Late Season Statement: Reivers Dominate Final Road Test Versus Perennial Power Grizzlies

EL DORADO, KS

On a brisk Saturday night in the Flint Hills, the second-ranked Iowa Western Reivers (8-1) put together another complete effort in a 31-7 win over #11 Butler (5-3). Behind 384 yards of balanced offense, a seven-sack performance from the Darkside defense, and another crisp night from special teams, Iowa Western rolled to their seventh straight victory, five on the road, and the team's sixth straight in the series with the Grizzlies.

The Reivers opened the night with their usual patience. Starting from their own 18, Jamari Ford churned out early yardage before a Butler pass-interference call moved the ball near midfield. Ford then broke off a 21-yard run, and the Reivers blended short passes and inside runs to reach the Butler 10. When the drive finally stalled, Gus Bashore drilled a 27-yard field goal to finish the 72-yard march and a 3-0 lead at 11:16 of the first.

But the tone-setter came next. The Reivers took over at their own 20 and held the ball for nearly eight minutes. Malachi Marshall spread touches among Ford, Daniel Swinney, and Tre Brown, converting four third downs and taking advantage of a Butler offside on fourth down. On the 19th play of the drive, D'Angelo Barkue powered in from four yards out for his third score of the season and a 10-0 lead — a 19-play, 80-yard quarter killing drive.

Early in the second, Marshall went to the air. He connected with Brown, Barkue, and then twice with Jimmy Trilla, the second catch a 15-yard touchdown to make it 17-0. Butler finally found daylight with a quick five-play, 74-yard counterpunch, as Tate McNew hit Noah Bruce from 13 yards out. But the Reivers didn't flinch. Jack Stevens hauled in a 30-yard strike to open the next drive, and a few snaps later Jaivyn Moore broke free on an 8-yard touchdown, his team leading eighth touchdown reception to close the half with Iowa Western in command, 24–7.

The third quarter was a grind with both teams exchanging possessions. Jake Kracl's punting (47.2 avg, five of six inside the 20) and Dax Noles' returns flipped the field repeatedly. Meanwhile, the Darkside front lived in Butler's backfield. Jemir Hall notched 2.5 sacks, Ephraim Deese with 1.5, and Andy Burburija, De'Veion McLilley-Bulo, and Jaxon Cherry each added heat of their own. Late in the quarter, McLilley-Bulo stripped McNew on a sack, and Blake Hawkins pounced on the fumble — one of three Butler drives in the quarter that lost yardage.

By the early fourth, the field position war finally cracked. Noles' 36-yard punt return set up first-and-goal at the four, and three plays later Ford flipped in from the one to make it 31–7. The defense handled the rest. Deese and Cherry combined on another sack deep in Butler territory, and Asa Locks sealed the night with an interception at the 15 on Butler's last gasp into Reiver territory.

Marshall finished 12-of-28 for 192 yards, connecting with eight different receivers with two touchdown tosses, moving him into a tie for 7th place in all-time touchdown passes. The sophomore from Charlotte, North Carolina will move into the Top 10 in passing yards next game if his recent performances are any indication. Ford carried 23 times for 90 yards and a score, Barkue added a touchdown on the ground, and the offense held the ball for 33:33. Iowa Western totaled 192 yards rushing and 192 passing, with two touchdowns rushing and two passing, a perfect balance in the 88th true road game which matches the 88 home games the Reivers have played in the 17 seasons of football in the Bluffs.

Defensively, the Darkside throttled Butler to 221 total yards and just 44 on the ground, allowing only 3.7 yards per play. The Reivers collected seven more sacks, 11 tackles for loss, a fumble recovery, and the Locks interception. With two regular season games to play, the 55.5 sacks ranks third all-time for a 'Darkside' defense, with one more quarterback tackle for loss this season the team will move into second place all-time with last year's record setting total of 62 well within reach.

Next up for the Reivers, a chance to secure another ICCAC title when Ellsworth comes to Titan Stadium for a 2:30 pm kickoff. The Panthers will be playing their season finale in a year where they've won two games on the field versus NJCAA D1 opponents, something they haven't accomplished since the 2017-18 season. Overall the Panthers are 3-6 and will be looking to play spoiler as the NJCAA Playoff picture will clarify in the next two weeks of college football.

The FREE tailgate (sponsored by Barley's) for fans begins approximately two hours before kickoff in the parking lot at Lewis Central.

All the action can be heard, free of charge, on the Reiver Sports Network. The game, with Jake Ryan, Russ Nelsen, Josh Odson, and Tony Boone on the call, can also be found on Iowa Western's 100,000-watt FM radio station, 89.7 The River. The RSN Countdown to Kickoff begins at 2:00 PM from Titan Stadium.

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