GWU Storms Back For 27-24 Win At Liberty
October 21, 2006 | Football
FINAL GAME STATS
LYNCHBURG, Va. - Gardner-Webb kicker Hunter Smith kicked a pair of field goals in the fourth quarter, including a clutch 40-yarder with five seconds left to cap a thrilling 27-24 win for the Bulldogs at Liberty.
The game was the league opener for both teams.
Gardner-Webb (5-2, 1-0 Big South) trailed 17-0 at the break after being thoroughly dominated by Liberty (3-4, 0-1 Big South) in the first 30 minutes. Still, sharp calls by the coaching staff on offense and a spirited effort by the youthful Bulldog defense helped fuel a 21-point surge by the 'Dogs in the third quarter, as GWU connected on three touchdowns to seize a 21-17 edge heading into the fourth period.
Liberty came back to take a 24-21 lead on Zach Terrell's second touchdown run of the game, but Campbell marched the 'Dogs downfield to tie the game. Hunter Smith appeared to have done the job on a 44-yard field goal with 9:07 left to play, but the kick was negated by offsetting personal foul penalties during the play - forcing another kick by the Greensboro, N.C., senior.
"Hats off to a kicker with a lot of guts," said head coach Steve Patton. "To hit, literally, three field goals from 40-plus yards shows some of the heart that he has. After having that one called off by the flags, and coming back to hit the next one - then the game winner, was just amazing. He's a great kid and deserves that kind of end to this one.
"We made throws on offense, got some things rolling there and the defense made enough stops to give us a chance. This was a great win for our football team, especially in a conference opener."
Campbell passed for 267 of his 293 yards in the second half, and GWU totaled 313 yards and 17 first downs in the half - finishing with 359 total yards after moving for only 46 total yards and three first downs in the first 30 minutes. Better yet, GWU's defense responded with stops, holding Liberty to just 90 offensive yards (only 16 yards passing) and five first downs in the final half of play.
Early on, things didn't look good for the visitors. Liberty pounded the football into the midst of Gardner-Webb's defense on its opening drive of the game, chewing up more than five minutes on 11 plays to go 80 yards for a touchdown. Zach Terrell, starting in place of injured Rashad Jennings, carried much of the load, and bulled in from the six for the initial score - and a 7-0 Flames' lead.
After a stop by the Flames' defense, Liberty again rode Terrell's back right down the field, getting inside the GWU five-yard line before a holding penalty stalled the drive and forced a 23-yard field goal by Zach Kolegue that pushed the lead to 10-0 with 23 seconds left in the first quarter.
Gardner-Webb finally found some life on offense, driving into Liberty territory with under three minutes to play before the half - but a fourth and short pass went awry for the 'Dogs, giving Liberty the ball back with under two minutes left near midfield.
After a timeout at the Bulldog 28-yard line, Liberty went to a tunnel screen play, and Brock Smith's pass to Brandon Turner pushed the lead to 17-0 with just 49 seconds left in the half.
The score would remain 17-0 heading into the break, but Gardner-Webb came out of the locker room on fire to trim into the lead quickly. Six plays and 63 yards later, Bubba Wallace capped a huge momentum swing for the Bulldogs, bulling in from two yards out to cut the lead to 17-7 with 13:40 to play in the third.
GWU struck again moments later, after forcing a Liberty punt. Campbell found Austin Gaines open for an acrobatic three-yard touchdown hookup to cut the lead to 17-14 with 8:19 remaining in the quarter.
"When you come out and score first [after trailing at half], and get a three-and-out on defense, you start to shift the momentum in you favor," Patton added. "After that second score, our kids began to gain some confidence, and we took control of the game."
A third stop by the Bulldog defense gave GWU the ball back, and Campbell marched his squad downfield again for a score - hitting Duvaughn Flagler on a nine-yard fade route to put Gardner-Webb in front, 21-17, with 2:33 left in the quarter.
"For the first time this season, I felt really comfortable," Campbell said. "We stopped ourselves in the first half. I missed throws. I knew at halftime that if I came out and made the throws, and played well, our team would respond. The line protected really well in the second half and Coach [Joe] Pizzo made some great calls on routes. We got it done."
Liberty responded quickly, however, taking advantage of a personal foul penalty on the ensuing kickoff return to start at its own 41. Terrell bulled and dodged his way for much of the Flames' next drive, carrying inside the GWU 25-yard line to end the third quarter.
The Flames answered on fourth and goal from the two-inch line, as Terrell punched in to put Liberty back on top, 24-21 with 12:28 to play in the game.
Not to be outdone, Campbell again hit a variety of throws to get the Bulldogs back in scoring range. Then after hitting his first chance at a 44-yard field goal, Smith calmly stepped to the plate and drilled his second offering from the same distance after offsetting fouls with 9:03 left - leaving the score knotted at 24.
Liberty got the ball back and drove to the Bulldog 38 when, on third and four, J.P. Weaver made a key stop for just a one yard gain to set up fourth down. Liberty took a five-yard delay of game penalty to give punter Ben Beasley more room, and punted the ball away with 3:44 remaining.
Campbell hit Kory Alston on a 12-yard slant pass to get GWU going again, and Alston made a near-upside down catch on the Liberty sideline for a 23-yard gain that put Gardner-Webb in business at the Flames' 49-yard line.
With the clock becoming a factor, Gardner-Webb continued to attack with the pass, as Campbell hit Gaines on a nine-yard slant, then found Flagler on a short four-yard pass at the Flames 38 to set up a first down as the clock ran down under a minute.
Campbell hit Gaines on a 14-yard pass over the middle on first down to get the ball to the Liberty 24-yard line and, after a David Montgomery run of one yard and an incomplete pass, GWU had 10 seconds left and a field goal opportunity.
Liberty tried to ice the Bulldogs veteran kicker with consecutive timeouts, but Smith came on and hammered the 40-yarder through the uprights to put GWU back on top for good.
A rugby-type kickoff return got Liberty near midfield as time expired, but Wynton Jackson was tackled to end the game - setting off a jubilant celebration on the visitor's sideline.
Gaines went over the 100-reception mark for his career with a big game Saturday, hauling in a career-high nine passes for 100 yards and a score. Flagler followed suit with seven catches for 81 yards and a score, pushing him over the 100-reception mark as well on the Bulldog career list.
Campbell's sizzling effort in the second half was his best of the season - as he completed 22-of-30 passes in the final two quarters for 267 yards and a pair of scores - finishing 26-of-41 for 293 yards and those two touchdowns for the game after a slow start.
Mike Pavelko (11 tackles), Brian Johnston (8 tackles, 2 pressures) and Dave Simpson (8 tackles) paced the Bulldogs' defensive effort, with Johnston putting major heat on the Flames' pocket in the second half.
Liberty was paced by Terrell's 175-yard effort on the ground, as the sophomore back more than made up for the ailing Rashad Jennings, who played but was slowed by a high ankle sprain. Ryan Greiser had 12 tackles to pace Liberty.
Gardner-Webb won for the third time on the road this season, and will return home to face a tough VMI squad at 1:30 next weekend in Boiling Springs. VMI just missed a Big South win for the second week in a row Saturday, falling short 27-22 at Charleston Southern.
| Updated 2006 Stats (PDF) |
| Final Box Score: Gardner-Webb 27, Liberty 24 |
