BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. - Senior Brandon Jackson's move to receiver earlier this week showed early promise, as Gardner-Webb went through its first team scrimmage of the preseason Saturday in Spangler Stadium.

The shifty Jackson (Orlando, Fla. / Pine Castle Christian) was targeted often, and responded by hauling in nine passes for 109 yards. He also returned to his roots, lining up in the backfield to gain 13 yards rushing and a touchdown on three carries.

The 6-0, 202-pounder spent his first three seasons at running back, but will serve in more of a hybrid role this season in addition to maintaining duties as the team's top kickoff return man. Jackson has taken snaps at quarterback, receiver and running back already during his career with the Runnin' Bulldogs.

Starting quarterback Stan Doolittle (Ninety Six, S.C. / Ninety Six) finished the day 11-of-17 for 149 yards and a pair of touchdowns on the day - hitting Kenny Rivers (Mocksville, N.C. / Davie County) on a 20-yard hookup over the middle during red-zone drills. Doolittle showed improved quickness in running three times for 25 yards.

Reserve John Rock (Springboro, Ohio / Springboro) was very sharp, going an efficient 7-of-11 passing for 81 yards and a 29-yard touchdown strike to Marquis Sanders (Mt. Holly, N.C. / East Gaston). Rock also moved well, getting out of trouble for three carries and 21 yards on the ground.

In addition to Jackson's big performance catching the football, Sanders looked strong at times. The 5-foot-11, 168-pounder caught four passes for 81 yards and a touchdown, showing off sprinter speed that has been timed as fast as 10.7 in the 100-meter dash.

Gardner-Webb's offense spent much of the scrimmage working on passing situations, but did get solid work on the ground from senior Philip Peoples (Atlanta, Ga. / Cross Keys), who carried a scrimmage-high three times for 29 yards - including a nice 21-yard rush midway through the morning's action. No GWU back had more than three attempts on the day.

The Bulldogs' defense set the tone early in the scrimmage, showing a variety of looks and getting good pressure on the Gardner-Webb backfield.

The front seven yielded a combined seven "touch" sacks during the course of the scrimmage, with 6-foot-4, 269-pound senior end Brian Lewis (Elizabeth City, N.C. / Northeastern) stunting in for three himself.

Senior All-America selection Mario Brown (Greenville, S.C. / J.L. Mann) performed at a high level Saturday, intercepting a pass and recording three tackles for loss. The 6-foot-2, 239-pound standout missed the final 10 games of the 2008 season with an injury, and will be a major boost for Gardner-Webb's defensive unit in 2009 - joining fellow All-American Jeffery Williams (Frisco City, Ala. / Frisco City) and returning starters Marty Patterson (Mt. Airy, Ga. / Habersham Central) and Oluwadamilola Teniola (Stone Mountain, Ga. / Stephenson) to form one of the nation's top linebacker units. Veteran linebacker Quantavis Jackson (Ft. Myers, Fla. / Cypress Creek), one of five linebackers with at least 10 career starts, also had a good day - recovering a fumble and blocking a PAT attempt.

Senior Jermaine Grandison (Riviera Beach, Fla. / Palm Beach Gardens) broke up a pair of passes at corner, competing for the chance to start opposite Bryce Nixon (Lithonia, Ga. / M.L. King). Nixon, a 6-0, 189-pound junior, broke up three passes and had a pair of bone-jarring hits Saturday in another strong effort - which will be needed with three-year starter Cedric McGowan redshirting in 2009.

Another corner, sophomore speedster Ricky Rhodes (Richmond, Ky. / Madison Central) picked off a pass and was headed to the end zone untouched before an official's whistle blew the play dead - and played well for much of the morning. Walk-on Stefon Adams (Gaffney, S.C. / Gaffney) showed a great deal of fight during red-zone drills, breaking up a pair of passes in the end zone and recording an interception as well.

Reserve safety Keron Phelps (Lawndale, N.C. / Burns) worked with the second string secondary for much of the afternoon, and had a noticeably strong performance. The 6-foot-2, 206-pounder had no fewer than five physical, solo stops and burst through the line for a sack on a blitz in early action.

Gardner-Webb will likely hold two more intrasquad scrimmages heading into its September 5 opener against Mars Hill (6 pm).

NOTES: One of the most pleasant surprises of preseason camp in 2009 has been the quick emergence of true freshman offensive lineman Jamie Dunaway (Lyman, S.C. / Byrnes). The 6-foot-4, 280-pound rookie worked with the first team offense to start Saturday's scrimmage. Dunaway earned the honor with strong production in practice, and has shown an ability to shine at either tackle or guard in his short time on campus … Tight end Josh Miller (Danville, Ky. / Boyle County), a preseason All-Big South selection, caught four passes on Saturday … Nine different receivers caught passes in the scrimmage … The Bulldogs' interior defensive line is noticeably larger and potentially deeper in 2009, with veterans Quinnon Isom (6-1, 283, Sr.) and Nelson Rushing (6-1, 302, Jr.) starting, and newcomers Matt Goods (6-2, 283, Fr.) and Evan Short (6-3, 274, RFr.) working with the second team … Gardner-Webb is older as a team overall heading into 2009. The past few years have regularly seen a host of true freshmen working their way onto the two-deep early in the preseason, but on Saturday just three true freshmen - Dunaway, Goods and cornerback Sean Davis (McDonough, Ga. / Luella) - worked with the first of second units on offense or defense.