No. 25 Charleston Southern Sprints Past Bulldogs In Second Half, Win 28-14
November 04, 2006 | Football
NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. - No. 25 Charleston Southern seized complete control of Saturday's Big South Conference game on Saturday afternoon, controlling the ball for nearly 22 minutes and scoring two touchdowns to beat Gardner-Webb, 28-14.
The Runnin' Bulldogs (6-3, 2-1 Big South) saw their hopes of an outright league title dashed in the process, and saw the Bucs extend their win streak to 14 games and snap GWU's own four-game spurt.
With the game tied, 14-14, at halftime, Gardner-Webb was within striking distance of the 25th-ranked Bucs - but saw CSU drive 80 yards on the opening drive of the third quarter to take the lead for good. Colin Drafts hit Maurice price on a 27-yard touchdown pass to cap the drive, giving the Bucs a 21-14 edge that would stand.
Gardner-Webb moved the football near midfield on its first drive of the third quarter in an attempt to answer, but quarterback Devin Campbell threw a pair of incomplete passes and was sacked to end the drive. GWU got the ball back, but mustered just two yards on its three plays, and punted for the second time of the half.
Charleston Southern (9-0, 2-0 Big South) had a golden chance to push the score higher, but Gardner-Webb stiffened and forced a short field goal chance that was missed as the fourth quarter started.
The Runnin' Bulldogs took over and quickly got the ball out near midfield again, but Campbell's third pass of the drive was intercepted by Josh Warrior.
Drafts ran and passed his squad down to the GWU 33-yard line where, facing a fourth-and-inches, he hit Brian Burch on a short pass and, after a missed set of tackles, turned into a 28-yard touchdown play - and a 28-14 lead with 11:24 left in the game.
Gardner-Webb again drove out near midfield but, facing a 2nd-and-two, Campbell threw his second interception of the half at the CSU 18-yard line - a play that should have been broken up by the receiver.
Backed up after a pair of penalties, Charleston Southern faced a 2nd-and-22, but Drafts hit Markus Murray on a 20-yard pass and converted a third-and-short run himself to keep the drive alive and chew up valuable clock. GWU finally halted the drive, but just 2:48 remained on the game clock.
Needing a quick touchdown and perhaps an onside kick to have a chance, things weren't to be for Gardner-Webb. Campbell completed six passes to get GWU down to the Charleston Southern seven with just over a minute left, but after Duvaughn Flagler dropped a sure touchdown pass in the end zone, Campbell threw his third interception on the ensuing down at the goal line to end the Bulldogs' chances.
Drafts was masterful for the Bucs, completing 31-of-41 passes for 406 yards and four touchdowns - a Big South Conference record for a league game in terms of yardage. The senior quarterback also ran for a team-high 46 yards, accounting for 452 of the Bucs' 513 total offensive output.
Burch, who put the Bucs' up 14-7 with an 81-yard touchdown catch in the second quarter, finished with three catches for 123 yards and two scores. Price, the nation's leading receiver, had 11 catches for 99 yards.
Gardner-Webb finished with 312 total yards, but managed just 30 rushing yards on 22 carries. Campbell completed 21-of-41 passes for 282 yards, three interceptions and a touchdown. Duvaughn Flagler had eight catches for 91 yards, Austin Gaines had six catches for 96 yards and a score, and Kory Alston finished with five receptions for 71 yards.
David Montgomery had 36 rushing yards on 19 carries and a five-yard score that tied the game, 7-7, midway through the first quarter.
GWU's defense got nine tackles and two sacks from Mario E. Brown. Brian Johnston added seven hits and a career-best three sacks for the Bulldogs.
The Bulldogs must face a tougher test next Saturday, as No. 17 Coastal Carolina (7-2, 2-0 Big South) travels to Boiling Springs for a 1:30 pm ET kickoff. The Chanticleers hammered Savannah State, 66-6, on Saturday afternoon.
The GWU-CCU game will be televised live on Sports South (formerly Turner South) and Fox College Sports.
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