BUTLER TWP — The numbers don’t favor Butler.

The Golden Tornado (1-4, 1-4) will play their first non-conference football game of the season when the venture to Upper St. Clair for a 7:30 p.m. kickoff Friday.

While Butler has been outscored 107-3 in its last two games, the Panthers are unbeaten and have shut out their last four opponents. USC scored a 34-3 win over the Tornado last season.

All of that means nothing to Butler coach Clyde Conti.

“We have to worry about how we’re doing things before we can worry about anyone else,” Conti said. “With any group of kids, you want to get them to a point where they can maximize their potential.

“We don’t know what the maximum potential of this year’s team is yet because we haven’t gotten in that position. We’ve got four more games to get there and this is one of them.”

The Tornado’s bright spot of late has been quarterback Tom Jendesky. The senior has rushed for a team-leading 338 yards, averaging 5.05 yards per carry, and has put together a pair of 100-yard rushing games.

Jendesky ran for 133 yards in last week’s 58-3 loss to North Allegheny. He’s also completed 33 of 56 passes for 207 yards and has yet to be intercepted.

“We need to get some other players up to the level Tommy’s playing at right now,” Conti admitted.

Robert Burdine has also been busy for the Tornado, carrying the ball 45 times for 238 yards — 5.29 per carry — and catching a team-leading 15 passes for 86 yards.

Jeremy Hanford leads the Tornado defense with 40 tackles, including 26 solo. Lucas Dubyak has 23 solo tackles and 29 overall, Jake Hays 23 solo tackles and 27 stops.

But sloppy tackling in general has plagued Butler in the first half of the season.

“We’re turning 6-yard pass routes or runs into touchdowns,” Conti admitted. “You try to practice things and prepare to play a ball game.

“Our effort is not the problem. Our practice routine is not the problem. We’re having issues with technique and we have a lot of young kids on the field. Sometimes the people you’re trying to defend at these arenas have something to do with it, too.”

That could well be the problem Friday when the Tornado face USC. At times, the Panthers start all seniors on both sides of the ball.

“It’s not that they’re seniors, it’s that they’re good football players,” Conti said. “That team is loaded with good athletes who play the game smart and play the game hard.

“Their top six running backs are all phenomenal players. Four of them have trouble getting on the field because of the first two.”

By comparison, Conti admitted his team has been having trouble against opponents’ back-up units at times.

“It is what it is,” the coach said. “It’s as frustrating for the kids as it is for the coaches. But we have to stay with it.

“Nobody’s giving up.”