Little Runs For 162 Yards, But Gardner-Webb Falls To Samford, 41-14
October 01, 2011 | Football
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Samford returned a block punt for a touchdown in the early going Saturday, and found success through the air to beat Gardner-Webb, 41-14, Saturday afternoon at Seibert Stadium.
Gardner-Webb (1-3) got a 24-yard touchdown pass from Exavier Johnson to Jordan Paul with 4:53 to play in the first quarter to cut an early Samford lead to 14-7, but the Runnin' Bulldogs saw the host Bulldogs kicked a pair of field goals and score a touchdown on fourth-and-long after a GWU fumble just before halftime to lead 27-7 at the break.
Dustin Taliaferro completed 16-of-29 passes for 290 yards and three touchdowns for Samford, which collected 464 total yards on the day. Fabian Truss added 86 yards rushing on 13 attempts with a score and Kelsey Pope caught six passes for 125 yards and a 60-yard touchdown as Taliaferro's favorite target.
Kenny Little's 42-yard touchdown run with 14:19 to play cut the lead to 41-14 for the final margin. Little finished with a career-high 162 yards and a score on 27 carries, pacing a Gardner-Webb offense that managed 204 yards rushing and 331 yards of total offense.
Ricky Rhodes added 61 yards on the ground on six carries, but Johnson and starter Chandler Browning completed just 11-of-27 passes for 127 yards through the air. James Perry caught a pair of passes for 32 yards, leaving him five shy of the Big South Conference career record for receptions.
Marty Patterson collected 13 total hits to pace the GWU defense, with 12 solo stops, a tackle for loss and a blocked punt.
Gardner-Webb will turn its attention to Big South play next week, as it hosts preseason favorite Liberty at 4:00 pm in Ernest W. Spangler Stadium. The game will air live on ESPN3.com and WGWG-FM (88.3).
| Box Score (PDF) |
