Day, Riddick Named Big South Players of the Week Monday
November 18, 2013 | Football
Riddick (Akron, Ohio / Buchtel HS) turned in another outstanding performance in the 27-10 win over #12/13 Charleston Southern, helping the Runnin' Bulldogs dominate at the point of attack all afternoon. The 6-foot-7, 240-pound junior finished the game with eight total tackles (five solo), 4.0 tackles for loss and 2.0 sacks as Gardner-Webb limited the Bucs' spread option attack to just 16 yards on the ground on 36 attempts, a season-low 203 yards of total offense and zero offensive touchdowns.
Riddick added a career-best five quarterback pressures, the first which came on the game's momentum-changing play. Riddick raced off the edge and forced a quick throw, which was tipped at the line by Preston Pemasa and picked off by Chad Geter - setting up the GWU offense at the Bucs' 15-yard line. Two plays later, Gardner-Webb had a 7-0 lead and stayed out in front the rest of the way.
The game marked Riddick's third multiple-sack game of the season and established a new Big South single-season record for sacks. Riddick now has 8.5 through 11 games and ranks No. 2 nationally with 19.0 tackles for loss (minus-109 yards). Riddick's lost yardage total leads the nation and his 17 pressures is also a career-high total - as are his 67 tackles.
His efforts this season have helped Gardner-Webb rank No. 6 nationally in total defense and post a 3-1 record against teams ranked in the top-15 nationally. In those three wins over ranked teams, GWU has allowed just 6.7 points per game.
Day (Marvin, N.C. / Marvin Ridge HS) had a significant leg in another Gardner-Webb upset of a top-15 team on Saturday, booting a pair of field goals and having his best day punting the football.
Day punted six times for a career-best 47.5 yards average, boomed three more than 50 yards and pinned CSU inside its own 20-yard line three times. It marked the first time all season that Day had recorded multiple 50-yard punt and tied his season-high in punts placed inside the 20.
His punting was critical in the third quarter, as Gardner-Webb did not record a first down and was forced to match punts with Charleston Southern.
Day's two first-half field goals helped GWU to a 20-0 lead at the break, and came from 34 and 26 yards. He also added three PAT kicks to finish with nine points scored.
Day's lone rushing attempt of the season sealed the win in the fourth quarter. After a mishandle on a low and hard snap, Day scooped up the football, darted outside and down the sideline for a 21-yard gain into Charleston Southern territory with 2:35 to play in the game. Gardner-Webb ran out the clock from there.
Day leads the Big South with 12 made field goals this season and has made seven of those kicks in the team's three wins over nationally-ranked programs this season. He has been named Big South Special Teams Player of the Week three times in 2013.
Day ranks second in punting average so far in the Big South, averaging 38.5 yards per attempt in his first season of college football. Day was a member of the Gardner-Webb soccer program during his first four years of college athletics. Gardner-Webb leads the Big South as a team in net punting average this season.
Gardner-Webb (6-5, 1-3 Big South) travels to face old rival Presbyterian in Clinton, S.C., on Saturday to close out the 2013 regular season. Kickoff is set for 1:00 pm and will air live on WGWG-FM (88.3 / wgwg.org) and the Big South Network.
