The Flyers (3-1) suffered their first defeat of the season Saturday, falling to the Butler Bulldogs (2-3) by a final score of 23-20. Although beating the Bulldogs in total yards gained, first downs, turnovers and time of possession, the Bulldogs put up the more important and obvious stat of the game.

So what went wrong Saturday that made the Flyers lose only their second game in the past 14 contests?

The game started out smooth for the Flyers, as senior linebacker John Hoppe picked off one of Bulldog quarterback T.J. Brown's passes and returned it for a touchdown, giving the Flyers an early 7-0 lead.

However, the Bulldogs would go on to tie the game in their next drive, as Brown hit receiver Dan Bohrer for an 80-yard touchdown play.

A couple of possessions later, it was the Hoyng-McFadgen show, as junior quarterback Kevin Hoyng hit senior wideout Carlton McFadgen for two consecutive passes totaling 65 yards and resulting in a touchdown. Following senior place kicker Josh Heyne's extra point attempt, the score was now 14-7 in favor of the Flyers.

With 4:04 left to go in second quarter, the Flyers set up for a 42-yard field goal, only to see it blocked by the Bulldogs defense. Another Flyers miscue would come on their following possession. With the ball starting at their own 26-yard line, the Flyers eventually found themselves near the Bulldogs goal line. However, senior tailback Brandon Godsey was hit and fumbled the ball on the 1-yard line, with the ball bouncing into the end zone, eventually resulting in a Bulldog touchback.

The third quarter started off in a defensive battle, as the Flyers intercepted a pass by Brown on the Bulldog's first drive of the second half. Again, the Bulldog's defense held its ground, as the Flyers were forced to punt.

Later in the third quarter, the Bulldogs found themselves starting on the Flyers 13-yard line after a 22-yard punt return and 15-yard facemask penalty against the Flyers. The Bulldogs capitalized, as Brown connected with Bohrer again for an 11-yard touchdown. The ballgame was now tied at 14-14.

A bad punt by the Flyers on the next possession gave the Bulldogs great field position for their second drive in a row, as they now started on the Flyers' 33-yard line. Brown finished the drive by completing a 13-yard flag pass to Nate Miller for a touchdown. For the first time during the game, the Flyers found themselves down, as the score was now 21-14.

The fourth quarter began on the Flyers next drive; however the Flyers again fell short as senior tailback Greg Wimberly failed to get a first down on a crucial fourth and two on the Bulldogs' 29-yard line.

The Flyers' defense held strong, and gave the ball back to their offense only four plays later. This time, it was the Flyers who would put points on the board, as Hoyng hit senior receiver Nick Ruhe for a 14-yard touchdown pass that would put the Flyers down by one.

Only an extra point would tie the game up. Not so fast, said the Bulldogs, as they would go on to block Heyne's extra point attempt. The score was now 21-20 in favor of the Bulldogs with 6:16 left to go in the game.

The Bulldogs drove all the way to the Flyers' 8-yard line, but were stopped short on a fourth down goal line stand by the Flyers. Down by only a point, the Flyers would only need to get into field goal range in order to win the game. With 1:12 left in the game, it almost seemed possible. Unfortunately, possibilities of a comeback quickly came to a halt as Hoyng was sacked in his own end zone, resulting in a safety, putting the Flyers down 23-20.

A failed pooch kick gave the Bulldogs the ball back, and a couple of plays later the game was over. The Dayton Flyers lost their first game of the season. This was the Flyers' third road defeat since the 2001 campaign.

Hoyng finished the game 15-27 with 289 passing yards and two touchdowns. McFadgen finished with 130 receiving yards and Ruhe had 68; both finished with a touchdown. Hoppe added eight total tackles along with an interception return for a touchdown.

The Flyers come home next weekend to play rival PFL team Morehead State Eagles (0-4) at Welcome Stadium.