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Lou Capizzi Named PFL Defensive Player of the Week
Nov. 15, 2002 SEASON FINALE: Butler fell into an early hole in its final 2002 football game at Quincy, and the Bulldogs ran out of time before they could climb out, while dropping a 37-28 decision to the Hawks. Host Quincy jumped out to a 17-0 lead and then held on for the nine-point win. The Bulldogs closed to within two points, 30-28, in the fourth quarter, but a key Quincy punt to the Butler two-yard line, followed by a pass interception inside the Butler 30-yard line, set up the clinching score for the Hawks. The Bulldogs, who finished the Pioneer Football League campaign with a 2-2 record a week earlier, ended the 2002 season with a 4-6 mark. The Bulldogs, who were picked last in a preseason poll of league coaches, finished third in the PFL North Division. LEAGUE HONOR: Senior Lou Capizzi had a career-best performance in his final game with the Bulldogs. The Butler linebacker matched his career-high for tackles with 16 against the Hawks, and he led the Bulldogs with four tackles for loss. He had seven solo tackles and nine assists, and the final three tackles of his career were tackles for loss. He also forced a Quincy fumble in the first quarter. Capizzi was named PFL "Defensive Player of the Week" for his performance against the Hawks. POINT MAN: Senior tailback Dale Jennings scored a pair of touchdowns against Quincy and finished the 2002 season with a PFL-best 20 TDs. Jennings scored Butler's first touchdown on a one-yard run late in the second quarter and then tallied the Bulldogs' final touchdown on a five-yard run with just over nine minutes left in the game. His final touchdown cut the Hawks' margin to just two points, 30-28. Jennings, who became just the fourth player in Butler football history to score more than 100 points in a season, leads the PFL and ranks second in the NCAA Division I-AA in scoring with 120 points, heading into the final week of the 2002 campaign. His 120 points are the third-highest single season total in Butler history, trailing only Steve Roberts, who scored 142 points in 1988 and 132 points in 1989. Dale Jennings only played two full seasons with the Bulldogs, but finished his career in a tie for sixth place on Butler's all-time scoring list with 162 points. RECORD COLLECTION: Sophomore Justin Campbell closed out a spectacular season as a return specialist with four kickoff returns for 101 yards at Quincy. His 59-yard return following Quincy's second touchdown led to Butler's first score in the game. Despite having several teams opt to kick away from him, Campbell still completed the 2002 campaign with Butler single season records for kickoff returns (38) and kickoff return yards (958)! He broke the school record for kickoff return yards in a game twice and currently holds the Butler single game mark with 243 kick return yards against San Diego. Campbell also recorded the longest kickoff return in Butler history with a 94-yard run for a touchdown against San Diego. That was also the third longest play in school history. Justin Campbell will enter the 2003 season just 194 yards shy of Butler's all-time record of 1,659 kickoff return yards, held by Kevin McDevitt, 1973-76. BULLDOG BITS: *Senior wide receiver Adam Lafferty returned from an injury the previous game to catch six passes for 81 yards at Quincy. He became just the second player in Butler football history to record more than 2,000 career receiving yards, and he finished second on Butler's all-time receiving list with 2,070 yards. Lafferty also finished in a tie for seventh on Butler's all-time list for pass receptions with 112 career catches. *Sophomore quarterback Ian Nelson rushed for 48 yards on 11 carries at Quincy, including a 31-yard touchdown run, and he finished the season with 277 rushing yards on 72 attempts. His rushing total is the most for a Butler quarterback in more than half a century! *Junior Brandon Martin had two punt returns for 24 yards against Quincy, and he's taken over the PFL lead in punt returns with a 13.2 average on 13 returns. He ranks 22nd in the NCAA Division I-AA in punt returns. *Junior linebacker Parker Smith, who had 10 tackles in Butler's game at Quincy, ranks second in the PFL in tackles (10.20 pg) heading into the final weekend of PFL action. Senior linebacker Lou Capizzi trails Smith by just two tackles and ranks third (10.00 pg) in the league. *Justin Campbell ranks second in the PFL and 12th in the NCAA I-AA in all-purpose yards (154.4 ypg). Teammate Dale Jennings is third in the league and 21st in the nation in all-purpose yards (136.0 ypg). *Dale Jennings led the Bulldogs in rushing at Quincy with 101 yards on 18 carries. It was his third consecutive 100-yard rushing performance and his sixth 100-yard effort of the season. Jennings led the Bulldogs and finished third in the PFL in rushing with 973 yards. He missed becoming just the ninth Butler football player to rush for 1,000 yards in a season by 27 yards.
*Four of Butler's top five scorers in 2002 return next season.
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