Gardner-Webb opens its 2013 season at home against traditional SoCon power Furman, with opening kickoff set for 6:00 pm in Ernest W. Spangler Stadium.

Notes for Saturday's game are available in PDF format by clicking here.

SCOUTING THE PALADINS
Furman enters the 2013 season with 15 returning starters and 33 returning letterwinners from last season's 3-8 finish (2-6 in the SoCon) ... Preseason All-SoCon tackle Dakota Dozier (6-5, 303, RSr.) is the top blocker and has emerged as an NFL prospect at the position ... Receiver Ryan Culbreath (6-4, 220, RSr.) joined Dozier on the 2013 Senior Bowl Watch List earlier this month ... Sophomore quarterback Reese Hannon (6-1, 202, So.) emerged as one of the SoCon's brightest young passers in 2012, tossing a Furman freshman-record seven touchdowns and passing for 1,896 yards ... Hannon threw four touchdowns in the second half and overtime periods against Coastal Carolina in Week 2 last year ... Furman will be sound defensively under the watchful eye of coordinator John Windham - who served in the same post at Gardner-Webb from 2007-2010 ... Leading tackler Gary Wilkins (6-2, 236, RJr.) returns and will start at defensive end ... The Paladins return three of four starters in the secondary ... Dual-threat kicker Ray Early (6-0, 200, Sr.) will handle both placekicking and punting duties for the Paladins in 2013.

THE GAME
Gardner-Webb opens its 2013 season against Southern Conference member Furman at 6:00 pm in Ernest W. Spangler Stadium. The game will be televised regionally by WMYA (My 40) and online by ESPN3 / WatchESPN. Chuck Hussion and Corey Stewart will call that action from the booth and David Cobb will roam the sidelines. WGWG will carry game audio, with Fabian Fuentes and Ben Fuller calling the action (88.3 FM / wgwg.org).

SERIES NOTES
Furman leads the all-time series over Gardner-Webb, 3-0, with all three encouters coming between 2003-2005. Furman was ranked No. 8 nationally in the first meeting on September 27, 2003, winning 45-0 in Greenville. The Paladins are 1-0 in Boiling Springs, capturing a 38-6 win on September 18, 2004 as the 4th-ranked team in the nation. Furman captured the most recent meeting, 48-31, in Greenville on October 1, 2005 as the nation's 7th-ranked team.

THE COACHES
Gardner-Webb head coach Carroll McCray (Class of '83) is in his first season at the helm of his alma mater, becoming the first alumnus to hold the position since Woody Fish (1984-1996). Furman head coach Bruce Fowler is in his third season in charge of the Paladins and has forged a 9-13 record to date. The Paladins were 6-5 in Fowler's first season.

WELCOME BACK BIG BEN
Gardner-Webb's radio booth will have a familiar face alongside longtime play-by-play voice Fabian Fuentes in 2013. Former GWU offensive lineman Ben Fuller (Class of '00) will serve as color analyst for home games this season. The Gaffney, S.C., native was a four-year starter on the line for Gardner-Webb from 1995-1998, earning first-team All-South Atlantic Conference honors in 1997 and 1998. He led GWU to the nation's biggest turnaround in 1997, as the 'Dogs posted an 8-3 mark. Fuller most recently served as defensive coordinator at nearby Gaffney (S.C.) High.

EXPERIENCED ROSTER FOR RUNNIN' BULLDOGS
Gardner-Webb has 30 men in at least their third season of college football on the two-deep heading into the 2013 season, including 22 juniors and seniors. A total of 14 juniors and seniors among that group had the benefit of a redshirt season. The Runnin' Bulldogs have a total of 32 players on the current roster who have started at least once during their college career.

ALL-AMERICA RECOGNITION
Gardner-Webb has seen at least one player named preseason I-AA/FCS All-America in each of the past 10 years, including 23 total student-athletes. Both Tanner Burch (6-3, 241, Jr.) and Hudson Smith (6-1, 235, RSr.) are on preseason lists in 2013.

FURMAN-GWU TIES
Gardner-Webb president Dr. Frank Bonner is a 1969 Furman graduate ... GWU head coach Carroll McCray served as offensive line coach for the Paladins from 2007-2010 ... GWU secondary coach Rocco Adrian played for the Paladins and graduated in 1999 ... GWU quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator Brett Nichols was an offensive intern at Furman in 2007 ... Furman defensive coordinator John Windham served in the same capacity at Gardner-Webb from 2007-2010, coaching some of the stiffest run defenses in the nation over his final three seasons ... Paladins' defensive line coach Jimmy Lindsey was an assistant at GWU from 2003-2006, tutoring the Big South's first consensus I-AA All-America choice - Harold Wells in 2004 - and future NFL Draft pick Brian Johnston ... Furman quarterback Reese Hannon is the nephew of former Gardner-Webb quarterback and Hall of Famer Ray Hannon (Class of '72).

A PEEK AT THE PALADINS
Furman welcomes back 15 starters and 33 letterwinners, with pro prospects Dakota Dozier (OT) and Ryan Culbreath (WR) headlining eight returning starters offensively. Dozier, a preseason FCS All-America selection, will protect rising star Reese Hannon (QB). Culbreath, a 6-foot-4, 220-pound receiver, joined Dozier on the Senior Bowl Watch List earlier this month. The Paladins return two starters at cornerback in Reggie Thomas and Austin Williams, along with strong safety Greg Worthy in an experienced secondary. The Paladins lost three games last season by a field goal or less, including the first two games of the season - at Samford and at home in overtime vs. Coastal Carolina.

AERIAL FIREPOWER RETURNS INTACT
Led by veteran quarterback Lucas Beatty (6-2, 212, RJr.), Gardner-Webb returns much of a successful aerial attack from the 2012 season. Beatty led the league in passing yards per game as a sophomore, completing 215-of-334 chances for 2,483 yards and 12 scores. Leading receiver Kenny Cook (6-4, 210, RJr.) returns a step faster than a year ago after catching 48 passes for 666 yards and seven scores. Record-setting tight end Seth Cranfill (6-4, 239, RJr.) caught 37 passes for 366 yards and a pair of scores and speedster Deonte Swinton (6-1, 188, RJr.) hauled in 41 passes for 467 yards - including six grabs for 106 yards in last season's opener vs. No. 10 Wofford. All four men earned preseason All-Big South honors and are joined by veteran Richard Jules (6-0, 182, Sr.) in the starting lineup. GWU will also get an infusion of help from a handful of newcomers - primarily tight end Mike Estes (6-4, 227, RFr.) and Union County (S.C.) High product Kalay Jones (6-1, 184, Fr.).

LET' ME BE BLOUNT
Gardner-Webb returns a veteran who has found the end zone often in two full seasons so far in running back Juanne Blount (5-9, 201, RJr.). The former Forest Hills (N.C.) High star carried 133 times last season for 489 yards and six touchdowns after missing all but one game in 2011 with an injury. Blount has rushed 273 times for 1,085 yards and nine scores overall for his career, and threw a touchdown pass last Homecoming against VMI (10/27). Blount rushed for 5,392 yards and 84 touchdowns during his high school career, leaving him as Union County's all-time rushing leader. He earned All-State honors in 2009.

FAR AWAY PLACES
Gardner-Webb has three players on its 2013 roster who played high school football more than 6,500 miles away from Boiling Springs, N.C. Nose guards O.J. Le'iatua Mau (6-2, 302, So.) and Phillip Fata (6-3, 295, So.) both played on the island of American Samoa - with Mau starring at Fagaitua High and Fata at Samoana High. Samoana is the same school that has produced current NFL standouts Domata Peko (Bengals), Isaac Sopoaga (49ers) and Matt Toeaina (Bears). Offensive tackle Jordan Stalker (6-5, 292, Fr.) enrolled at GWU in January and calls New South Wales, Australia, home. A lifetime rugby player, Stalker played two years of football - called gridiron in Australia - more than 9,400 miles from Gardner-Webb's campus.

SOUTH CAROLINA GUYS
Gardner-Webb has 18 student-athletes on its 2013 roster who call the Palmetto State home. One, cornerback Tiko Thompson (5-8, 155, So.) is from Greenville, having played at J.L. Mann (S.C.) High before starting as a true freshman in 2012 at GWU. Redshirt freshman corner Brandaun Addison (6-0, 172, RFr.) starred at Easley (S.C.), which is just south of Greenville. Gardner-Webb quarterbacks coach Brett Nichols is also from Greenville County, having played at Hillcrest (S.C.) High before heading off to play quarterback at South Carolina (Class of 2006).

AGAINST THE SOCON
Gardner-Webb regularly plays members of the Southern Conference on the gridiron, with its last win over a member of the conference in football coming at Western Carolina in 2009. GWU has nine wins over Elon and six over Wofford, but has not played the Phoenix since their move to the SoCon and is 0-5 against the Terriers since 2004. GWU has two wins over Western Carolina (2004, 2009) and two over Chattanooga (2002, 2003) since moving to Division I FCS in 2000. The Runnin' Bulldogs play Furman and Wofford this season.

TOUGH SLATE IN 2012
Of Gardner-Webb's eight losses last season, six came against FCS programs that spent at least one week in a major national top-25 poll and another came at Big East member Pittsburgh. GWU was 3-1 against teams on its schedule that were not ranked at any point in 2012.

MAJOR COLLEGE EXPERIENCE
Gardner-Webb's coaching staff has garnered significant experience - both as players and coaches - at the highest level of college football. Head coach Carroll McCray has spent time at both South Carolina and Mississippi State as offensive line coach. Defensive coordinator Randall McCray spent time at South Carolina as a graduate assistant, and has been a position coach at both Wisconsin and Pittsburgh. The younger McCray also worked as defensive coordinator at Middle Tennessee State, among other Division I stops during his career. Quarterbacks coach Brett Nichols played at South Carolina, receivers coach La'Donte Harris played at Clemson, assistant head coach / offensive line coach Kenny Ray played at Southern Miss and defensive line coach Issac Mooring played at North Carolina.

TELEVISION BUFFET
Gardner-Webb will appear in front of television cameras six times in 2013, the most ever for a single season on the gridiron. GWU will play four times on ESPN3 (WatchESPN.com), the worldwide leader's broadband video service and will play local/regional television games on WMYA-40 (Furman, 8/31) and WCCB-18 (Charlotte, 10/5). Gardner-Webb's home games with Point (9/28), Warner (11/2) and Charleston Southern (11/16) will air on the Big South Network - free in 2013 for all viewers.

THIS WEEK'S BIG SOUTH CONFERENCE GAMES
Thursday, August 29
Liberty at Kent State, 6:00 pm (ESPN3)
Presbyterian at Wake Forest, 6:30 pm (ESPN3)

Saturday, August 31
Furman at Gardner-Webb, 6:00 pm (WMYA-40 / ESPN3)
VMI at Richmond, 6:00 pm
Coastal Carolina at South Carolina State, 6:00 pm
Charleston Southern at The Citadel, 6:00 pm

RECRUITING WINNERS
Gardner-Webb has 17 student-athletes on its current roster who played on high school teams that either won a state title, played for a state title or were nationally ranked during their time in the program. Cornerback Drew White (5-9, 167, Sr.) played at one of the nation's top high school programs at Concord (Calif.) De La Salle and went on to play two seasons at national junior college power City College of San Francisco. The Gaffney (S.C.) High quartet of Dewayne Wray (6-0, 295, RFr.), Russell Hughes (6-3, 278, Fr.), Don Manning (6-1, 254, RSr.) and Donovan Manning (6-2, 257, Fr.) each played for high-powered teams just south of the state line.

RETURN THE ROCK
Running back J.J. Hubbard (5-8, 170, Jr.) appears ready-made for Gardner-Webb's new spread offense, with his ability to attack in space - but the Tampa, Fla., native remains an integral weapon as a return man for the Runnin' Bulldogs. Hubbard was a two-way All-Big South choice as a return specialist in 2012, earning a spot as a punt returner and kickoff returner. He averaged 15.2 yards per punt return, and was nearly as explosive returning kicks - leading the league in chances and total yardage.

THE CORNERSTONES
Gardner-Webb welcomes back cornerback standout Ivan Toomer (6-1, 197, RSo.) after a redshirt season, and the speedster joins a veteran cast in what should be an improved GWU secondary. Toomer, who has 4.38 speed in the 40, came on late in 2011 as a true freshman - and has shown outstanding growth and ability to tackle and cover during March and August. Toomer will be joined in the starting lineup by another former prep sprinter - veteran Keon Williams (6-0, 170, Sr.), who was limited as well in 2012. Last season's starters, Drew White (5-9, 167, Sr.) and Tiko Thompson (5-8, 155, So.), as well as newcomer Brandaun Addison (6-0, 172, RFr.) provide quality depth and experience as well.

UP NEXT FOR GARDNER-WEBB
Gardner-Webb will hit the road for the first time next weekend, traveling to face a strong Marshall team at 6:30 pm in Huntington, WVa. The Thundering Herd are projected to compete heavily with East Carolina for the Conference USA East Division crown in 2013. The Saturday, September 7, meeting will be the first on the gridiron for the two programs - and Gardner-Webb's first game against a team from Conference USA.