HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Even though the No. 1 Blue Dragons (5-0, 3-0) built an early 21-0 lead, the game against No. 2 Butler (5-1, 3-1) came down to the final play.
Hutchinson quickly put 21 points on the board in the first quarter by scoring on its first three drives.
Quarterback Mark Wright finished off an 8-play, 79-yard drive with a sneak from 1 yard out.
The Dragons scored again when Wright found Kendall Cross for a 69-yard reception. The touchdown came on just the second play of the drive.
The Dragons found pay dirt once again when Wright connected with Craig Burt from 29 yards out. With 4:03 left in the first quarter, Hutchinson had a 21-0 lead.
Butler put up the only points in the second quarter when Steven Frank found his favorite receiver, George Qualls, on a 17-yard strike. Butler had a shortened field because Hutchinson snapped the ball past punter Nolan Arrington on 4th down.
Hutchinson went into the locker room with a 21-7 advantage.
The Blue Dragons scored on their first possession of the third quarter when Kendall Cross ran the ball in from 3 yards out.
The game then went into a lightning delay. With 8:36 left in the third, the game was delayed for about 30 minutes. Gowans Stadium was cleared until lightning left the area.
Butler’s starting quarterback Steven Frank also left the game. He would not return.
When play resumed, backup quarterback Jack Samsel led the Grizzlies to 13 unanswered points. Samsel found Qualls on a 25-yard TD pass late in the third. Samsel would later run for a 4-yard touchdown on third and goal. However, Jacob Abel’s PAT that would have made it a 7-point game bounced off the left upright.
Hutchinson took just four plays to stop the Grizzly run. The Blue Dragons had just crossed midfield when Wright connected on a 46-yard bomb to Mitchell Tinsley. Tinsley had a punt return for a touchdown earlier in the game called back because of holding.
Hutchinson’s lead dropped to 8 when JaQuay Lane caught a 15-yard pass from Jack Samsel.
Samsel finished the game with 268 yards passing and two touchdowns. Frank, who left the game in the third quarter with an injury, finished just 4 0f 13 for 71 yards. He had one TD on the day.
With 2:07 left to play and down 8, Butler had one last chance to tie the game.
Butler started the drive from its own 33. Samsel threw a completion short of the first down to his running back Brock Sturges on the first third down of the drive, however, a Blue Dragon facemask penalty extended the drive.
Hutchinson entered the game No. 6 in the nation for sacks and racked up six of them against Butler. Three of them came on the final drive.
Latrell Bankston sacked Jack Samsel twice on the final drive of the game. His first came on Butler’s first play of the series. His second came after the facemask penalty. He wasn’t the only one with a sack on the final drive.
Samsel and the Grizzlies moved the ball down to the Hutchinson 25. That’s when Dionte Gipson flew in for a sack. With an 8-yard loss on the play and time winding down, Butler raced to the line for a final play.
The Grizzlies were called for a false start with 2 seconds remaining. The clock was running. By rule, the play included a 10-second runoff.
FINAL: Hutchinson 35 Butler 27
Butler entered the game giving up only 11.4 points per contest. The Dragons put up 21 in their first three drives.
The Grizzlies entered the game allowing only 90 rushing yards. Mark Wright ran for 66 yards on the second play of the game.
Hutchinson rushed for 208 yards on the day and only allowed the Grizzlies 67. Brock Sturges entered the game as the KJCCC’s back-to-back offensive player of the week. Hutchinson held Sturges to 85 yards.
Mark Wright threw for 195 yards and three touchdowns. He rushed for 121 yards and a TD. Wright ran for more than 100 yards for the second time this season. Erin Collins was the second-leading rusher for Hutchinson with 39 yards.
Hutchinson is on the road next week to face Highland (3-2, 1-2) for a 1 p.m. kickoff. Highland beat No. 15 Iowa Central Saturday 20-14.