THE GAME
Gardner-Webb closes out the 2019 season on the road, facing No. 9 Kennesaw State at Fifth Third Bank Stadium. The game will stream on ESPN+, with the trio of Brian Katrek, Nathan McCreary and Chris Mooneyham (sideline) on the call. The game will also air live on WGNC Radio (1450 AM / 101.1 FM / TuneIn App), with the dynamic duo of Dave Friedman and Reginald Walker making the trip to the Peach State.
  
SERIES NOTES
Kennesaw State has dominated the series since starting football, winning each of its four previous matchups over Gardner-Webb. The two games in Georgia have been more competitive, with KSU taking a 12-7 win in 2015 and a 17-3 win in 2016 ... Saturday marks the first time the two have not met during the month of October.

SERIES NOTES
10/17/15 – KSU 12, GWU 7 (Kennesaw, Ga.)
10/22/16 – KSU 47, GWU 39 (Boiling Springs, N.C.)
10/21/17 – KSU 17, GWU 3 (Kennesaw, Ga.)
10/13/18 – KSU 56, GWU 17 (Boiling Springs, N.C.)

LOOKING AHEAD
Gardner-Webb will open its 2020 schedule at home vs. Limestone, before traveling to face Georgia Tech (9/12) and Western Carolina (9/19) in back-to-back road games. A non-conference tilt awaits against Presbyterian (9/26) before an open date to wrap up the early part of non-conference action. League play begins with back-to-back road trips to the coast – as GWU takes on Hampton (10/10) and Charleston Southern (10/17). A home date with Kennesaw State (10/24) and a road game at North Alabama (10/31) ends October for the 'Dogs. A brief step out of conference play to host Southern Conference power Wofford is on tap for November 7, followed by another league game against a current top-25 team in Monmouth (11/14). Gardner-Webb is set to close out the 2020 regular season at Campbell (11/21).

MORE FUTURE SCHEDULE NOTES
Gardner-Webb has FBS games scheduled already for the following seasons: 2020 at Georgia Tech; 2021 at Georgia Southern; 2021 at Ohio University; 2022 at Liberty.

NOTABLE INJURIES OF LATE
Gardner-Webb will be without three starters for the remainder of the season due to injuries. Quarterback Jordan Smith (6-1, 214, R-So.), who started five games this season, is out for the season. Safety Devin Mines (5-10, 190, Sr.), tight end A.J. Alexander (6-3, 255, Gr.), defensive end John Singleton (6-5, 237, RSo.), safety Kobe Rodgers (6-1, 189, RJr.) and 
cornerback Cameron McCutcheon (6-3, 185, So.) are also out for the season.

THE HEAD COACHES
Gardner-Webb's Carroll McCray ('83) is in his seventh season as head coach of his alma mater. The Monroe, N.C., native has forged 27 wins so far in Boiling Springs, including five wins over top-20 teams. Kennesaw State head coach Brian Bohannon is in his fifth season in charge at Kennesaw State and is 47-14 during that span. A former Gardner-Webb assistant coach (1996), Bohannon has led the Owls to the Division I FCS quarterfinals twice over the past two seasons.

30+ IN LOSSES
Gardner-Webb is allowing an average of 41.5 points per game in its seven losses this season. Two of those losses came at FBS programs Charlotte (49-28) and East Carolina (48-9) and another two coming at SoCon favorite Wofford (49-10) and Big South contender Monmouth (49-28). Campbell took a 49-47 win in three overtimes on October 26 in Boiling Springs and Charleston Southern used a big first half to take a 30-27 win last weekend in Spangler Stadium. GWU had its first low-scoring loss on November 9, scoring just 14 points in a 24-14 setback at Presbyterian.

ALL-AMERICA PERFORMANCE
Linebacker Darien Reynolds (6-0, 224, Jr.) has been among the more consistent tacklers in the Big South Conference – and the nation – through 11 games played this season. The Charlotte, N.C., native ranks second in the league and No. 8 nationally with 117 total tackles (10.5 per game), setting a new career-high several weeks ago in pursuit of All-America honors. He has posted at least 10 tackles – but no more than 13 – in seven different games this season. He has posted a season-high 13 total stops five times and had 12 hits on the road at Presbyterian last Saturday. That effort also put Reynolds over the 200-tackle mark for his career (214). He also leads Gardner-Webb with eight pass break ups and is well on his way to a repeat of All-Big South Conference honors.

CAGLE'S CAREER YEAR
Entering the 2019 season, veteran running back Jayln Cagle (6-0, 199, Sr.) had been a steady, durable option in the run game for Gardner-Webb. He entered with a best season of 474 yards in 2017 and four touchdowns in 2018, with no more than 126 carries in any of his previous three campaigns. The Kannapolis, N.C., native has surged in 2019 and ranks No. 3 in the Big South Conference through 11 games with a career-high 202 carries for 916 yards and eight touchdowns (83.3 per game). Cagle is still on track for Gardner-Webb's first 1,000-yard rushing effort since 2013 (Juanne Blount) and moved past the 2,000-yard mark for his career with 77 yards vs. North Alabama (11/16). He ranks No. 9 in Gardner-Webb history with 2,047 yards rushing and is fifth in receptions by a running back. He currently has 61 career receptions for 437 yards and three scores.

BIG PLAY ZAY
Receiver Izaiah Gathings (6-4, 216, So.) casts a long shadow with his size and strength at the position, and his production over the past month has been dazzling. The former Statesville (N.C.) High standout has produced three-straight games with 100+ yards and has caught at least one touchdown pass in six consecutive games. He is the first receiver in Big South Conference history with three-straight games of 10+ receptions and 100+ yards receiving. He is only the third man in Big South history with a touchdown catch in six-straight games, joining Duvaughn Flagler (GWU) and Jerome Simpson (Coastal Carolina) in that club. He earlier tied a league mark by catching multiple TD in three-straight games. He is the first receiver in the league with 10 touchdowns in a season since Gardner-Webb's Dobson Collins did so in 2008. So far in 2019, Gathings has been strong to the tune of 60 catches for 929 yards and 10 scores. He is on pace to become the first 1,000-yard receiver since Kenny Cook in 2013.

HAMMER TIME
Cade Hamilton (6-1, 223, So.) went down early with an injury at East Carolina and missed the following two games before getting clearance to return to practice during Gardner-Webb's open date. The former East Rutherford (N.C.) High star made a triumphant return at Western Carolina, collecting nine big tackles in a 24-21 win. He was even better in the Hampton win (10/12), collecting a career-high 19 total tackles (nine solo) while filling in for suspended starter Darien Reynolds (targeting). Hamilton stepped up and stopped Hampton's Deondre Francois at the two-yard line going in as time expired in the first half, keeping a 24-21 deficit intact heading into the locker room. That earned Hamilton honorable mention national Defensive Player of the Week honors and sparked a major production surge. Hamilton has collected 78 total tackles in just 31 quarters of football so far this season. He missed the second half of the season opener and played only one quarter at ECU in the second game of the season. Hamilton had an eye-popping 319 total tackles in his final two high school seasons at East Rutherford.

WHITLOW CAN THROW 
Transfer quarterback Kalen Whitlow (6-1, 194, Gr.) has proven to be one of the more effective passers in the Big South Conference this season, hitting for at least one touchdown through the air in seven consecutive games. Whitlow has completed 154-of-243 passes for 1,857 yards and 18 touchdowns (seven interceptions) – with his primary production coming against Big South Conference foes. He has a pair of 300-yard performances under his belt, the first for any GWU quarterback since Lucas Beatty in 2014. Whitlow played sparingly in his one season at FCS Tennessee State (2018) following an injury-plagued junior college career in Mississippi. He originally signed with Western Carolina University (FCS) after a strong career at Northview (Ala.) High in Montgomery. 

ANOTHER HONOR
For the second time this season, Izaiah Gathings (6-4, 216, So.) was named honorable mention FCS STATS National Offensive Player of the Week. The Statesville, N.C., native earned the recognition following 12 catches for 143 yards and a pair of touchdowns vs. North Alabama.

ON THE AIR AGAIN
For the first time since 2003, Gardner-Webb football will have a broadcast presence on a commercial radio station. All 12 regular season games, and any postseason games, will air live on WGNC (1450 AM / 101.1 FM) in Gastonia, N.C. Veteran play-by-play man Dave Friedman and a color analysts Reggie Walker and Bryan Fetzer will serve as talent. Walker is a former collegiate player at Penn State and Fetzer, who played collegiately at Canisius, is the former head track & field coach at Gardner-Webb and the University of Virginia. The station is available online via the TuneIn app.

THE STREAM TEAM
Each of Gardner-Webb's five home games will stream live on ESPN+ ($4.99 per month subscription), with the Voice of the Runnin' Bulldogs Fabian Fuentes joined by analyst Brendan Boylan. ESPN+ is the home of the Big South Network for the second season in a row.

BATTERING RAM
Veteran nose guard Josh Ramseur (5-11, 292, Gr.) has been a force in the middle for Gardner-Webb this season, bulling his way to a career-high 52 total tackles and 7.0 tackles for loss. The sixth-year graduate student had 50 tackles in an All-Conference effort in 2017 and is currently pursuing his MBA at Gardner-Webb. Ramseur made a career-high 10 total stops and had three tackles for loss at FBS East Carolina.

PICK THIS
After struggling to force turnovers in the secondary in 2018, Gardner-Webb has nearly doubled its efforts in 2019, intercepting 11 passes through 11 games played. A pair of players have games with two interceptions – Devin Mines did so at Charlotte (8/29) and Robert McKoy repeated the feat at Presbyterian (11/9). Gardner-Webb did not pick off a pass vs. North Alabama (11/16), but did recover two fumbles.

KEENE ISLAND
Cornerback A.J. Keene (5-10, 170, Sr.) is often a forgotten man within Gardner-Webb's defensive accolades, but the Savannah, Ga., native has played a key role in 2019. Keene has started all 11 games and has performed well, making 29 total tackles (20 solo), breaking up five passes and picking off a pair of passes for 21 yards in returns. Teams have often made the choice to throw to the other side of the field instead of testing Keene's prowess.

THE CANDIDATE
First-year receiver/return man Devron Harper (5-10, 165, Fr.) has made a strong case for inclusion in any discussion of Freshman of the Year candidates, both on a conference and national level. He was named to the initial Jerry Rice Award Watch List this past week as a result. The speedster had his most explosive game offensively to date against Hampton (10/12), catching four passes for 187 yards and a touchdown. The Conyers, Ga., native had receptions of 70 and 90 yards in the game and finished with 200+ all-purpose yards for the third time in six contests. Harper starred at Heritage (Ga.) High during a standout prep career in both football and track. He was the Georgia Class 3A State high jump champion in both 2017 and 2018. He was named FCS National Freshman of the Week (Sept. 23) by STATS and has been named honorable mention national Freshman of the Week by STATS twice (Sept. 2 / Oct. 14). Harper had a career-high 10 catches at Presbyterian (11/9) and set up a Gardner-Webb touchdown drive with a 37-yard kickoff return. He remains among the national leaders in combined kick returns and kickoff return average, despite teams' insistance on kicking away from his location.

LONG DISTANCE
Devron Harper's 90-yard catch-and-sprint against Hampton (10/12) set new Big South Conference records for longest non-TD catch overall – and longest reception by a freshman. It also broke a 31-year old school record of 89 yards set against Catawba on October 15, 1988 when Bruce Benson hit Kelvin Richardson for 89 yards. With his 70-yard touchdown catch, Harper became the first receiver in Big South history to have two catches of 70+ yards in the same game. His 187 yards receiving marked the highest total for a GWU player since Kenny Cook went for a school and conference-record 251 yards in an overtime win at VMI on October 18, 2014.

UNIQUE POSITION
With two games remaining, Gardner-Webb finds itself in a unique position offensively. The Runnin' Bulldogs are within striking distance to finish with a 2,000-yard passer (Whitlow), a 1,000-yard receiver (Gathings) and a 1,000-yard rusher (Cagle). The Runnin' Bulldogs haven't accomplished that feat since 2013, when Lucas Beatty (quarterback), Kenny Cook (receiver) and Juanne Blount (runner) did so.

ANOTHER ONE
Gardner-Webb has enjoyed a strong three-pronged attack at reciever for much of the year with Izaiah Gathings, Devron Harper and Chuma Awanna each catching more than 30 balls. One of the best all-around receivers has taken off of late, however, with Jameson Turner (6-4, 211, Fr.) joining the party. Over the last three games, Turner has hauled in 11 catches for 131 yards and three touchdowns – and earned his first starting assignment against North Alabama on November 16.