BUTLER TWP — While Butler stayed home, Meadville stayed busy.

Now the Golden Tornado (0-1) will host the high-scoring Bulldogs (1-1) in Butler's football home opener at 7 p.m. Friday at Art Bernardi Stadium.

Butler had to postpone its scheduled game at Erie last Friday due to positive COVID-19 tests among the Tornado team. That game has been rescheduled for Oct. 29, replacing Slippery Rock on the original schedule.

“We were back at practive Monday, so we're good to go for this week,” Butler coach Eric Christy said. “You're always concerned about future tests, but I expected to have pretty much everybody on my team back for this Friday.”

The Tornado opened the season with a 21-7 loss Aug. 27 at Kiski Area. Only 30 players suited up for Butler that night.

“It will nice to be on a crowded sideline Friday,” Christy said. “We're getting (starting offensive lineman) Brock Popovich back and we're excited about that.”

Ray Collins is in his eighth year at Meadville, sporting a 45-32 record there. His only losing season was an 0-9 2018 campaign.

“This is an interesting matchup because we know teams coming out of the WPIAL have athletes,” Collins said. “Butler is no exception there.”

Meadville has scored 95 combined points in its first two games. The Bulldogs suffered a rash of turnovers in dropping a 50-48 decision to Grove City in their season opener. They rebounded last week, forcing six turnovers in rolling past General McLane, 47-7.

The Bulldogs return only three starters — running backs Khalon Simmons and Griffin Buzzell, guard-defensive end Rhoan Woodrow — from last season and have only one senior on the roster.

“We scored 48 points against Grove City despite losing five fumbles, so scoring points is not our problem,” Collins said. “We did a lot of first-game jitters type of stuff in that first game. We had 10 penalties, jumping offsides ... we did a good job of cleaning that up last week.”

Brady Walker, a member of a productive stable of Meadville running backs, ran for 124 yards against McLane and scored four touchdowns. Two of them were rushing, one was on a 45-yard fumble return, the other on an interception return.

Walker, a transfer from Conneaut, played tight end in the Bulldogs' scrimmage, then shifted to fullback when regular tight end Jordan Young returned from injury.

“Brady's given us very productive games from the fullback position in back-to-back weeks,” Collins said.

Linebacker Brighton Anderson returned a fumble for a touchdown and Simmons returned an interception 70 yards for a score against McLane. Simmons rushed for 157 yards and two TDs.

Meadville had eight quarterback sacks in that win.

“They're still doing some twists and tweaks with personnel in their defense ... I think everyone's still doing that,” Christy said. “They run a 44 cover-3 on defense, have the secondary keep people in front of them and have eight defend the run.

“They're pretty comfortable with that system.”

Having an impromptu “bye week,” Butler's coaches were able to scout Meadville last week.

“They're not afraid to show what they want to do offensively,” Christy said. “They line up in the Wing-T, use a three-back set with three good kids and just run it at you.”

The Bulldogs' three most productive backs last year — Simmons (993 yards, 17 TDs), Tamoj Lyons Glover (768 yards, 7 TDs) and Buzzell (588 yards, 7 TDs) —were all underclassmen last season. Lyons Glover has since transferred to another school.

Meadville rushed for 2,564 yards as a team in 2020, finishing 5-2.

Gavin Longstreth, a junior, is Meadville's quarterback, though the Bulldogs rarely throw the ball.

“But if they have to — or to lull you to sleep and catch you by surprise — they will,” Christy said.

“Most teams line up in a spread these days, so not many of our opponents are prepared to defend our Wing-T,” Collins said. “Butler has an advantage that way in that they run a Wing-T package themselves, so they can simulate it in practice against their first-string defense.

“Most of the teams we play can't do that.”

Friday will mark only the second football game between the schools. The first was played 111 years ago, with Meadville posting a 6-0 victory in 1910.