian’s 18:41. The Bulldogs were 3/3 in fourth-down conversions.

Cornerback George Wilder stopped one Butler drive with an end-zone interception. Linebacker Alex Herriott made 13 tackles, 11 of them by his lonesome.

On the basis of comparative scores, next Saturday’s 1 p.m. game at Bailey Memorial Stadium figures to be quite a row. Butler beat the Hatters, 28-18, and the Blue Hose, 27-17. Saturday marked the first-ever meeting between the Bulldogs and the Blue Hose.

Take a look at complete stats here.

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