Week 12 Stats: 254 rushing yards, 14 rushes, 3 rushing touchdowns, 18.1 yard per rush
Butts delivered one of the NEC’s most explosive outings in recent history, and the timing could not have been better for Duquesne. The veteran powered the Dukes’ offense to a 38-33 win in a back-and-forth slugfest against Central Connecticut, which entered the contest with a perfect 5-0 mark against NEC foes. With the win, Duquesne remains in the race for a share of the NEC regular season title and the league’s AQ to the NCAA FCS Playoffs. A native of St. Louis, Butts racked up a career-high 254 rushing yards — the seventh most by an FCS running back this year — and three rushing touchdowns on just 14 carries for an exceptional 18.1 yard-per-rush average. He found the end zone on runs of 29, 57 and 59 yards to become the first Duke to eclipse the 250-rushing yard mark since 2003 and the first player in the conference this year to register multiple 50-yard runs in the same game this season. In addition, he compiled the most rushing yards by an NEC player since Central Connecticut’s Elijah Howard ran for 257 vs. Delaware State on Dec. 7, 2023. Butts’ 59-yard run with 3:19 left to play ultimately sealed the win just two plays after the Blue Devils took a lead. On the season, Butts has four rushing scores and 546 rushing yards. He joins quarterback Tyler Riddell and fellow linemate Ness Davis as NEC/Atlantic Tomorrow’s Office Offensive Player of the Week honorees from Duquesne. Butts' performance also garnered him national recognition, as he was pegged the Stats Perform FCS National Offensive Player of the Week.