As one of the most experienced players on the Tigers' defensive unit, linebacker Alex Butt is very qualified to speak about the team's defensive improvement.

Last season, Alex started all 12 games on a defense unit that gave up more yards and more points than any other team in school history.

"Our defense is always excited to go out on the field now," says Butt, one of only nine seniors on the Tigers' roster. "We can't wait to get out there and make some plays."

Butt and his teammates will try to lead the Tigers (2-3, 1-1) to their second consecutive win on Saturday when they host 23rd-ranked Delaware (4-2, 2-2) for Homecoming at Unitas Stadium.

When asked about the team's attitude change, Butt doesn't hesitate to give credit to the Tigers' new Defensive Coordinator, Matt Hachmann.

"Coach Hachmann makes us so much better," says Butt. "He is very good at what he does. We have much better schemes and he has shown us the way to attack offenses. He wants us running all over the field and making plays. We are completely prepared every week and he knows where the other team's offense is vulnerable and where we can attack. It's amazing what a difference he has made."

After years of playing a 3-4 defense, the Tigers switched to a 4-3 formation this season. Butt, who is now playing middle linebacker, has been a beneficiary of the new defensive lineup.

"The defensive switch made a huge difference for me and the other linebackers," he says. "Because our defensive linemen are so effective, Danzel (White) and I barely get touched now. Our linemen are keeping us clean and giving us more opportunities to make plays."

In the first five games of the season, White has made 50 tackles while Butt has made 35 tackles. Both linebackers rank among the Colonial Athletic Association leaders.

In Towson's first two wins of the season, the Tiger defense has played a key role. When the Tigers edged Coastal Carolina last month, the defense stopped a Coastal drive at the 14-yard line in the final minute of the game.

Last week, the Tiger defense forced three turnovers in the first quarter to help Towson build a 20-0 lead over Rhode Island. When the Rams cut the lead to 29-28 in the third quarter, the Tiger defense shut them out the rest of the way as Towson earned a 36-28 victory.

"Our defensive linemen have played really well," explains Butt. "They've made a tremendous difference on our defense."

Alex gives credit to senior Brady Smith, junior Yaky Ibia, sophomore Marcus Valentine and freshman Frank Beltre for their outstanding play.

"Brady Smith has been a great addition to our defense," he says. "He is a natural leader and everyone looks up to him.

"When he first came to Towson, we didn't know how good he was," adds Butt. "He has come in here and fit right in. He's a great guy and he's become a really good friend. Brady is the type of player who makes a play every series. He also makes the rest of us better because other teams need to double team him. If you don't game-plan for him, he is the type of player who will wear you down."

Although he graduated from nearby Hereford High School, Butt took a very indirect route to Towson.

"We had a really good high school football team at Hereford," he recalls. "But we didn't have the biggest players or the fastest players. We were a good team because of our coach, Steve Turnbaugh. We had an excellent lifting program and we were always well-prepared. But there weren't too many college recruiters coming to our school."

So, instead of accepting an offer to play at one of the smaller schools that talked to him, Alex Butt tried a very bold move. He went to the University of Alabama to try out for the football team as a "walk-on."

"My uncle, Tim Butt, was a catcher for the Alabama baseball team and he loved it down there," Alex remembers. "It was something I wanted to try and do. I had my heart set on Alabama and went there as an unrecruited walk-on."

After trying out for the Crimson Tide football team in Spring practice, he didn't make the team. He left Alabama and returned home.

"Honestly, I thought I had played my last football game," he says. "But my dad knew how much I loved to play and that I would miss it. Coach Turnbaugh felt the same way. He asked me about my future plans. I told him I was probably going to attend Towson. He suggested that I play football at Towson but I wasn't sure.

"He called Coach (Rich) Bader and told him about me and he gave me the opportunity to come out for the team as a 'walk-on,'" he says. "I am so glad that my dad and my coach pushed me to play at Towson. They were right. I still had a lot of football in me and I love it at Towson."

After two years as a reserve linebacker and special teams player, he broke into the starting lineup as a junior in 2008. A starter in all 12 games at inside linebacker, he made 62 tackles, intercepted a pass and recovered a fumble.

But, it was a tough season.

"When Coach (Rob) Ambrose came in, I knew things were going to be tougher but I was excited by that," Butt says. "I knew we would be challenged and it was fine with me. We want to be the most surprising team in the CAA."

In the final four weeks of the season, the Tigers will play four teams that are nationally-ranked. Starting on October 31, the Tigers face number one-ranked Richmond, seventh-ranked William & Mary, sixth-ranked Villanova and 16^th-ranked James Madison.

While the schedule may seem overwhelming, the Tigers' senior linebacker is anxious to go up against all of the nationally-ranked teams on the slate.

"Some people look at our schedule as a challenge," he says. "We look at it as an opportunity to prove ourselves. We have a great opportunity to upset some teams in the final weeks of the season and we are going to embrace that opportunity."