THE GAME
Gardner-Webb will hit the road for the third time in four weeks, taking the short ride to Spartanburg, S.C., on Saturday, September 21, to battle Wofford. Kickoff is set for 6:00 pm in Gibbs Stadium and the game will stream live on ESPN+ (Jim Noble, Thom Henson). The duo of Dave Friedman and Reginald Walker will call the game live on WGNC Radio (1450 AM / 101.1 FM / TuneIn App) as well. 
  
SERIES NOTES
Wofford holds a 19-8 edge in the all-time series, which dates back to both programs' NAIA era ... Gardner-Webb has won just twice in 13 Division I meetings, with Carroll McCray on the sidelines for each of those victories (2013 and 2014) ... Saturday marks the first meeting between the two with Wofford unranked since 2014 and only the fourth time in 13 Division I meetings that the Terriers haven't been in one of the major top-25 polls (2005, 2006, 2014, 2019) ... The Runnin' Bulldogs dropped a 27-24 decision in its last visit to Spartanburg to No. 9 Wofford on September 23, 2017 ... The team's first met on November 11, 1972 with Wofford taking a 24-7 win at home ... 16 meetings have been decided by two scores or less since 1972 ... 10 games have been decided by a touchdown or less since 1972, including three of the past five meetings (2013, 2014, 2017) ... The top-10 Terriers had no trouble last September 29 in Spangler Stadium, pounding out 490 rushing yards en route to a 45-14 win.
 
SERIES HISTORY
Date                Result                        Location
11/11/1972      WOF 24, GW 7           Spartanburg, S.C.
11/17/1973      GW 35, WOF 20         Boiling Springs, N.C.
09/28/1974      WOF 14, GW 9           Boiling Springs, N.C.
11/15/1975      WOF 30, GW 26         Spartanburg, S.C.
09/11/1976      GW 21, WOF 12         Spartanburg, S.C.
11/19/1977      WOF 7, GW 6             Boiling Springs, N.C.
11/18/1978      GW 31, WOF 24         Spartanburg, S.C.
11/17/1979      WOF 61, GQ 26          Boiling Springs, N.C.
11/22/1980      WOF 49, GW 35         Spartanburg, S.C.
11/21/1981      WOF 45, GW 21         Boiling Springs, N.C.
09/04/1982      WOF 31, GW 29         Spartanburg, S.C.
11/18/1983      GW 28, WOF 7           Boiling Springs, N.C.
11/17/1984      WOF 42, GW 19         Spartanburg, S.C.
11/23/1985      GW 28, WOF 14         Boiling Springs, N.C.
11/22/1986      WOF 32, GW 30         Spartanburg, S.C.
11/21/1987      GW 36, WOF 3           Boiling Springs, N.C.
09/03/1994      WOF 20, GW 14         Spartanburg, S.C.
11/06/2004      WOF 49, GW 17         Spartanburg, S.C.
11/19/2005      WOF 56, GW 42         Boiling Springs, N.C.
11/18/2006      WOF 34, GW 17         Boiling Springs, N.C.
10/13/2007      WOF 52, GW 17         Spartanburg, S.C.
09/01/2012      WOF 34, GW 7           Boiling Springs, N.C.
09/21/2013      GW 3, WOF 0             Spartanburg, S.C.
09/20/2014      GW 43, WOF 36         Boiling Springs, N.C.
09/26/2015      WOF 16, GW 0           Spartanburg, S.C.
09/23/2017      WOF 27, GW 24         Spartanburg, S.C.
09/29/2018      WOF 45, GW 14         Boiling Springs, N.C.
 
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 25 wins so far in Boiling Springs, including five wins over top-20 teams. Wofford head coach Josh Conklin (Dakota State '03) is in his second season as the Terriers' boss and is 9-6 overall with a 6-3 league mark in the SoCon. The former Wofford assistant coach led his team to the 2018 SoCon title and an FCS playoff berth in his first season at the helm.
 
TACKLING MACHINE
Linebacker Darien Reynolds (6-0, 224, Jr.) was named honorable mention FCS National Defensive Player of the Week on Monday following his second consecutive game with 13 total tackles. Reynolds had seven solo stops in the win over North Carolina Central and posted three pass break ups and one tackle for loss. Five of Reynolds' 13 tackles came inside his own 20-yard line and two of his three pass break ups came on third downs. He also deflected a pass that wound up in Malachi Buckner's hands for an interception. Reynolds was a Shrine Bowl selection at Vance (N.C.) High in Charlotte, N.C., and earned All-Big South honors in 2018 after posting 75 tackles in his first year as a starter.
 
HELLO NEIGHBOR
Gardner-Webb and Wofford are the third-closest FCS playing schools in the Carolinas, behind only Charleston  Southern and The Citadel (16.5 miles) and North Carolina A&T and Elon (18.4 miles). Towson-Morgan State and Georgetown-Howard, each at 4.2 miles apart, are the closet potential opponents in FCS. The Runnin' Bulldogs and Terriers are the 17th closest FCS opponents nationally and are the eighth-closest FCS neighbors to play each other this season. Three of those matchups take place this weekend.
 
FCS Games In 2019 Featuring Opponents Less Than 30 Miles Away
Texas Southern at Houston Baptist (11.4 miles) – September 28
Lafayette at Lehigh * (13.6 miles) – November 23
Brown at Bryant (14.9 miles) – September 21
Charleston Southern at The Citadel (16.5 miles) – September 21
Duquesne at Robert Morris * (17.4 miles) – November 9
North Carolina A&T vs. Elon (18.4 miles) – August 31 (NC A&T 24, Elon 21)
UC Davis at Sacramento State * (20.2 miles) – November 23 
Gardner-Webb at Wofford (29.8 miles) – September 21
*Denotes Conference Game
 
PICK IT
Gardner-Webb struggled to create turnovers last season, particularly in the secondary, with only six interceptions through 11 games in 2018. That has not been the case so far in 2019, with the Runnin' Bulldogs picking off seven passes over its first three games – despite the bump in competition. Devin Mines (5-10, 190, Sr.) grabbed two interceptions in the season opener, and linebacker Quinton Jones (6-2, 200, So.) added another against the 49ers. Two of those turnovers created easy touchdown drives. Cornerback Deonte Grier (5-11, 172, R-So.) had an interception at East Carolina – his second in the past three games – and safety Kobe Rodgers (6-1, 189, R-Jr.) nearly had his own interception before a replay review. Rodgers, Malachi Buckner (6-1, 206, R-Fr.) and A.J. Keene (5-10, 172, Sr.) each had picks against North Carolina Central (9/14). Gardner-Webb is tied for the national lead in interceptions and ranks No. 13 nationally in turnovers gained. 
 
MAKING HIS MOVE
One of the team's most improved players during training camp was receiver Izaiah Gathings (6-4, 216, So.) and the Statesville, N.C., standout has started to see his opportunities increase in the season's early stages. Gathings hauled in four passes for 83 yards, with a long of 37 yards, at East Carolina (9/7), with one of his grabs setting up Gardner-Webb's lone touchdown of the game. A former prep basketball standout, Gathings had a 43-yard catch against North Carolina Central (9/14) and ranks 14th nationally in yards per catch. He has seven catches for 164 yards (23.4 avg) so far in 2019.
 
WELCOME TO THE FAMILY
Gardner-Webb welcomed transfers from five different colleges during the summer months adding tight end A.J. Alexander(6-3, 255, Gr.) from Ohio State, receiver Chuma Awanna(6-3, 217, Gr.) from Norfolk State, defensive lineman Aaron Griffith(6-0, 289, Gr.) from Middle Tennessee State, quarterback Kalen Whitlow(6-1, 195, Gr.) from Tennessee State and cornerback Dameon Williams(5-11, 175, R-So.) from Georgia Tech. Four of the five have already earned degrees from their previous schools. Alexander (four-star), Whitlow (three-star) and Williams (three-star) were each highly regarded prep recruits.
 
D-LINE DEPTH
After toiling with an inexperienced front three last season due to injuries, defensive line coach Dennis Thomas has the luxury of seasoned depth within his unit in 2019. The starting unit of Josh Ramseur (5-11, 292, Gr.), John Singleton (6-5, 237, R-So.) and Janathian Turner (6-3, 306, So.) is perhaps Gardner-Webb's most gifted since the All-Big South trio of O.J. Mau, Preston Pemasa and Shaquille Riddick in 2013. The unit goes at least 10 deep, with five men already starting at least one game during their career.
 
TURNOVER TALK
Gardner-Webb coughed up five turnovers on Saturday vs. North Carolina Central, its most in a win since the 1992 season. The Runnin' Bulldogs had a school and NAIA national-record nine turnovers – all interceptions – in its quarterfinal playoff win over Concord (WVa.) on November 21. The 'Dogs won that game 28-21 en route to a 12-2 record.
 
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. The Runnin' Bulldogs will also play road games on ESPN+ at Charlotte (8/29), at Wofford (9/21), at Western Carolina (10/5), at Presbyterian (11/9) and at Kennesaw State (11/23). Games at East Carolina and Monmouth will be streamed on ESPN3 (WatchESPN.com).
 
BATTERING RAM
Veteran nose guard Josh Ramseur (5-11, 292, Gr.) had nearly his entire family on hand at East Carolina (9/7) as he faced off with younger brother Aaron Ramseur – a Pirates' linebacker. The elder Ramseur had the upper hand in the fraternal battle, posting a career-high 10 total tackles, 3.0 tackles for loss and a quarterback hurry in the game. Ramseur also recorded a safety in the game in an impressive performance. The Kingstown, N.C., native has 21 total tackles so far in three games. He has shown excellent recovery after missing the entire 2018 campaign with an injury. The sixth-year graduate student had 50 tackles in an All-Conference effort in 2017 and is currently pursuing his MBA at Gardner-Webb. .
 
BIG BAD JOHN
A breakthrough season in 2018 came quickly for defensive end John Singleton (6-5, 237, R-So.), who earned Hero Sports FCS Freshman All-America honors in addition to Big South Defensive Freshman of the Year and All-Big South accolades. The Apex, N.C., had nine tackles and a tackle for loss vs. North Carolina Central (9/14) and has 16 hits on the season so far. He led the league's defensive linemen with 51 total tackles, added 5.5 tackles for loss and posted three sacks as a rookie in 2018. Singleton earned Shrine Bowl honors as a senior at Middle Creek (N.C.) High at outside linebacker. Singleton had five total tackles in the opener at Charlotte (8/29).
 
THE PUNTER
Newcomer Jack Pawloski (6-0, 190, Gr.), a graduate transfer from Elon, did not see game action in his first three seasons of college football. The Florence, S.C., native won Gardner-Webb's punting job during training camp and has responded with the 11th-best average nationally through three games – booming 22 punts for 976 yards (44.4 ypp). Pawloski has hit six punts for more than 50 yards and has forced five fair catches.
 
LINEBACKERS DOWN
Gardner-Webb was without three of its four starters at the linebacker position against North Carolina Central (9/14), with Shai Thomas (6-2, 256, Jr.), Cade Hamilton (6-1, 224, So.) and Devin Mines (5-10, 190, Sr.) each going down with injuries at East Carolina the week before. The three men who replaced them in the lineup – Kyndall Clark (6-2, 234, So.), Quinton Jones (6-2, 200, So.) and Robert McKoy (6-0, 219, R-Sr.) – stepped up and combined for 18 tackles while keeping the Eagles out of the end zone. Jones, who had played well in extended snaps at Charlotte and ECU off the bench, finished the NC Central game with a season-high eight stops – and broke up the game's final pass play.
 
BIG PLAY JAY(LN)
Feature back Jayln Cagle (6-0, 199, Sr.) was clutch for Gardner-Webb in its win over North Carolina Central (9/14), carrying 23 time for a season-high 141 yards and a pair of second-half scores. The Kannapolis, N.C., native also caught a 28-yard pass for a key first down and finished the day with 170 all-purpose yards. He gave GWU the lead for good early in the third quarter and sealed the win with a 65-yard sprint to the end zone midway through the fourth quarter. Cagle has already tied his previous personal record with four touchdowns this season and ranks in the top-20 nationally in rushing TD (4), total TD (4) and rushing yards per game (88.3 ypg). Cagle has run for 1,396 yards and 10 touchdowns on 329 career carries (34 games). He has compiled 1,633 rushing/receiving yards combined.