Greg Bailey | Bring on Independence

Greg Bailey NewsChannel 36 Sports Director

Just so we're clear: the headline above is all mine. No one at Butler said that, at least not exactly. But the Bulldogs message on Tuesday at practice was simple: we respect Independence, but we don't fear the Patriots or anyone else.

Senior lineman Tyler Kell told us all about the unbelievable atmosphere that awaits on Friday night at Memorial Stadium. So loud you can't hear. The sense that you can actually feel the weight of this game. The understanding that everyone who cares about you from classmates to friends to family is there to urge you on. And the Butler players smiled about every last bit of it.

More than anything else that Kell told us his insights into the offensive line play stood out. The playoff whipping that Indy put on Butler last year led to changes in the way the Bulldogs work on the offensive line. Now, they emphasize quickness and better technique.

The lessons that they learned from that one game changed a lot. You don't see that all the time from a program as successful as Butler's, but that shows you how badly Mike Newsome and his staff want to build on their great success. Getting there isn't good enough for Butler. They want titles and they aren't afraid to shake things up to get there.

Posted by WCNC  at 12:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)