INDIANAPOLIS — The University of San Diego football team passed for 295 yards and got a third straight 100-yard receiving game from
Elijah Taylor, but Butler pulled away for a 41-10 Pioneer Football League win Saturday at the Bud and Jackie Sellick Bowl.
The Toreros (2-4, 1-2 PFL) trailed just 10-3 after the first quarter and ran 69 plays to Butler's 53, holding the ball for 31:23. The Bulldogs (5-1, 2-0 PFL), back from a bye week, made their snaps count, running for 262 yards and five touchdowns to stay unbeaten in league play.
Taylor, who had 144 receiving yards at St. Thomas and 114 against Davidson, caught six passes and reached exactly 100 yards on a 19-yard grab over the middle late in the fourth quarter.
Dom Nankil completed 28 of 42 passes to nine receivers, with
Yosei Takahashi matching Taylor's six catches and
Cole Monach adding five for 79 yards.
Butler struck first on a 73-yard touchdown run, and the Toreros answered with a nine-play, 48-yard drive. Nankil converted a third-and-10 with a 38-yard completion to Monach, and
Emiliano Salazar capped it with a season-long 44-yard field goal. A 60-yard catch from Butler then set up a 34-yarder for a 10-3 Bulldog lead after one quarter.
A 22-yard touchdown run from BU made it 17-3 early in the second quarter, and San Diego responded with its longest drive of the game, 14 plays and 72 yards over 6:36. The Toreros reached first-and-goal at the Butler 9 before Takahashi was stopped at the 1 on fourth down.
The San Diego defense came up with a stand of its own after Butler moved from its 1-yard line to first-and-goal at the 7.
Ezekiel Swayne broke up a pass in the end zone,
Jae'Von Reels got a tackle for a loss on third down and Butler settled for a 34-yard field goal on the final play of the half, making it 20-3.
Takahashi's 10-yard punt return and Taylor's 29-yard catch put San Diego at the Butler 19 early in the third quarter, but the drive ended with a missed 36-yard field goal try. The Butler quarterback then ran for touchdowns on the Bulldogs' next two possessions to make it 34-3.
On fourth-and-9 from the Butler 30 early in the fourth quarter, Nankil threw deep down the right side to running back
Omar Mbakwe, who caught it at the 10 and carried it in for a 30-yard touchdown. The score capped a six-play, 61-yard drive and made it 34-10.
Linebackers
David Loch and
Cayden Gibson and defensive back
Ian Harrison made five tackles apiece.
Sean Scheck had 2.5 tackles for loss, one of them a sack, and Reels added 1.5. The defense forced three three-and-outs, and Salazar averaged 46.7 yards on three punts with a long of 50.
San Diego leads the all-time series 22-7 and won last year's meeting 29-7 at home.
UP NEXT
San Diego returns to Torero Stadium for homecoming, hosting Valparaiso in a PFL game on Saturday, Oct. 17, at 1 p.m. on ESPN+.
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