Holcomb Observatory and the Butler Campus one day before kickoff

BUTLER, Ind. — What if I told you the team with the best chance to win the Missouri Valley title this year wasn’t Northern Iowa? What if it wasn’t even a team from the Prairie Division? What if the winner of the MVC was Coach Glarfquifus and the Butler Bulldogs!

A town known for its basketball prowess also possesses one of the finest offensive minds in all of college football. Despite numerous recruiting disadvantages and a funding deficit, Coach Glarf has led the MVC in scoring in back to back years with a Spread-style passing attack which leans heavily on Junior quarterback Dixie Normos. His high flying offense has given the Bulldogs a 16-10 record over the last two years. Glarf certainly has his detractors however, as some journalists feel his offensive genius comes at the cost of an historically feeble defense. After a disappointing 6-6 campaign last year, I decided to visit Butler for the Season 3 opener to get a better picture of a beloved MVFC member.

The beautiful Butler Bowl (cap. ~7000)

Getting to Know Glarf

Butler’s Fun Facts

Ex-Box: Plays Playstation over other consoles (but acknowledges Animal Crossing is “controlling his life”)

over other consoles (but acknowledges Animal Crossing is “controlling his life”) Chicken’s Better Down South: Coach Glarf prefers Bojangles all the way

all the way Bowling for Butler: Has competed in state and national bowling tournaments

Watch Out Chase: Can’t play the guitar…. Yet

For those who are unfamiliar with the Butler Head Coach, he was one of many new coaches who joined in the Big Coaching Boom before Season 1. With the stiff competition on the job market, not many big-time options were available. Thus he opted to prove himself in the lower division first:

“It was between Butler and VMI… [VMI] because of how close it was to my hometown and Butler because I’ve always found myself rooting for them in basketball. In the end Butler won because of their cute mascot”

Coach Glarf had a fantastic debut season, using his offensive scheme to fluster opposing defensive coordinators and turning most games into a must watch shootout. The basketball town turned into football fanatics overnight and Butler cruised into the playoffs as the #12 ranked team in the nation. After battering a bewildered Presbyterian team 45-27, Butler would have to play the fierce San Diego Toreros. It was here that Coach Glarf and Butler staked their claim to college football immortality:

“In the first FCS Playoffs round 2 against Zand (Old San Diego). He had a number like 1212 which was 1492. The game came down to the final play which was Zand kicking a field goal for the win. I called 1492 which led to the kick being wide. I never thought I’d be that hyped up because of 2 numbers”

Though he began season 2 with National Championship hopes, key injuries to his already shallow defensive line as well as lackluster offensive performances derailed a promising season.

Without any doubt, turning Butler into a playoff contender and becoming an influential member of the MVFC has opened the eyes of many FBS schools looking to target the next big thing. When I asked about several links between him and FBS teams he shrugged them aside:

“I would definitely consider it. Florida is a team that stands out to me (Go Gators). However, it’d be tough for me to leave Butler. Even though this is just a game, I feel like I have a connection with them now. I root for them in real life and they’re the only FCS team I keep up with”

Gameday With Glarf

As a Wednesday night descends on this small Indiana town it transforms into one of the more rowdy atmospheres in FFCS. The Butler Bowl comes alive fifteen minutes before kickoff when the Bulldogs take the field to the instrumental of “No Church in the Wild” (the Kanye and Jay-Z collab). For tonight, the Bulldogs are underdogs as it is unclear whether star quarterback Dixie Normos has recovered fully from the calf injury he sustained in Monday’s walkthrough. Awaiting them is a hungry Jacksonville team led by another offensive minded coach, John-Rhys Ealy.

Butler defers, but Ealy’s offense needs no invitation. After a 10 yard sack, JU freshman Malik Reynolds trundles 60 yards to the Butler 25 and they score just 4 plays later. Fast forward just one minute and Normos fumbles the ball on the snap leading to a second Jacksonville score. In a matter of moments it appears as though all concerns about Coach Glarf are true.

“He hasn’t built a team that can withstand pressure from tougher conferences”– Jeff Jones (MVC Columnist)

“… no matter what you think about his offense, that defense will lose him the season”–Michael Riverton (Butler Bulletin)

Trailing 16-0 with 47 seconds left in the 1st, the Butler field has gotten eerily quiet. A sense of shock emanates from the Butler fans while the gleeful Jacksonville sideline celebrates loudly. As the kickoff knives through the crisp Indiana air, Redshirt Senior Ricardo Bloom has other plans. He catches the ball eight yards deep in the endzone and charges full speed through the middle of the Jacksonville coverage team. His whirling cuts and blazing speed draws the crowd to its feet, louder than they’ve been all night. Bloom easily stiff-arms kicker Johnny Powell and races off into the endzone chased by three Dolphins. Bloom’s electric return provides the spark Glarf’s team so dearly needed and one could almost feel the game shift right then and there.

Redshirt Senior Ricardo Bloom (11) averaged 41.7 yards on his 5 returns

The very next series results in a 3 and out for Jacksonville. Normos regains his composure and looks every bit like the All-American we’re used to seeing, systematically dicing up the flustered secondary before throwing his first touchdown to sophomore Lewis Blackledge. Just when JU seems to have it under control, their freshman quarterback airmails a wide open Charles Lutz and they are held to a field goal. Finally, Glarf’s defense has decided to play up to their offense’s high standards

As the half is winding down, an incredible display of scoring and offensive mastery ensues. Butler strikes again with 27 seconds on the clock; Normos making three spectacular throws and scrambling for ten yards. But don’t leave yet! Reynolds shoots a 75 yard pass to Lutz and puts Jacksonville on top 26-20. There’s only 8 seconds left now? Just enough time for Normos to put Reynolds to shame with a Josh Allen-esque 78 yard touchdown to Blackledge putting Butler up 27-26, this time for good. The wild end to half had enough swings to encompass a full game, but Glarf looks composed heading into the locker room while Coach Ealy looks more uneasy than he’s been all game. He knows he can’t stop that Butler train and it’s only a matter of time before Normos gets the ball back.

Almost on cue, Normos throws for two more touchdowns in the third and Butler jumps up 12. After Jacksonville and Butler trade scores it’s all but over. One final drive for Coach Ealy’s outfit made the final score closer at 48-45, but after that end of the half the momentum was definitively in Butler’s favor. Though initially rocky, credit goes to Glarf’s risky call to put his defense out first to ensure that he got the ball back at the start of the second half. A tactical masterstroke which embodies his coaching style more than any other moment in the game: sacrificing defense for pure firepower on the offensive side of the ball.

When I caught up with Coach Glarf after the game, he was nothing but stunned by the performance of his offense, with 48 points in 3 quarters. He also went out of his way to thank his Junior quarterback for bouncing back and putting up incredible stats. Dixie Normos would finish the day with 486 throwing yards and 6 touchdowns while picking up 2 first downs with his feet. I asked Glarf about his team’s chances against Southern Illinois and the other members of the MVC:

“We can’t take [SIU] lightly. I think he’s a new coach coming up from D2 but any coach can come out and beat any team. We just got to focus in and get the job done… I absolutely want to be in the MVC CCG. That’s been the goal since my first season and we haven’t got there yet. That’s priority number one…”

With a wicked offense and one of the best players in the nation, there’s no reason why Butler can’t win the MVC title this year.

Final Score: Butler 48, Jacksonville 45