GAME PREVIEW: Butler Football Hosts NEO to Kick Off 2024 Season

The Teams: No. 15 Butler Grizzlies (0-0) vs. NEO A&M Norsemen (0-0)
Where: El Dorado, KS
Stadium: BG Products Veterans Sports Complex (6,000)
Time: 7 p.m. CT

Tickets: ButlerGrizzlies.com/Tickets or at the gate.
Streaming Platform: ButlerGrizzlies.com/WatchLive // BCTV+ mobile app
Radio: KNSS 98.7 FM (knssradio.com) Pregame show begins at 6:30 p.m. with Dennis Higgins on the call.

The preseason 15th-ranked Butler Grizzlies kick off the 2024 season at home in a non-conference matchup with Northeastern Oklahoma A&M. The Grizzlies and Norsemen have each won six NJCAA national championships, the most of any NJCAA schools.

SERIES HISTORY

Saturday will be the 13th all-time meeting for the Grizzlies and Norsemen. Butler leads the series, 7-5, and have won six straight games in the series. Butler lost the first two meetings in 1933 and 1934 and the two teams did not pay again until the 1981 Rodeo Bowl national championship, Butler's first national championship victory. Butler then lost three straight matchups from 1993-95 before going on a four-game win streak from 1998-2001 with James Shibest and Troy Morrell each leading the Grizzlies to two wins over the Norsemen. The series resumed in 2018 as Tim Schaffner led Butler to a 34-30 Midwest Classic Bowl victory over NEO. Last year the Grizzlies beat NEO 32-7 in Miami.

Butler has played NEO in three different bowl games with the Grizzlies holding a 2-1 advantage in them. The lone loss came in the 1993 Mineral Water Bowl in Excelsior Springs, Mo., as NEO won 52-50.

THE LAST TIME THEY MET

SEPTEMBER 23, 2023 – MIAMI, Okla. – Butler 32, NEO 7

Butler sophomore running back Jaisean McMillian rumbled for 144 yards and two touchdowns on the ground and the Grizzly defense held Northeastern Oklahoma A&M to 148 total yards in a 32-7 Grizzly win at Red Robertson Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 23, 2023. McMillian (Mobile, Ala.) rushed for 144 yards on 15 carries, a 9.6 yards per carry average, to go with two touchdowns, all career-highs. Butler (3-1) rushed for 242 total yards on the day.

Quarterback Tanner Murray finished the day 10-of-19 in the air for 128 yards and an   interception. He rushed twice for 25 yards and touchdown. Freshman kicker Aiden Battle (Leavenworth) had a career day as he was 3-3 on field goals as well as knocking through all three extra points. A 44-yard field goal was his career-long. Defensively, four Grizzlies led the way with four tackles a piece. Sophomore defensive lineman Malcolm Alcorn Crowder (Whitman, Mass.) had two tackles for loss including a sack while sophomore linebacker Armahn Hale (Akron, OH) recovered a fumble that Hiram Stready forced. The Grizzly

defense allowed just 46 passing yards and 102 rushing yards while holding NEO to 3-of-13 (23%) on third downs.

LOOKING AT NEO

The Norsemen are comig off an 0-9 season in 2023. Zach Crissup (8-27 overall) begins his fifth season leading NEO in 2024 after being hired on September 10, 2020. Beyond that it is difficult to scout NEO as they do not have a roster or coaching staff directory readily available.

GRIZZLIES HOPE REFOCUSING ON "THE LITTLE THINGS" BRINGS BETTER RESULTS

The 2024 Butler football season is finally here. The Grizzlies look to bounce back from a down 2023 campaign that saw them finish 5-5. The 5 wins were Butler's lowest win total since 1997 when they finished 4-5. **Excluding spring covid season and 2021 season with forfeited games.**

For a program that was the winningest program in the NJCAA from 2000-09 by wins (104), win percentage (.881/104-14) and final ranking (136.0 points) as well as the third winningest from 2010-19 (92 wins) behind only East Mississippi and Iowa Western, a 5-5 season just didn't feel right.

"I'm excited because I think last year was an anomaly," head coach Brice Vignery, who begins his third season leading the program, said. "It's not up to my standard or this program's standard. Anyone that is or has ever been associated with Butler knows that was not what this program is about. The coaching staff worked extremely hard to put the 2024 team together and our players have busted their tails over the spring and fall."

Just looking at a team's record does not always tell the full story though. The 2023 Grizzlies lost by one score in three of five losses and the other two were games that the Grizzlies had opportunities but could not cash in. The coaching staff took the entire offseason to figure out what could push the Grizzlies over the edge in those close contests. "It's all about the little things and how we execute," Vignery said. "How we take the field, how we line up, how we shift, how we call the play, how we execute, how we do everything. To execute an effective offensive play, all 11 guys have to be on the same page. What I really tried to drive home for these guys this offseason is that if you don't do your job, it affects the whole play."

Through all the work put in this offseason, Vignery and the rest of the coaching staff have began to see a light at the end of the tunnel. "We feel like we're in the best position we've been in in three years," he said. "It's time to play someone else. Think about these sophomores in the program through the spring. They've practiced 40 times against each other. We need to play someone else and see how we measure up. I think people will enjoy how disciplined our kids are, how physical and fast they play and how much they enjoy playing with each other. From the stands I think you'll enjoy what you see. A high-tempo offense, a defense that flies around and we are going to do all the little things right. We will pride ourselves on being disciplined."

WHO WILL LEAD THE OFFENSE?

When it comes to quarterback, it seems as if the coaching staff is high on two players in returning redshirt freshman Mac Armstrong and incoming Appalachian State transfer Mason McHugh. "It's going to come down to the wire," said Vignery. They both can do really phenomenal things. I think you'll see both play because they are so unique we can do different things with each of them. It's great to have two. In the past we have been down some guys and been in tough situations but this year we have two guys who can operate this offense at a high level."

• Armstrong is a Bishop Miege product who redshirted with the Grizzlies last year. He led the Stags to a state title his senior year in 2022. Armstrong was named the Frank Fontana Award winner, which honors the best all-around player in the Kansas Class 1-4. He threw for 3,865 yards and 38 touchdowns while completing 73.8 percent of his passes and only throwing six interceptions. In the state championship game Armstrong passed for 368 yards and three touchdowns.
• McHugh comes to Butler from Appalachian State where he did not see any action in 2023. He hails from Ferdinand, Idaho, which has a population of 140. McHugh graduated from IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida in 2022. In 2021 for IMG, McHugh had 31 touchdown passes while completing 159 passes for 2,849 yards for a team that went 10-1. He set an IMG single-game varsity record with 376 passing yards in one game … Played in two spring games during a COVID-altered season in the spring of 2021 at Bishop Gorman in Las Vegas … In 2019, threw 20 touchdown passes at Eagle High School in Idaho … Rated a three-star prospect by 247Sports.

RETURNING ALL-CONFERENCE PLAYERS

Aidan Battle – First Team All-KJCCC Kicker

Chevy Edwards – Second Team All-KJCCC Punter

Justin Stephens – Honorable Mention All-KJCCC Wide Receiver

Kenton Simmons – Honorable Mention All-KJCCC Defensive End

RUN THE BALL!

Butler has a strong lineage of running backs in its history such as Rudi Johnson, Bruce Perkins, Joe Harris, Beau Johnson, Andre Southerland, Chris Carson and many more. The 2023 Grizzlies struggled to run the ball, eclipsing over 100 yards just four times out of 11 games. They will look to return to form this season, but who will be toting the rock? Redshirt sophomore Vinny Smith, a Manhattan High graduate, looks to be next in line after seeing some touches a season ago and playing well. He finished with 11 carries for 47 yards at NEO and ended the season with a seven carry, 57-yard, two touchdown performance vs. Ellsworth. The 5'11, 185 pound back has received praise from Vignery over the offseason. At Manhattan High, he was the 2021 All-Flint Hills Football Player of the Year as a senior, ending the season with 1,117 yards rushing and 23 rushing touchdowns.

DON'T FORGET SPECIAL TEAMS

The Butler special teams unit brings back some talent to the 2024 roster.

• Aidan Battle, Butler's place kicker, was a first team All-KJCCC honoree as a freshman in 2023. He was an impressive 8-11 on field goals with a long of 44 yards as well as 25-27 on extra points for the Grizzlies. He totaled 49 points for Butler. In Butler's 32-7 win over NEO A&M, Battle was 3-3 on field goals with a long of 44 as well as knocking in all three extra points.
• Chevy Edwards, the Grizzlies Australian punter, is back for a second season. Edwards was named second team All-KJCCC a season ago. He had 23 punts downed inside the 20-yard line compared to just one touchback. His 23 punts inside the 20 was seven more than any other punter in the conference and good for second throughout all NJCAA D1. Edwards was named the KJCCC Special Teams Player of the Week following Butler's loss at Coffeyville when he punted a season-high nine times for a season-high 342 yards. He had six punts land inside the 20 with a long punt of 50 yards.

LOCKING DOWN THE SUNFLOWER STATE

Of Butler's 77 student-athletes on roster, 27 of them are from the state of Kansas which comes out to about 35% of the roster. That number leads the conference, you can see the rest below.

27 – Butler

25 – Hutchinson

22 – Highland

21 – Coffeyville

20 – Garden City

13 – Dodge City

 6  – Independence

Difference Makers Up Front

Butler needed to revamp its offensive line after some struggles and injuries a season ago as well as losing All-American Issiah Walker. Two players that should catch your eye are offensive tackles Jahkye Irby and Bryce Simpson. Irby, a Knoxville, TN, native, was on roster a season ago but dealt with injuries. Simpson is from Houston and transferred in from Baylor. Irby is listed at 6'8", 342 lbs. while Simpson is 6'6" 315 lbs. Both figure to see plenty of playing time in a Grizzly offense that has high hopes this season.

Defensive Line Set to be Stout

The Grizzlies return two players up front who played meaningful snaps in 2023.

• Defensive end Kenton Simmons (Lawrence, KS) was an honorable mention All-KJCCC pick finishing with 10 tackles and two fumble recoveries. He has added 15 pounds in the offseason as well as some speed and should be a difference maker on the edge. –
• Defensive tackle Jaden Roper had 21 tackles, 6.0 TFLs and 2 sacks as a freshman. The Charleston, SC, native is back for more as a grizzly and should be a mainstay in the middle.
• Defensive tackle Seven Cloud is a player that redshirted a season ago with an injury. He has been impressive in practice leading up to the 2024 season. Cloud is an Atlanta native that was a three-star recruit out of McEachern HS with offers from the likes of Georgia, Kentucky an East Carolina. The 6'4" 300 lb Atlanta native is eager to get his first season of college football under his belt

New Play Caller

Rob Messinger took over as offensive coordinator in the offseason, also coaching the quarterbacks. "Coach Messinger is a guy I have known for a long time," Vignery said. "He's doing a great job and he and I's idea of how an offense should run are very similar. We have a better base and foundation of our offense this year and we know we can go out and execute what we need to. Just the efficiency and how we run our offense has been the focal point over the spring." Messinger came to Butler by way of UTPB (NCAA D2) where he was the special teams coordinator and wide receivers coach.

Coaches that are new in 2024

Brady Foltz – Offensive Line

David May – Tight Ends / Offensive Pass Game Coordinator / Special Teams Coordinator

Austin Roberts – Defensive Ends

Edward Parson – Running Backs

Philander Browder – Wide Receivers

RANKINGS AND STANDINGS

The Grizzlies have been ranked 15th in both the preseason and week one NJCAA D1 polls.

2024 NJCAA DI Football Poll | Week One - 8-26-24

Receiving Votes: Dodge City, Lackawanna, Tyler, Highland (KS)

KJCCC STANDINGS