THE
GAME
Gardner-Webb will play at Presbyterian in its second Big South
Conference matchup of the season, batting the Blue Hose at 2:00 pm
in Bailey Memorial Stadium. The game will be televised live by
WMYA-40 and on ESPN3.com, with Jack Connors and Jason Patterson
calling the action.
SERIES
NOTES
Presbyterian and Gardner-Webb have met on the gridiron 33 times
previously, more than any current pair of Big South Conference
members ... The two were members of NAIA District 26, the SAC-8 and
the South Atlantic Conference level together prior to Big South
membership ... PC holds a 17-16 edge in the series ... Gardner-Webb
has won the last three meetings in Clinton, topping the Blue Hose
in 1997, 1999 and 2009.
THE
COACHES
Gardner-Webb head coach Ron Dickerson, Jr., is in
his first season in charge of the Runnin' Bulldogs. GWU is his
first head coaching job overall. Harold Nichols is
in his third season as head coach at Presbyterian, after playing
for the Blue Hose in the late 1980s and graduating from PC in 1990.
Nichols is 3-24 during his time as head coach in Clinton, which is
his first head coaching job overall.
LAST
TIME IN CLINTON
NOVEMBER 21, 2009 - Gardner-Webb jumped out to a
14-0 lead at halftime in the season finale for both teams, and used
a strong rushing performance by Patrick Hall to hold off a
second-half rally by the Blue Hose for a 21-14 win. Presbyterian
cut the lead to 14-7 on a Lance Byrd touchdown run midway through
the fourth quarter, before Hall effectively put the game out of
reach with a 49-yard scoring run with 1:16 left that made the score
21-7. The Blue Hose added a touchdown with 26 seconds remaining,
but would get no closer. Hall ran for 114 yards and two scores in
the game.
A
LITTLE BIT OF YARDAGE
Redshirt junior running back Kenny Little (5-11,
205) has emerged as a workhorse at the position in 2011, averaging
102.0 yards per game with four touchdowns through five games. His
111 carries lead the Big South, and his rushing average ranks
second - as well as ranking 22nd nationally among Football
Championship Subdivision programs. Little has three 100-yard games
so far in 2011 in addition to a 95-yard effort at FBS foe Ohio. He
has run for 100-plus yards in two-straight games, including 17
carries for 103 yards vs. Liberty (10/8) and a career-high 162
yards on 27 carries at Samford (10/1). Little also ran for 131
yards vs Brevard (9/3). His previous career-best effort was 85
yards against NAIA member Southern Virginia in 2009. Little's
162-yard effort at Samford was the fifth-best total for a GWU back
during the Division I era. Philip Peoples' 176-yard effort vs.
Presbyterian in 2008 marked the last time a Runnin' Bulldog had
topped the 150-yard mark at the position.
FIRST
START SOLID FOR BEATTY
Quarterback Lucas Beatty (6-2, 185, RFr.) made his
first career start on Saturday vs. Liberty, and was solid managing
the game. Beatty completed 17-of-31 passes for 162 yards and was
sacked only once. He threw one interception, but that pick came in
the fourth quarter with GWU already trailing 35-3.
TAKING
ADVANTAGE
Gardner-Webb has a cumulative +1 edge in turnover margin so far in
2011, gaining seven from its opponents while only turning the
football over six times in five games (four INT, one fumble, one
special teams fumble). Unfortunately for the 'Dogs, they have not
turned any of those seven turnovers gained into points - while the
opposition has scored 35 points off of Gardner-Webb's six miscues,
averaging a healthy 5.8 points per turnover so far. Two punts have
also been blocked - one for a score last week at Samford (10/1),
and one that set up a short TD run at Wake Forest (9/17).
BIG
PLAYS
Gardner-Webb has recorded 14 plays of at least 20 yards so far in
2011 offensively, with three of those "explosive plays" going for
touchdowns. The GWU defense has allowed 27 "explosive plays"
through five games, with four going for scores. Of the seven long
play touchdowns combined by GWU and its opponents, three came at
Samford (10/1) - with the hosts scoring twice and Kenny Little
scoring on a 42-yard run. Last season, Gardner-Webb managed just 21
"explosive plays" in 11 games, with only seven coming via the run.
GWU has seven running plays of 20 yards or more already in
2011.
THE
KING OF THE CATCH
Receiver James Perry III (6-0, 182, Sr.) set a new
Big South Conference career receptions mark vs. Liberty (10/8),
hauling in five passes for 58 yards against the Flames to give him
203 for his career. That mark broke the previous record of 202 held
by Charleston Southern's Maurice Price
(2004-2006), and leaves Perry just 30 catches shy of the all-time
GWU mark held by William Andrews, Jr. (2000-2003).
Perry has caught at least one pass in each of his 37 career games
played, which is the second-best mark in school history behind
Andrews (43). Perry has 2,378 career receiving yards (fourth in
school history / fourth in league history) and nine touchdowns to
his credit as well. Perry is also within striking distance of
becoming the first Big South or Gardner-Webb receiver to catch at
least 50 passes in four consecutive seasons.
PUSH
THEM BACK
Gardner-Webb's defensive front was expected to be a strong suit for
the Runnin' Bulldogs heading into 2011, and that group has helped
spearhead the team to 47.0 tackles for loss through five games.
Gardner-Webb ranks second in the nation in that category, with 32
solo tackles behind the line - with 9.0 coming in the form of
quarterback sacks.
A
PRESEASON TRADITION
Gardner-Webb placed four men on preseason FCS All-America squads
during the summer months, adding to a long tradition of preseason
honors for Runnin' Bulldogs players. Receiver James Perry
III and guard Jamie Dunaway each earned
honorable mention honors from Consensus Draft services. Linebacker
Marty Patterson was a fourth-team selection by
Phil Steele and a third-team selection by College Sporting News.
Long snapper Hudson Smith was also a third-team
selection by College Sporting News (CSN). Patterson was a preseason
All-America choice for the second season in a row. Since 2003,
Gardner-Webb has seen 18 players earn preseason All-America honors
- with at least one on a preseason team in each of the past eight
seasons.
BIG
FRONT LINE
Gardner-Webb's offensive line has drawn solid reviews during
preseason camp, coming together nicely as a unit under new position
coach Dwayne Ledford. The starting five: left tackle
Harrison Martin (6-6, 285, RJr.); left guard
Jamie Dunaway (6-4, 290, Jr.); center
Austin Sargent (6-3, 290, Jr.); right guard
Jeff Harris (6-2, 291, RSo.) and right tackle
Steve Demilio (6-5, 290, RJr.) average a solid
6-foot-4, 289-pounds per man and have at least three years each in
a college weight program under their belts.
RUNNING
CRAZY ON OPENING NIGHT
Gardner-Webb hit the ground with a physical approach in its season
opener, and produced two 100-yard rushers in the same game for the
first time since October 12, 2002. Kenny Little
darted for a career-high 131 yards and three touchdowns on 23
carries and Juanne Blount barrelled his way to 102
yards on 14 carries - pacing a 220-yard team effort on the ground.
The last duo to rush for 100 yards in the same game was quarterback
Jeremy Martin and running back Chris Foster - the team's current
position coach - against Elon in 2002. The game marked the first
100-yard game of Little's career and the fourth for Blount - who
played a major role as a freshman in 2010.
STAFF
EXPERIENCE
Gardner-Webb's current coaching staff has a combined 143 years of
coaching experience among them, with much of that coming on the
college level. Current GWU coaches have held full-time positions at
BCS conference schools Pittsburgh, Colorado, Penn State, Clemson,
Georgia, West Virginia, Wake Forest and Ole Miss - with two
climbing as high as coordinator at that level. Defensive line coach
Ron Dickerson, Sr., was an FBS-level head coach in
the mid-1990s at Temple.
SLICK
RICK
Return
man Ricky Rhodes (5-7, 175, RJr.) proved why the
coaching staff thought so highly of his abilities in the season
opener, registering 193 all-purpose yards - including 156 via
returns - on just 12 touches vs. Brevard. Rhodes had a 22-yard punt
return to set up Gardner-Webb's first points and had a 59-yarder
later in the game - a return that would have stood at 79 yards if
not for a personal foul penalty behind the play. Rhodes added 19
yards receiving and 18 yards rushing - and had a 62-yard reception
and 35-yard run called back due to penalties. Rhodes also returned
three kickoffs for 75 yards. Rhodes had a 54-yard kickoff return at
Ohio and ranks among the league leaders in that stat this
season.
FOUR
TIMES ON THE TUBE IN 2K11
Gardner-Webb will play on live television or on major network
broadband four times in 2011 - with five other games airing on the
Big South Network (bigsouthsports.com). The Runnin' Bulldogs will
play on ESPN3.com against Wake Forest (9/17) and Liberty (10/8);
will take on Presbyterian (10/15) on WMYA-40 (Greenville, S.C.) and
Coastal Carolina (10/22) on MASN. Games against Brevard, Charleston
Southern, Virginia State, Stony Brook and VMI will air on the Big
South Network.
MOVING
AND SHAKING
Gardner-Webb made several position moves that could prove to be
very helpful over the course of the 2011 season. Tyler
Hough-Jenkins (6-4, 270, RFr.) has moved from offense to
the defensive line, and excelled during fall camp - pushing his way
onto the two-deep with a strong performance. Speedster
Ricky Rhodes (5-7, 175, RJr.) could emerge as one
of the league's most dangerous all-purpose threats, having moved to
offense full-time in the spring. The Richmond, Ky., native is a
slippery, versatile performer who will also field kickoffs and
punts. Highly-touted quarterback Jordan Paul (6-3,
180, Fr.) took snaps under center and at receiver during camp, and
is another dangerous all-around threat. With Jeff Harris' emergence
at offensive guard, and the addition of some young talent at the
position, veteran Maurice Bryan (6-2, 265, RJr.)
was allowed to move back to the defensive line, where he will be a
tremendous help in the trenches for the 'Dogs.
TWO
FROM THE BOWL SUBDIVISION IN '11
For the
third time in five seasons, Gardner-Webb did battle at a pair of
bowl subdivision teams in the same season. Just like 2009, the
'Dogs took on teams from the MAC and the ACC. With games at Ohio
(9/10) and Wake Forest (9/17), Gardner-Webb did something it had
never done before, however - take on FBS teams in back-to-back
weeks.
THIS
WEEK IN THE BIG SOUTH CONFERENCE
In
other Big South Conference action this week: Charleston Southern
kicks off league play at VMI (1:30 pm); No. 20 Coastal Carolina
travels to face Liberty in a very important clash (3:30 pm) and
Stony Brook hosts non-Division I foe St. Anslem (6:00 pm).
FRESHMEN
OF THE YEAR UNITE
Gardner-Webb's defensive front four will feature the last two Big
South Conference Freshman of the Year selections - tackle
Matt Goods (6-2, 275, RSo.) and end
Preston Pemasa (6-2, 250, So.). The duo teams with
three-year starter Jordan Woods (6-3, 245, Sr.)
and veteran Dylan Taylor (6-0, 265, RJr.) to pose
a formidable threat up front
ON THE
AIR
Gardner-Webb's football games this season can be heard live on
WGWG-FM (88.3), the school's 50,000-watt flagship station.
Fabian Fuentes and David Allen
will provide the call for the Runnin' Bulldogs in 2011. Log onto to
wgwg.org for a live audio stream via the internet as well.
BIG
SOUTH NETWORK
The Big
South Network, presented by State Farm, will carry all of
Gardner-Webb's home football games and all Big South Conference
games live as part of the league's subscription-based video
streaming package. Interested parties may register for an account
at bigsouthsports.com. †
