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13 Bulldogs Earn 2022 Phil Steele FCS All-PFL Honors

QB Bret Bushka, TE Jared Suchevits, OL Skyler Spetter, K/P Luka Zurak, WR Luke Wooten, FB/TE Cameron Heald, WR Tyler Adams, OL Colton Ruhland, DB Connor Reid, OL Adam Dolan, DL Jack Belskis, DB Will Mason, and KR/PR Joey Audia all earned spots on Phil Steele's 2022 FCS All-Pioneer Football League Teams.

 

Four Bulldogs made the first team, one made the second, four student-athletes made the third team and BU placed four more on the fourth team. Additionally, special teams ace Luka Zurak was named Special Teams Player of the Year.

 

First Team Selections

QB Bret Bushka – PFL head coaches selected Bushka as the 2022 PFL Offensive Player of the Year after his junior season. He led all PFL players with 3,004 offensive yards and 25 touchdowns. Bushka threw for 2,377 passing yards and led Butler with 627 rushing yards. He led the PFL in pass efficiency and completion percentage.

 

TE Jared Suchevits – Suchevits caught 16 passes for 214 yards and two touchdowns. He averaged 13 yards per reception and 19 yards per game. His first TD was a fourth quarter score at Valparaiso helping the Bulldogs come back to claim the Hoosier Helmet. The second was midway through the big win at home over Morehead State. Suchevits caught at least one pass in every game this season. His longest reception covered 55 yards vs. Marist.

 

OL Skyler Spetter – Spetter recently competed in the FCS Bowl down in Daytona, Florida. He was a First Team All-PFL selection that helped BU lead the PFL in sacks allowed and red zone offense. For the season, Butler averaged 379 yards of total offense per game. They rushed for 161 and passed for 217. The Bulldogs averaged 5.6 yards per play to help them score 27 points per game.

 

K/P Luka Zurak – Postseason honors continue to come in for Butler kicker/punter Luka Zurak. The PFL Special Teams Player of the Year was responsible for the longest punt (67 yards) and field goal (56 yards) in the PFL this season. Zurak made 12 of his 15 field goal attempts and 36 of his 37 extra points to account for 72 points. He also kicked off 58 times for 3,455 yards and 17 touchbacks. Zurak punted the ball 38 times in 2022 to cover 1,576 yards. His 41.5 average led the league and he was able to pin the opponent inside the 20-yard line eight times. Zurak had seven punts travel 50+ yards. This is the second-straight year for Zurak to punt for 1,500+ yards.

 

Second Team Selections

WR Luke Wooten – In his rookie season, Wooten led the PFL with 58 receptions. His best individual effort came at San Diego where he caught 14 passes for 147 yards and a touchdown. Wooten was just one reception shy of tying the BU school record that day, but his fourth quarter TD would tie the contest. Wooten had four touchdowns over his final three games and six total on the season. He also rushed the ball 12 times for 58 yards.

 

Third Team Selections

FB/TE Cameron Heald – Heald saw time at fullback and tight end for the Bulldogs in 2022. He played in eight games and ended the year with 15 catches for 128 yards and three touchdowns. Heald averaged 8.5 yards per catch and scored a TD week one vs. St. Thomas (Fla.). His first multi-TD game came in the win over Dayton and his best numbers came through the following week with six catches for 75 yards at Valparaiso.

 

WR Tyler Adams – Harvard transfer Tyler Adams caught 39 passes for the Bulldogs resulting in 689 yards. He ranked second on the team with five receiving touchdowns and proved to be a deep threat by averaging 17.6 yards per catch. Adams led BU in receiving yards per game (62.6) and was responsible for the longest TD reception of the season (75 yards). Adams erupted with 10 catches for 143 yards and two touchdowns in his Butler debut. He also posted 149 yards and a score in the win over Dayton.

 

OL Colton Ruhland – Ruhland was a starting guard for the Bulldogs in nine games. He helped Butler average 379 yards of total offense per game. They rushed for 161 and passed for 217. The Bulldogs averaged 5.6 yards per play to help them score 27 points per game.

 

DB Connor Reid – Reid led the team in tackles for the second-straight season. His 71 stops ranked him 18th in the PFL among all players and eighth among defensive backs. Reid made a season-high 14 tackles at Davidson and was credited with a half sack the following week vs. Dayton. He intercepted a pass vs. Marist and broke up two passes vs. Morehead State. Reid had at least four tackles in every PFL contest this season and would end his BU career with 177 total tackles.

 

Fourth Team Selections

OL Adam Dolan – Dolan took over at left tackle for the Bulldogs in 2022 and had a great season. He helped BU lead the PFL in sacks allowed and red zone offense. The 'Dawgs also led the PFL and ranked third in the FCS in tackles for loss allowed.

 

DL Jack Belskis – Belskis played in 10 games this season and finished the year with 16 tackles. He led Butler with 6.5 tackles for a loss and also added a sack against Morehead State. Belskis had a tackle for loss in three-straight games from Sept. 17 – Oct. 15 and got behind the line of scrimmage two times at Drake to make stops.

 

DB Will Mason – As a true freshman, Mason impacted the Bulldog defense by appearing in all 11 games. He finished third on the team with 53 total tackles while leading BU in interceptions with two and pass break-ups with seven. Mason opened his collegiate career with seven tackles and an interception. His second pick came at Drake along with five tackles. Mason's best games came against the best competition on the schedule. He made eight stops at South Dakota State and matched that effort with eight more the next game at Davidson.

 

KR/PR Joey Audia – Audia appeared in all 11 games and led BU in all-purpose yards with 965. He rushed for 124 yards and added 36 yards in the passing game. On special teams, he was Butler's top return man with 692 yards on kick-off returns and 113 on punt returns. He averaged 87.7 yards per game. Audia averaged 22 yards per kick return and six yards on punts. His longest punt return covered 19 yards while his longest kickoff return was a 49-yard gain. Audia ranked sixth in the PFL in all-purpose yards and 96th in the FCS. He led the PFL and ranked fifth in the FCS in combined kick returns.

 

Original source can be found here.