THE GAME
Gardner-Webb returns home for a two-game stand, beginning with Liberty on Saturday, October 28 in Spangler Stadium. Kickoff is set for 12:06 and will air live on Stadium Network. The game will be available regionally on WMYV in Greensboro-High Point and Winston-Salem, WACH-2 in Columbia, S.C., and WSET-2 in Roanoke and Lynchburg, Va.
  
SERIES NOTES
Liberty holds a 13-9-1 series advantage, with the first game coming in 1976 ... The series in Spangler Stadium is tied (5-5-1) ... Gardner-Webb jumped out to a comfortable lead and went on to a 34-20 win over No. 15 Liberty in the two teams' last meeting in Boiling Springs (10/10/2015) ... The Flames blocked a field goal in overtime to secure a 23-20 win last October 29 in Lynchburg, Va. ... Liberty and Gardner-Webb played the Big South Conference's inaugural football game on October 5, 2002 in Lynchburg, Va., with Gardner-Webb pulling out a 31-21 win en route to the league's first football trophy ... Gardner-Webb posted three-straight wins in the series from 2001-2003 and won five of six meetings between 2001 and 2006 ... GWU and Liberty have met in 18-straight seasons.

THE HEAD COACHES
Gardner-Webb head coach Carroll McCray (Class of '83) returned to his alma mater in 2013 and has forged a 21-32 record so far in his time in Boiling Springs. Turner Gill (North Texas '80) once quarterbacked an offense at Nebraska considered one of the best in college football history. He has gone 38-28 in his six seasons in charge of Liberty's program.

MAXWELL'S MOVING UP THE CHARTS
Standout quarterback Tyrell Maxwell (6-2, 231, Sr.) entered his senior season with a truckload of accolades, including preseason Big South Conference Offensive Player of the Year honors, and has overcome a slow start to get back to his 2016 form. Maxwell currently sits fourth in school history with 2,615 career rushing yards – just 118 yards behind Johnny Walker for second position on that list. Maxwell has also passed for 3,493 career yards, which ranks 11th in program history. Maxwell is 341 yards behind Jesse James for 10th in school history through the air. He is the first quarterback in Gardner-Webb or Big South Conference history to pass for 3,000+ yards and run for 2,000+ yards in a career. Maxwell is also the first quarterback in Big South history to rush for at least 20 touchdowns (20) and pass for at least 20 touchdowns (21).

BEHIND ENEMY LINES
Gardner-Webb linebacker Kenyatta Dunbar (5-11, 214, Sr.) has been a regular visitor in offensive backfields this season, ranking second in NCAA Division I FCS nationally with 12.5 tackles for loss (1.8 per game) so far. The Edgefield, S.C., native posted 3.0 tackles for loss in three consecutive games – becoming the first Big South Conference tackler to do so since Harold Wells in 2004. Dunbar leads the Runnin' Bulldogs and ranks among the Big South's best with 57 total tackles so far this season. He has posted 19 tackles over the past two games, including 10 stops and an interception at No. 25 North Carolina Central (October 14). Dunbar entered his senior campaign with only 1.5 career tackles for loss to his credit.

NOTE OF THE NIGHT: THE FIRST ONE
On Saturday, October 5, 2002, Gardner-Webb and Liberty made history in Lynchburg, Va. The two squared off in the first football game in Big South Conference history that afternoon, with Gardner-Webb rallying for a 31-21 win en route to its first of two league championship trophies. Running back Chris Foster ran for 116 yards on 18 carries and scored the last of his two touchdowns with 1:47 left to play to ice the game. The two teams combined for 903 total offensive yards in the game, with Gardner-Webb posting 483. Each team ran for more than 200 yards and passed for at least 200 yards on the afternoon, which was played in front of a Homecoming crowd of 9,739. Dre Barnes led Liberty with 126 yards rushing on 16 attempts and caught three passes for 34 yards. 

TOUGH SLATE
According to the NCAA's Toughest Schedule metric, Gardner-Webb has played the nation's most difficult schedule to date. The Runnin' Bulldogs faced four FCS non-conference opponents who were ranked at some point during the 2017 season so far, including No. 6 North Carolina A&T, No. 8 Wofford and No. 18 Western Carolina. Seven of the nine FCS teams on Gardner-Webb's schedule are currently receiving votes in one of two major FCS national polls, with Big South leader Kennesaw State and Monmouth on the verge of cracking the top-25 with identical 6-1 starts. Add in FBS Wyoming and two previously ranked teams in Liberty and Charleston Southern for good measure.

CLOSE CALLS
Gardner-Webb dropped a 17-3 decision at league-leader Kennesaw State last week, but had plenty of chances in the second half to tighten the game. GWU drove to the KSU six-yard line to open the third quarter, but stalled and connected on a field goal. GWU twice drove deep into Owls' territory in the fourth quarter, but were turned away twice on turnovers. Gardner-Webb's two prior losses came at No. 8 Wofford (24-21) and No. 25 North Carolina Central (24-17), with the Runnin' Bulldogs gaining possession with a chance to tie in the final 90 seconds each time.

BULLDOZERS 
Gardner-Webb success running the football last season was paved by a strong offensive line, a unit that returned three starters for the 2017 season in All-America candidate Will Millikan (6-3, 311, Jr.) at left tackle, third-year starter Charlie Eudy (6-2, 291, R-Jr.) at right tackle and second-year starter Brayden Briggs (6-3, 303, R-So.) at right guard. The addition of Eastern Michigan transfer Brandon Leahey (6-3, 297, R-So.) at center bolstered the unit and another newcomer was the talk of preseason camp with his quick emergence – similar to Millikan's prior to the 2015 season. Left guard Jack Nichols (6-3, 314, Fr.) started the season opener, becoming the first true freshman to earn a season opening start on the offensive line since Millikan did so at South Alabama in 2015. Millikan went on to a successful freshman season, starting 10 games, and was an All-Big South choice as a sophomore. Nichols was a standout at national power Roswell (Ga.) High before signing with Gardner-Webb in February. Newcomer Daniel Smith (6-4, 286, R-Fr.) earned his first start at right guard vs. Shorter and has started three games in a row.

VETERAN FRONT SEVEN
The Runnin' Bulldogs have plenty of experienced muscle up front, with all seven starters in the front seven in at least their third season of college football. Three of those seven starters are seniors and two more are redshirt juniors. Five of the seven have starting experience, led by All-Big South defensive end P.J. Fuimaono (6-1, 294, Sr.), standout linebacker Kenyatta Dunbar (5-11, 214, Sr.) and standouts Corey Horne (6-0, 221, Jr.) and Jeffrey Pegues (6-0, 208, Sr.) at inside linebacker. That group has helped GWU hold three teams to less than 100 yards rushing in a game this year, including FBS Wyoming (9/9).

THE BIG MAN
Punter Andrew Komornik (6-5, 264, Gr.) has shown off a strong leg again in 2017, ranking near the top of the Big South Conference with an average of 41.0 yards per punt. The Fort Mill, S.C., native has hammered six punts longer than 50 yards so far, including a 57-yarder, in 41 total attempts. Komornik has pinned nine punts inside the 20-yard line, with six of those pins coming in the past four games.

MORE MAXWELL
Gardner-Webb's Tyrell Maxwell (6-2, 231, Sr.) is the Big South Conference's career leader with 11 games with 100+ yards rushing for a quarterback, doing so earlier this year vs. Western Carolina, Shorter and NC Central. Maxwell ranks eighth in league history – regardless of position – in 100-yard games rushing. His 10 games with 100+ yards rushing and 100+ yards passing is also a league record.

IT'S DAH-VIS
Defensive end Davis Neilands (6-3, 255, R-So.) – pronounced "DAH-vis" – is in his second season in the starting lineup and stands poised for a move into the elite among Big South Conference defensive linemen. The Latvian-born pass rusher emerged late last season, making a splash in his first start at Liberty (10/29) and a strong effort in the win at No. 8 Charleston Southern (11/5). He recorded five hits (four solo) and 1.5 sacks in an overtime loss at Liberty, then came through with 11 stops and a half sack in Charleston, S.C. Neilands finished his inaugural campaign with the Runnin' Bulldogs with 42 total tackles, 4.0 tackles for loss and 3.0 sacks in 11 games played – with only spot duty until late October. Neilands leads Gardner-Webb and ranks among the Big South Conference leaders with 2.0 quarterback sacks in 2017.

NEW FACES ON STAFF
Gardner-Webb welcomes two new assistant coaches to its staff in 2017, with Dennis Thomas taking over on the defensive line and Bennett Houston coaching the receivers. Thomas, who played on the defensive line at South Carolina himself, most recently coached at Tusculum (2016) and also served as an assistant coach at Western Carolina. Houston, a graduate of North Greenville, spent several seasons as an undergraduate coach with a strong Crusaders' program.

SLASH
The Runnin' Bulldogs employ a dangerous weapon in a wide range of areas in 2017, as Brody Rollins (5-11, 182, Jr.) uses his 4.5-second speed to impact games at several positions. The Knoxville, Tenn., speedster lines up at quarterback, running back and receiver during regular sets offensively – also serves as one of Gardner-Webb's primary kick returners. Rollins finished the 2016 season with 14 carries for 42 yards, completed one pass, caught a pass for seven yards and led Gardner-Webb with 22 kickoff returns for 454 yards (20.6 yards per attempt). He caught his first career touchdown pass vs. Western Carolina, hauling in a 35-yarder late in the fourth quarter. Rollins had his first snaps under center vs. Shorter, completing 2-of-3 passes for 17 yards and carrying three times for 20 yards. He has 11 catches this season for 163 yards and a touchdown. His 53-yard catch helped Gardner-Webb score late at NC Central, part of a 99-yard touchdown drive.

UP NEXT
Gardner-Webb wraps up the home portion of its 2017 schedule next Saturday, hosting Charleston Southern at 1:30 pm in Spangler Stadium. The game will air live on College Football Down South (CFDS), with local and regional affiliates to be announced at a later date. †