CLINTON, S.C. – Gardner-Webb lost its fourth in a row Saturday, falling 24-14 at Presbyterian in Big South Conference football action.

The Runnin' Bulldogs (3-7, 1-4 Big South) held a 14-10 lead after a sluggish first half for both sides, but saw the Blue Hose (1-9, 1-4 Big South) score a pair of second half touchdowns – and keep Gardner-Webb off the board – to pull out the win.

The victory snapped a 16-game losing streak for Presbyterian, which dated back to last season.

The Blue Hose forced a Gardner-Webb punt on the first possession of the game and drove down inside the GWU five-yard line before stalling. Parker Maddrey sank a 27-yard field goal for an early 3-0 lead.

Gardner-Webb got into Presbyterian territory for a second time, but Kalen Whitlow was picked off after a deflection and the Blue Hose took over. Presbyterian again drove down inside the Gardner-Webb 10-yard line, but Robert McKoy grabbed a batted ball in the end zone to change possession again.

Whitlow calmly marched Gardner-Webb on a 12-play, 80-yard scoring drive to take the lead. He capped the drive with a nice ball to Izaiah Gathings on a 10-yard touchdown pass – and GWU led 7-3 with 9:22 to play before the half.

Gardner-Webb forced a Presbyterian punt to get the ball back, but disaster struck near midfield when the ensuing drive stalled. A mishap in the punting game resulted in a 16-yard loss and fumble, which the Blue Hose scooped and ran back to the GWU 14-yard line.

Tyler Huff hit Dohnte Myers on a 12-yard touchdown pass two plays later and the Blue Hose led 10-7.

Devron Harper gave Gardner-Webb life with a 37-yard kickoff return and hard running by Jayln Cagle led to a short touchdown run by A.J. Moses for a 14-10 Gardner-Webb lead with 59 seconds to play before the half.

After both teams punted to start the third quarter, the feel and eventual outcome of the game changed drastically on one play.

On second down at his own 24, Presbyterian's Huff threw an errant pass that was snagged by McKoy – who returned the ball all the way down to the one-yard line. McKoy fumbled, however, and the ball was recovered by the Blue Hose in the end zone for a touchback.

Presbyterian took over at its own 20-yard line after the abrupt change, and drove 80 yards for a lead it would not give up. Jarius Jeter punched it in from two yards out to cap a drive that chewed up 8:19 on the game clock.

Gardner-Webb ran just five offensive plays and did not gain a yard from scrimmage in what would he a decisive third quarter. Presbyterian held the ball for 12:24 in the third quarter and gained 103 yards.

After ending the third quarter with a sack, Presbyterian picked off Whitlow again at the Gardner-Webb 37-yard line and momentum was squarely on the home sideline. The Blue Hose scored again six plays later, with Huff going in untouched from four yards out. The extra point put PC up 24-14 with 11:09 to play in the game.

Reserve quarterback Keegan Smith came on for Whitlow for Gardner-Webb's next drive and connected on first down passes to Cagle for 16 yards and Harper for 29 to set the Runnin' Bulldogs up in Blue Hose territory.

A tackle for loss, two incompletions and a sack on fourth down with 7:38 to play ended that drive and the Blue Hose took over on downs. Presbyterian ran four minutes off of the clock before possession changed hands again, but Gardner-Webb could get no closer than the Blue Hose 31-yard line before ending its final chance on downs.

Presbyterian lined up in victory formation twice to end the game.
  
Gardner-Webb found tough sledding on the ground all day, gaining just 36 yards rushing on 26 attempts after absorbing 53 lost yards after sacks and tackles behind the line.

The Runnin' Bulldogs had just 278 yards of total offense in the game – just 94 after halftime – and finished the game with four turnovers.

Whitlow completed 16-of-24 passes for 138 yards and a touchdown and Smith came off the bench to hit on 9-of-15 passes for 104 yards. Cagle led the ground game with 61 yards on 18 carries, eclipsing the 2,000-yard mark for his career in the process.

Gathings had another big game overall, catching 10 passes for 120 yards. Harper caught 10 passes for 66 yards and finished with 175 all-purpose yards. 

Darien Reynolds led the defense with 12 total stops (five solo) and a tackle for loss, and enters the final two games of his junior season with a career-best 109 tackles. Robert McKoy finished with two solo stops and two interceptions in place of injured SPUR Devin Mines.

Presbyterian managed only 274 yards offensively, but out-gained Gardner-Webb 129-36 on the ground. Huff finished with 86 yards and a touchdown on the ground and completed 15-of-24 passes for 145 yards and a score.

Gardner-Webb will return home for Senior Day next Saturday, hosting North Alabama at 1:30 pm in Spangler Stadium. The game will air live on WGNC Radio (1450 AM / 101.1 FM / TuneIn App) and ESPN+.