Gardner-Webb Prepares To Renew Old Rivalry Saturday With Presbyterian
October 17, 2008 | Football
BOILING SPRINGS – Gardner-Webb will renew an old rivalry
Saturday night in Spangler Stadium, as Presbyterian visits for a 6
pm ET kickoff and the 31st meeting between the two schools.
Gardner-Webb (2-4) and Presbyterian (3-4) were both charter members
of the old NAIA SAC-8 football league, and what became the Division
II South Atlantic Conference. The two programs played in football
consecutively from 1970-1999, before Gardner-Webb moved up to the
NCAA Division I ranks and eventually the Big South Conference.
Gardner-Webb won the last meeting, 31-20, in 1999, but the Blue
Hose own a 16-14 series edge.
Each school is now a member of the Big South, but with Presbyterian
beginning its second year of transition to Division I, Saturday's
game will not count in the league standings. The Blue Hose,
however, present GWU with a might challenge regardless. The game is
very important for both programs.
Gardner-Webb is coming off a stirring performance at Atlantic Coast
Conference contender Georgia Tech, which saw the ‘Dogs miss a
chance at overtime when a 43-yard field goal was tipped at the line
of scrimmage. GWU had driven to the Tech 26-yard line with 10
seconds remaining, and just missed a chance at the win one play
earlier on a pass to the end zone.
Regardless of that fine effort, which saw Gardner-Webb's defense
hold Georgia Tech – the nation's 5th-best rushing attack on
the FBS level – to 79 yards on the ground and 199 total yards,
the Runnin' Bulldogs come into Saturday's game riding a three-game
losing streak and nursing a host of considerable bumps and
bruises.
Both teams will start backup quarterbacks.
Gardner-Webb starter Stan Doolittle will miss his first start in 15
games after going down against the Jackets just before halftime,
and several other starters are in doubt heading into Saturday.
Redshirt senior Devin Campbell provides Gardner-Webb with a luxury,
however, as he has logged 14 career starts himself and ranks sixth
on the school's career passing list with more than 4,000 yards and
29 touchdowns through the air.
The Blue Hose, winners of two in a row (North Greenville and N.C.
Central), will also be without starting quarterback Tim Webb (1,400
yards, 9 TD), who was injured against North Greenville two weeks
ago. Redshirt freshman Brandon Miley will start his second game in
a row for the Blue Hose, and has shown good mobility as well as a
strong arm in his time so far in 2008.
Gardner-Webb's defense, which ranks 7th nationally and 2nd against
the run among NCAA Division I FCS schools, will face a dangerous
Presbyterian offense that has been very successful throwing the
ball against all comers in 2008. The Blue Hose rang up more than
400 yards at No. 2 Appalachian State in an earlier loss, and have
seen three of their four losses come to teams currently ranked in
the nation's top-4 (No. 2 Appalachian State, No. 3 Elon and No. 4
Wofford).
The GWU offense, which has turned to senior Dobson Collins as its
primary threat at receiver again in 2008, has averaged just under
350 yards per game in its last two outings – despite averaging
just 8.5 ppg in losses at Charleston Southern and Georgia Tech.
Gardner-Webb rang up 33 points in its last home game, and will face
a Blue Hose defensive unit that is allowing 497 yards per game
overall. Presbyterian has been effective in pressuring quarterbacks
and forcing turnovers. The Blue Hose have 17 sacks in six games,
and have forced 15 fumbles.
Saturday's game will be carried live on WGWG-FM (88.3),
Gardner-Webb's 50,000-watt flagship station. Video streaming will
be available live as well, through the Big South's Edge
pay-per-view service (bigsouthsports.com).
