GAME NOTES: Gardner-Webb Returns Home To Host Elon Saturday Night
September 08, 2015 | Football
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THE GAME
Gardner-Webb opens its home slate on Saturday with a familiar foe, hosting Elon at 6:00 pm in Ernest W. Spangler Stadium. The game will air live on The Big South Network (bigsouthsports.com) with Fabian Fuentes and Ben Fuller providing that call. The duo of Brendan Boylan and Tyler Helms will call the action live on wgwg.org, the online home of GWU athletics.
SERIES NOTES
Gardner-Webb and Elon have met 29 times previously, with the Phoenix holding a 20-9 advantage in the series ... The teams haven't met since October 12, 2002 – when both were part of the Big South's inaugural football season ... The Runnin' Bulldogs won that last meeting 38-27 in Spangler Stadium ... Elon won the series' first 12 meetings, with Gardner-Webb finally breaking through with a 17-15 win on October 29, 1983 in Burlington ... The Runnin' Bulldogs have won nine of the past 17 meetings, with a string of four-straight wins from 1985-88 ... The two teams did not meet from 1997-1999, as Elon made its move to Division I ... Gardner-Webb followed in 2000, with the two teams meeting in 2000, 2001 and 2002 before the Phoenix moved into the Southern Conference.
THE HEAD COACHES
Gardner-Webb head coach Carroll McCray (Class of '83) returned to his alma mater in 2013 and has forged an 11-14 record so far in his time in Boiling Springs. Elon head coach Rich Skrosky is in his second season in charge of the Phoenix after serving in a coordinator role at both Ball State and Elon previously.
AGAINST THE CAA
Gardner-Webb is 2-2 against CAA Football (former A-10) since moving to Division I prior to the 2000 season. Gardner-Webb knocked off #23 New Hampshire, 38-35 (Nov. 11, 2000) in its first season, lost at Old Dominion, 14-7 (October 2, 2010) and split two meetings with Richmond. GWU defeated the #11 Spiders, 12-10 (September 15, 2013) in Spangler Stadium.
THE OPENER
Gardner-Webb fought tooth-and-nail at FBS foe South Alabama on a muggy evening in Ladd-Peebles Stadium, but fell to the Jags by a 33-23 score. The Runnin' Bulldogs scored 16 unanswered points to span halftime – taking a 16-13 lead with 10:21 to play in the third quarter on Angel Guzman's 21-yard interception return for a score. Laron Glenn had trimmed the South Alabama lead to 13-9 just before halftime with a safety. South Alabama answered with 20 points in a row, getting scores of 56 and 92 yards from speedster Xavier Johnson to take control. The Jags used the big play effectively against GWU, scored all four touchdowns from at least 49 yards away – and totaling more than 60 percent of their offensive total on just those four plays.
HOME FIELD SUCCESS
Gardner-Webb is 8-3 over its last 11 home games, dating back to 2013 – including a 3-2 mark in 2014. The Runnin' Bulldogs have won 11 of their last 15, dating back to 2012. GWU went 5-1 at home in 2013, with wins over Furman and #11 Richmond. Notable wins in Spangler Stadium last season came vs. Wofford (43-36) and Charlotte (27-24). The Runnin' Bulldogs play six of their 11 games this season in Spangler Stadium – the second time in three seasons that the home crowd has been treated to a six-game home slate.
MIKE CHECK
Tight end Mike Estes (6-4, 240, RJr.) lived up to his preseason billing in the season opener, catching four passes for a career-best 89 yards and two touchdowns at South Alabama. His 48-yarder early in the second quarter trimmed the lead to 13-7. He added a 12-yard catch for a first down and made a spectacular, diving grab for 24 yards on Gardner-Webb's final drive. He caught a five-yard touchdown pass in the closing moments for his second score of the day. The Raleigh, N.C., native now has 56 career receptions for 775 yards and five touchdowns – and is in his first season as the featured man at the tight end position after splitting time with All-American Seth Cranfill in 2013 and 2014. Estes already ranks third in career receptions for a tight end at GWU and second in yardage.
MAU-WOW
All-America nose guard OJ Mau (6-2, 319, Sr.) enters his fourth campaign with the Runnin' Bulldogs poised for another strong showing in the middle of a strong 3-4 defense. The Masefau, American Samoa, native has garnered a truckload of preseason plaudits, including a spot on the STATS FCS Defensive Player of the Year Watch List for the second season in a row and first-team All-America honors from STATS and Athlon Sports. Mau, who has 21.0 career tackles for loss – with 10.0 coming last season – started his first game at Gardner-Webb on September 22, 2012 at the ripe age of 17 years old. He posted 3.0 tackles for loss in last season's opener at Furman, which was the second-best outing in terms of TFL for his career. He had 4.0 hits behind the line in a win over #12 Charleston Southern in 2013. Mau, already a two-time FCS All-America choice, was also named Big South Conference Preseaseason Defensive Player of the Year in late July. He had a pair of hits and a half tackle for loss in the opener at South Alabama.
THE GETER METER
After missing the final nine games of the 2014 season with an injury, All-America candidate Chad Geter (6-2, 242, RJr.) was eager to impress in 2015. He made his presence felt very early at South Alabama, finishing with a team-best 10 total stops and a tackle for loss against the FBS Jaguars. Geter collected 82 tackles and 9.0 tackles for loss in his last full season (2013), earning second-team All-Big South Conference honors after helping Gardner-Webb rank No. 5 nationally in total defense. He led the team with 23 tackles through the first three games last season before going down. GWU allowed just 51.3 yards rushing per game last season with Geter available.
MAXWELL MAKES HIS MARK
For the first time in 35 games, Gardner-Webb had a new starter at the quarterback position. Tyrell Maxwell (6-2, 213, So.) didn't disappoint, becoming the first quarterback since 2005 to rush for 100+ yards and pass for 100+ yards in the same game. Nick Roberts last accomplished that feat on September 24, 2005 vs. UT-Martin. Only three quarterbacks have rushed for 100 or more yards since GWU moved to NCAA Division I – with the first coming vs. Elon on October 12, 2000. Hall of Famer Jeremy Martin ran for 100 yards on 17 attempts in that 38-27 win over the Phoenix.
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. Running backs coach Brett Hickman worked as a graduate assistant at East Carolina. 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.
MORE LINEBACKER KNOWLEDGE
With the return of All-Conference standouts Tanner Burch and Chad Geter, Gardner-Webb's starting quartet of linebackers ranks as one of the nation's best heading into 2015. Not to be overshadowed is returning All-Big South selection Aaron Cook (6-1, 233, Jr.), who ranked among the league leaders in 2014 with a team-high 92 total tackles and 14.0 tackles for loss. Azziz Higgins (6-2, 230, Sr.) will start alongside Burch on the inside, and is coming off a career-high season that saw him post 62 total hits. Surprisingly, the quartet has yet to start a game together as complete group, but have a wealth of experience between them. The group combined for 31 tackles at South Alabama.
THIS WEEK AROUND THE BIG SOUTH CONFERENCE
Saturday, September 12
Presbyterian at Charlotte, Noon (ASN)
Monmouth at Central Michigan, 3:00 pm (ESPN3)
#13/15 Liberty at West Virginia, 3:00 pm
Edward Waters at Kennesaw State, 4:00 pm (BSN)
#1/3 Coastal Carolina at S.C. State, 6:00 pm
Elon at Gardner-Webb, 6:00 pm (BSN)
Charleston Southern at Troy, 7:00 pm (ESPN3)
WELCOME TO COLLEGE
Gardner-Webb entered the 2015 with needs to replace its leading rusher, passer and receiver offensively due to graduation. The Runnin' Bulldogs had no returning letterwinners with starting experience at any of its offensive skill positions. Several true freshmen played vital roles in Saturday's season opener offensively – with left tackle Will Millikan (6-4, 288, Fr.) earning a starting nod. Receivers Kyle Horton (5-11, 171, Fr.) and Victor Harris (6-4, 201, Fr.) each worked with the first-team offense throughout the game as well. Millikan is the first true freshman to start the season at left tackle since Jamie Dunaway did so in 2009. Dunaway went on to play both tackle and guard for the Runnin' Bulldogs, earning FCS All-America honors twice before his career ended.
IVAN'S ISLAND
A returning stalwart for GWU in the secondary is cornerback Ivan Toomer (6-1, 199, RSr.), who enters his fourth season as the team's top coverman. The former Homestead (Fla.) High standout earned preseason All-Big South honors in July and is coming off a season that saw him register a career-high 54 total tackles and eight pass break ups. He also had the first interception return for a score in his career when he dashed 25 yards to paydirt against Virginia-Lynchburg. Toomer has posted 125 career tackles and 19 pass break ups during his time with the Runnin' Bulldogs and has started 32 games at corner. He pinned two punts inside the 20-yard line for GWU at South Alabama.
ROAD GRADERS
Gardner-Webb's offensive line looks to improve a great deal in 2015 and has plenty of size in the starting lineup. The quintet of Matt McAlvin (6-5, 273, R-Sr.), Dylan Hopper (6-4, 300, Sr.), Caleb Smith (6-3, 313, R-Jr.), David Sutton (6-3, 298, R-Jr.) and Will Millikan (6-4, 288, Fr.) averages a beefy 6'3.75", 294.4 pounds per man. Only Millikan, a true freshman, enters the 2015 season without starting experience. Top reserves Jordan Stalker (6-5, 297, Jr.) and Gabe Nold (6-1, 286, Jr.) have starting experience as well. The biggest man on the roster, guard Madison O'Connor (6-5, 353, So.), will miss the 2015 season with an injury. The group up front cleared a path for 177 yards rushing in the season opener at South Alabama – the most yardage on the ground GWU has gained against an FBS opponent (since 2007).
UP NEXT
Gardner-Webb will host Division II foe Virginia Union next Saturday, September 19, at 6:00 pm in Ernest W. Spangler Stadium. The game will air live on the Big South Network (bigsouthsports.com). †
