GAME BOOK (PDF)

BOILING SPRINGS – Lucas Beatty found Kenny Cook in the corner of the end zone with 2:04 left to lift Gardner-Webb to a 43-36 win over Wofford Saturday night.

Gardner-Webb (2-2) has won 10 of its last 12 in Ernest W. Spangler Stadium, dating back to 2012.

"I told the kids I was proud of their fight," said GWU head coach Carroll McCray. "We came out in the second half and fought very hard. We made some adjustments on the defensive side and really buckled down with our mental focus. I thought our ability to match effort in the final 30 minutes was key.

"I really like the fight in this bunch. We show some immaturity at times with game experience because of our youth at certain spots, but we fight hard."

The Runnin' Bulldogs trailed 28-20 at the half after watching the Terriers (1-2) rumble for 204 yards on the ground with its option attack in the first 30 minutes. GWU's halftime adjustments paid off and, after a 45-yard gain by Wofford fullback Lorenzo Long to open the third quarter, the Runnin' Bulldogs buckled down.

After holding on fourth down at its own 24-yard line, Gardner-Webb took over and marched 77 yards in eight plays to pull within 28-26. Freshman quarterback Tyrell Maxwell entered on second down at the Wofford 29, and darted his way to the end zone on a keeper for the touchdown. The two point conversion try was a yard short, but the defense stepped up once again on the next Wofford drive.

Spencer Havird picked off an Evan Jacks' pass at the 31-yard line and returned the interception all the way to the Wofford seven-yard line, swinging momentum quickly back to the home team.

The Terriers held strong, however, forcing a 22-yard field goal from Paul Schumacher that gave GWU a 29-28 lead with 7:08 left in the third.

Gardner-Webb's Jeffrey Pegues sacked Jacks on third down to force a punt on Wofford's next drive, and Beatty heated up once more. The Charlotte, N.C., senior completed both of his pass attempts on the quick march, connecting with Mike Estes for 21 yards and Kalay Jones for 38 to set the 'Dogs up at the Wofford two. Beatty punched in himself on a sneak, and Schumacher connected on the kick for a 36-28 the GWU lead with 3:29 left in the third.

Gardner-Webb entered the fourth quarter in Wofford territory after Maxwell kept for 11 yards to end the third, but Wofford pushed the 'Dogs back and forced a punt. A facemask penalty after a fair catch gave the Terriers possession at their own 24, and Jacks engineered a 76-yard scoring drive to tie the game.

The slippery Jacks had four runs for first downs on the drive, including an 11-yard scramble and dive into the end zone with 5:37 left in the game. A two-point conversion run by Ray Smith knotted the score.

Gardner-Webb wasted little time answering. Beatty hit Cook on a six-yard slant to start things, then connected over the middle with Seth Cranfill for 13 yards. A personal foul after an eight-yard gain by Juanne Blount energized the drive further, setting GWU up at the Wofford 18.

Beatty found Estes over the middle for an 11-yard gain, with the 6-foot-4, 236-pound sophomore absorbing a bone-crunching hit down to the seven. A pass interference call on third and goal kept the drive alive and after Wofford held on the next two downs – Beatty delivered a perfect pass to Cook for the deciding score.

Early on, Gardner-Webb clicked with Cook back in the lineup for the first time in 11 quarters.

The Runnin' Bulldogs took their opening drive to the house, marching 72 yards on just 10 plays. Beatty hit Cook for first down gains of 15 and 18 yards to spark the drive, and Blount punched in from two yards away with 10:07 left in the quarter for an early lead.

Wofford answered quickly, converting a 3rd-and-15 deep in its own territory after two negative yardage plays and finally posting the equalizer on Jacks' 45-yard keeper. After a GWU punt, Wofford marched 80 yards on just eight plays, with Long bulling in from three yards out for a 14-7 lead with 14:56 remaining before halftime.

A 36-yard kickoff return by J.J. Hubbard regained momentum for Gardner-Webb, and 58 yards later the 'Dogs had tied the score. Cranfill caught a six-yard scoring toss from Beatty at the 11:48 mark of the second quarter. Cook drew a key pass interference call on the drive.

Wofford went up 21-14 quickly, however, needing just two plays to score. Long dashed straight up the gut for a 58-yard touchdown. The Terriers appeared to build a comfortable lead just before the half, with Jacks finding Wade Francis on fourth down for a 28-yard scoring pass and a 28-14 edge with 1:12 on the clock.

The Runnin' Bulldogs marched quickly themselves to pull close. Beatty connected with Deonte Swinton for 13 yards on first down and connected on two short passes before finding Cranfill open for an 11-yard gain down to the Terriers' 18. A pass interference call in the end zone on a play that just missed to Cook set GWU up at the three – and Beatty hit Cranfill for a short touchdown pass with 6.7 seconds remaining on the clock.

The extra point banged off the left upright, leaving GWU behind 28-20.

Gardner-Webb had a season-best 358 yards of total offense on the night and scored one less point than it had scored in its previous three games combined.

Beatty was sharp, completing 22-of-33 passes for 233 yards and three touchdowns. He spread the wealth, hitting seven different receivers. Cook was the favorite, hauling in six passes for 59 yards and the score and drawing three pass interference calls on the night.

Cranfill finished with a season-high five catches for 38 yards and two scores. Blount paced the ground game, gaining 57 yards and scoring once on 14 carries. GWU had 126 yards on the ground, and allowed just two sacks, despite starting sophomore Jordan Stalker at left tackle for the first time in his career.

Gardner-Webb was hampered severely by injuries on defense, with All-America linebacker Tanner Burch still sidelined and All-Big South linebacker Chad Geter out with an injury against the Terriers.

Aaron Cook stepped up with a career-high 11 tackles, 2.0 tackles for loss and a pass break up while playing his normal bandit position and filling in for the versatile Geter at the spur linebacker post.

Buchanan Award candidate O.J. Mau fought through heavy blocking attention to finish with a career-best 10 stops, 2.5 tackles for loss and a quarterback pressure. Ivan Toomer added seven stops (six solo), Azziz Higgins had seven and Jebrai Regan had six stops, 1.5 tackles for loss and two pressures from his end position.

Pegues was stellar in second career start as well, collecting four tackles (three solo) and two sacks. Gardner-Webb limited the Terriers to only 118 yards rushing in the second half on 24 carries.

"It was really exciting to see the young guys gain confidence and really fight hard in key moments. You have to do that against Wofford or they'll wear you out," said McCray. "I respect Mike Ayers and that staff as much as anyone I know because of what they stand for and how they do it. You have to match their intensity, execution and fight. I felt like we did that last year and did again tonight. We are very proud to come out on top."

Wofford finished with 425 yards of total offense and had 322 yards on the ground, averaging a healthy 6.9 yards per rush.

Long was the star, gaining a career-high 151 yards and scoring twice on just 19 carries. Jacks carried 15 times for 97 yards and completed 8-of-16 passes for 103 yards and a score with one interception.

Francis was Jacks' favorite target, catching six balls for 67 yards and a score.

Kevin Thomas paced the Terriers defensively with 10 stops. Chris Armfield added eight and broke up a pass. Wofford had a pair of sacks on the night, with Daryl Vining and Steven Cornellier collecting those.

Gardner-Webb travels to The Citadel next Saturday for a 6:00 pm kickoff. Wofford returns home to host UVA-Wise, kicking off that game at 7:00 pm.