Football Drops Season Opener to NEO in Overtime

EL DORADO, Kan. – A 13-0 second quarter lead was not enough for the No. 15 Butler Grizzly football team as they dropped the season opener 26-23 in overtime to the Northeastern Oklahoma A&M Norsemen at BG Products Veterans Sports Complex Saturday evening.

Butler (0-1) mustered just 202 total yards of offense while NEO (1-0) ran 29 more offensive plays (80-to-51). The Grizzlies were just 2-of-15 (13%) on third down conversions.

The game got off to a promising start for Butler as Da'Realyst Clark returned the opening kickoff 64 yards, helping set up an opening drive 24-yard field goal from Aidan Battle to put Butler ahead 3-0. The Grizzlies then forced an NEO punt after defensive tackle Seven Cloud came up with a sack on third down. Butler got the ball back and put together a 6-play, 60-yard scoring drive capped off by quarterback Mac Armstrong finding wide receiver Nolan Chambers for a 15-yard touchdown to put Butler ahead 10-0 with 3:44 to play in the first quarter. A second made field goal from Battle – this one from 27 yards out to begin the second quarter made it 13-0.

"We started out really well, playing with a lot of effort and enthusiasm," said head coach Brice Vignery. "Then it just stopped, it just quit. I don't know where it went or what happened. That team was not the team that I've been watching the 29 days previous to this."

POSTGAME PRESS CONFERENCE - BRICE VIGNERY

NEO outscored Butler 13-0 for the final 14:16 of the second quarter to make it a tie game heading to halftime. The Grizzlies had four possessions in the quarter with the results of each being a fumble lost, interception and two punts.  Following the fumble that set the Norsemen up on the Butler 28-yard line, the Grizzly defense forced a fourth and 10 from the 18-yard line. NEO lined up for a field goal but the holder received the snap and rolled out, completing an 18-yard touchdown pass to the back corner of the end zone on a fake field goal to get NEO on the board with 10:46 to play in the half.

"We had a bunch of kids that played extremely hard," said Vignery. "But in those critical moments where we had to make a play in certain situations, we didn't do it."

NEO put together a touchdown drive right out of halftime to take a 20-13 lead as tailback Ethan Lawrence punched it in from four yards out after scampering for 57 yards on a run earlier in the drive. Lawrence was the focal point of the NEO offense, carrying the ball 35 times for 154 yards and the touchdown.

Butler had the ball for just three possessions in the third quarter and punted twice to go with a field goal that came after linebacker Levi Wittenberg blocked a punt that set Butler up in plus territory. The Grizzlies headed to the fourth quarter trailing 20-16.

An NEO fumble in the fourth quarter was recovered by Cloud. It set the Grizzlies up on the NEO 6-yard line and two plays later Armstrong found wide receiver Nick Brown in the front corner of the end zone for a six-yard touchdown that put Butler ahead 23-20 with 10:30 to play. It was the last points of the night for Butler. Armstrong finished 7-of-13 for 73 yards and two touchdowns.

NEO tied the game 23-23 with a 36-yard field goal with 5:31 to go. The Grizzlies final two possessions of the fourth quarter were a loss of downs and a late punt.

Butler got the ball first in overtime. Armstrong was sacked for a loss of five on first down and an incomplete pass on second down set them up with third-and-15 from the NEO 30-yard line. Running back Vinny Smith ran for three yards on third down and Butler sent Battle (3-4 on the night) out for a 45-yard field goal on fourth down that was short and left. NEO ran three plays on the next drive and kicker Ryder Goodwin (2-3 on the night) drilled a 34-yard field goal to win the game.

Defensive lineman Jaden Roper led Butler with eight total tackles including two tackles for loss. Cloud had seven total tackles and two tackles for loss.

Quotables from head coach Brice Vignery:

"Hats off to NEO. They played their butts off."

"I feel like we've got the right players but I have to watch the film and figure out who those players were at times. The details and the unforced errors, that's what I am most disappointed in."

"It was a really bad night for us. Unfortunately in this business you can't have bad nights.

"We didn't deserve to win. We have to fix those little things and get back to it. It's our only option.

POSTGAME PRESS CONFERENCE - BRICE VIGNERY

NOTES:

• The loss to NEO in the season opener was the fifth in Butler history as the Norsemen have now won season openers over the Grizzlies in 1933, 1934, 1994, 1995 and 2024. Butler leads the all-time series over NEO 7-6 and are 4-5 vs. NEO in season openers.
• Butler is now 57-31-6 all-time in season openers.
• The Grizzlies 78 passing yards are the lowest total since the December 3rd, 2023 bowl victory over Kilgore when Butler threw for just 23 yards.
• Butler ran just 51 offensive plays. The last game they ran 51 or fewer plays was a 27-16 loss to Garden City in 2021 when they also ran 51. For a game lower than 51 plays ran, Butler ran 43 total offensive plays in a 52-40 loss to Garden City in the spring 2021 season.
• Butler is now 5-6 all-time in overtime games.