Gardner-Webb Tops Presbyterian, 21-14, In Gridiron Season Finale
November 21, 2009 | Football
CLINTON, S.C. - Patrick Hall rushed for 114 yards and a pair of
touchdowns, and Gardner-Webb turned a 14-0 halftime lead into a
21-14 win over Presbyterian in both teams' season finale
Saturday.
Hall scored on a two-yard rumble with 3:28 left in the first
quarter to put Gardner-Webb (6-5, 3-3 Big South) in front 7-0, and
darted 49 yards with 1:16 left in the game for a 21-7 lead.
Presbyterian (0-11, 0-6 Big South) drove 52 yards in the final
minute for its final score of the game, but could not recover the
onside kick with 18 seconds left.
Gardner-Webb dominated the game in the first half, piling up 303
total yards, but needed a four-yard scoring strike from Stan
Doolittle to Jamal Patmon with 30 seconds left to take a 14-0 lead
into the locker room.
Presbyterian was able to slow the Runnin' Bulldogs down in the
third quarter, limiting GWU to only 62 yards and three first downs
- but the Blue Hose could not get on the board themselves until
Lance Byrd capped a four-play, 76-yard drive with a three-yard
plunge with 6:03 left in the game.
A 44-yard pass play from Brandon Miley to Adegbola provided the
momentum on that drive for Presbyterian.
The two teams traded possessions, and the Blue Hose had the
football near midfield with less than three minutes to play, when
Miley was intercepted by cornerback Jermaine Grandison at the GWU
47-yard line. Hall then darted left and tight-roped the sideline on
third and short for what would wind up the game-winning score.
The Blue Hose pulled within one score on a 13-yard pass from Miley
to Patrick McKoy with 26 seconds left, but would not have another
chance - finishing with their first winless season since 1958.
Gardner-Webb rolled up 467 total yards (194 rushing) and 24 first
downs in the win. Doolittle was sharp in his final collegiate game,
going 25-of-36 for 273 yards and a touchdown - and rushing for 18
more yards. The Ninety Six, S.C., senior did a solid job stepping
out of pressure several times to complete passes downfield on the
day.
Doolittle's favorite target was James Perry III, who caught nine
passes for 133 yards. Marquis Sanders had seven catches for 88
yards and Tyson Petty hauled in four passes for 25 yards in a
balanced effort by the receiving corps.
Miley went 19-of-34 for 247 yards, including 181 in the second half
as Presbyterian totaled 223 of its 326 total yards in the final 30
minutes. Gardner-Webb's defense was stout against the run, limiting
the Blue Hose to just 78 yards on the ground. Byrd, the team's
freshman standout, had 60 yards on 21 carries to pace that
effort.
Marty Patterson led the GWU defensive effort with nine tackles and
an interception. The 6-foot-3, 220-pounder also swatted away a
pass. Gardner-Webb registered three sacks on the afternoon as
well.
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