Sweet Seven: Gardner-Webb Holds Off PC, 20-13, Saturday In Finale
November 23, 2013 | Football
The Runnin' Bulldogs (7-5, 2-3 Big South) posted their highest season win total since 2003 when they went 8-4 and posted the program's first winning season since 2009 in head coach Carroll McCray's first season at the helm.
Cook's long scoring catch with 5:07 to play in the first period opened the scoring and the former Clinton (S.C.) High star finished with four catches for 77 yards - making him the first receiver to top the 1,000-yard mark for a season since Rodney Robinson in 1992. Cook finished his junior season with 76 catches for 1,008 yards and nine touchdowns, placing him solidly in line for FCS All-America honors.
Cook's score was followed by two Jordan Day field goals and Gardner-Webb's defense was salty as usual in building a 13-0 lead at halftime. The Runnin' Bulldogs allowed just 49 total yards and two first downs in the first half, despite playing Saturday's game without All-America defensive end Shaquille Riddick - who was held out with a minor injury suffered during practice this past week.
The Blue Hose (3-8, 1-4 Big South) would put up a second-half fight on Senior Day in Bailey Memorial Stadium, scoring just 32 seconds into the third quarter. A long kickoff return was compounded by a face mask penalty to put the ball in Gardner-Webb territory, and Demarcus Rouse shook out of three tackles for an 18-yard gain down to the GWU 35. Heys McMath then hit Tobi Antigah underneath, and the junior shook free for a 35-yard touchdown to trim the lead to 13-7.
Gardner-Webb's defense tightened back up, and special teams led to the next score of the game. A muffed punt by the Blue Hose was recovered by Keon Williams at the PC one-yard line and Juanne Blount bulled in two plays later for a 20-7 lead.
The Runnin' Bulldogs forced a turnover deep inside PC territory later in the third, but was unable to capitalize as the fourth quarter started - turning it over on a sack and fumble themselves. Presbyterian wouldn't be able to get anything going offensively again until late in the game - with backup quarterback Tamyn Garrick hitting Arthur Williams on a 19-yard touchdown with 5:30 left on the clock.
The Blue Hose did force Gardner-Webb to punt again, but couldn't convert on fourth down with 1:57 to play at the GWU 37. The Runnin' Bulldogs went 3-and-out again, but did force Presbyterian to use all three timeouts before punting it back with 1:34 on the clock.
Garrick completed three passes to get the ball to the Gardner-Webb 48, and eventually was able to move the Blue Hose down to the Gardner-Webb 30, but his pass to Jeremiah McKie on 4th-and-2 fell short and GWU ran out the clock.
Gardner-Webb finished the game with 331 yards offensively, with Blount carrying 26 times for 78 yards and a score. His effort put the Wingate, N.C., redshirt junior over 1,000 yards on the season - making he and Cook the first 1,000-yard receiving/rushing duo in school history for the same season.
Blount finished with 257 carries for 1,040 yards and nine touchdowns in 2013 all career-high totals for the 5-foot-9, 201-pounder.
Lucas Beatty completed 15-of-30 passes for 209 yards and a score and J.J. Hubbard rushed for 26 yards and caught three passes for 33 yards in an effective day spelling Blount.
Defensively, linebacker Chad Geter had a career day, recording 12 total hits (11 solo) to pace the defense - which pressured both Blue Hose quarterbacks heavily all afternoon. Tanner Burch added nine hits, Preston Pemasa recorded five and O.J. Le'iatua Mau had five to go with a pair of half sacks.
Presbyterian managed 301 yards of total offense by day's end, getting 114 yards through the air from Garrick off the bench. McMath was just 6-of-16 with two interceptions and was sacked twice before leaving late in the third quarter with an injury.
Antigha had six catches for 58 yards and a score and Rouse led the ground game with 45 yards on eight carries.
Gardner-Webb won for the 12th time in 18 visits to Clinton, S.C., and closed the season with a road win for the first time since a 21-14 at Presbyterian in 2009's season finale.
| BOX SCORE (PDF) |
