THE GAME
Gardner-Webb closes out its 2021 spring season on the road Saturday traveling to face Charleston Southern on Saturday, April 17 at Noon. The game will stream live on ESPN+, with Killian McClatchey (PxP), Evan West (analyst) and Anna Witte (sideline) on the call. The game will also aire live on WGNC 1450 AM / 101.1 FM (TuneIn App) with Dave Friedman and Reginald Walker, Jr., on the call.


*    Two of Gardner-Webb's four spring opponents were ranked in the preseason top-25. Three of the four are either ranked or receiving votes this week.


*    The Gardner-Webb vs. Kennesaw State game, originally set for March 27, will not be rescheduled.


*    Gardner-Webb is receiving votes in both major FCS national polls again this week. The Runnin' Bulldogs reached a high of 61 votes on March 22 in the FCS STATS Poll, falling just outside the national top-25 (28th). GWU is also receiving voting attention in the AFCA Division I FCS Coaches' Poll and is in the top-30 of both polls.


*    Gardner-Webb has recorded more sacks (11) through three games this spring than it did in 12 games (10) during the entire 2019 season.


*    Speed demon Devron Harper was named preseason All-Big South at four different positions by Phil Steele's College Football Preview. Harper earned a nod at receiver, kickoff return man, punt return man and all-purpose back.


*    Gardner-Webb head coach Tre Lamb (31, September 16, 1989) is the second youngest head coach in the FCS ranks currently, with only new Austin Peay skipper Scotty Walden (30, November 15, 1989) slightly younger.


*    Gardner-Webb's full-time coaching staff is the youngest in the Division I ranks, with an average of 28.9 years  old per man.


*    Quarterback Carlton Aiken became the third different starting quarterback for Gardner-Webb in the past two seasons. Former Runnin' Bulldogs Jordan Smith and Kalen Whitlow each started games for GWU in 2019.


*    With a win Saturday, Gardner-Webb would finish with its first winning season overall since 2013. It would also mark the program's first season at or above .500 in league play since 2016.
  
SERIES NOTES
Gardner-Webb holds an 11-7 lead in the all-time series, which dates back to 1988 ... Charleston Southern has won three games in a row, with the last three decisions coming by a combined 20 points ... The Buccaneers held on for a 30-27 win in Boiling Springs in 2019 and kicked a last-second field goal for a 10-9 win in 2017 ... Gardner-Webb dropped a 16-0 decision in its most recent trip to Charleston and is 4-4 against CSU in the low country ... Gardner-Webb's last win came via a 17-10 upset of No. 8 Charleston Southern on November 5, 2016 in CSU Stadium ... A pair of Charleston Southern wins in 2014 and 2015 were later vacated by the NCAA ... One of the two teams has been ranked six times in previous meetings ... GWU has won three times in those contests.


SERIES HISTORY
11/19/88 (W, 42-0) – Home
11/12/92 (W, 56-0) – Home
11/09/02 (W, 57-15) – Away
11/08/03 (W, 42-0) – Home
11/13/04 (W, 18-0) – Away
11/05/05 (L, 38-7) – Home
11/04/06 (L, 28-14) – Away
11/27/07 (W, 29-25) – Home
10/04/08 (L, 13-10) – Away
10/17/09 (W, 27-20) – Home
10/16/10 (W, 35-25) – Away
10/29/11 (W, 14-7) – Home
11/10/12 (L, 28-10) – Away
11/16/13 (W, 27-10) – Home
11/08/14 (L, 44-14 ) – Away (No Contest, Vacated by NCAA)
10/24/15 (L, 34-0) – Home (No Contest, Vacated by NCAA)
11/05/16 (W, 17-10) – Away
11/04/17 (L, 10-9) – Home
11/10/2018 (L, 16-0) – Away
11/02/2019 (L, 30-27) – Home


THE HEAD COACHES
Gardner-Webb's Tre Lamb is in his first season as a college head coach. The second-youngest head coach in all of Division I football, Lamb has served as offensive coordinator at his alma mater Tennessee Tech and has called plays on the Division I level for four seasons. Charleston Southern head coach Autry Denson is in his second season at Charleston Southern and has led the Buccanneers to seven wins so far.


A COMEBACK, THEN A BLOWOUT
Gardner-Webb kicked off its first ever spring season in style, storming back from an early 17-0 deficit to wallop No. 24 Elon 42-20 on February 27. The Runnin' Bulldogs ground out 202 yards rushing, scored four rushing touchdowns and had a special teams score in the win. After Elon's early lead, Gardner-Webb outscored the Phoenix 42-3 the rest of the way. In its last two games against Elon (2016, 2021), Gardner-Webb has won twice while outscoring the Phoenix by a combined 63-0 in the second half.


KICK IT TO ME!
Gardner-Webb's school-record for combined kick return touchdowns in a season is six (three punts, three kickoffs), set in 1994 by All-American, Hall of Famer and NFL fifth-rounder Terry Guess. The Runnin' Bulldogs finally have a return man who could challenge those marks in Devron Harper (5-10, 165, So.). The Conyers, Ga., lighting bolt ranks No. 2 in punt return average (20.3) and first nationally with a pair of TD returns on punts. Harper also ranks No. 6 nationally in kickoff return average, despite limited opportunities to return in those situations due to sky kicks and other tactics. Harper's 93-yard punt return smashed a school record that stood since 1976. His work at receiver has helped produce 150.7 all-purpose yards per game, which ranks No. 8 in Division I FCS nationally.


BIG PLAY ZAY
Gardner-Webb's Izaiah Gathings (6-4, 225, Jr.) has the size of a tight end and the speed and ability of a high-end receiver – a devastating combination on the FCS level. Gathings extended his Big South-record of 10+ catches and 100+ yards to five games in the season opener – hauling in 10 passes for 126 yards. Gathings caught 71 passes for 1,046 yards and 11 touchdowns last season, doing a large percentage of his damage in Big South Conference games. As a result he earned preseason FCS All-America honors from Hero Sports and College Sports Journal. Gathings missed the fourth quarter and overtime vs. Presbyterian with an ankle sprain, but is back at full strength. Last season vs. Charleston Southern was the first game in Gathings' five-game stretch of dominance, as he caught a career-high 14 balls for 172 yards and a touchdown.


TEAM CAPTAINS
Gardner-Webb named five permanent team captains prior to the 2021 spring season. Offensive captains are: Izaiah Gathings (Jr.), Carter Francis (R-So.) and Narii Gaither (So.). Defensive captains are Shai Thomas (Sr.) and Dameon Williams (R-Jr.). The quintet has shown exceptional leadership during a very difficult past year for college football student-athletes.


PARLEZ-VOUS-FRANCAIS?
Defensive end Ty French (6-3, 242, Fr.) lived up to his advance billing – and then some – in his college debut. The former Colquitt County (Ga.) High standout came out of the gate with two quick tackles for loss and finished the day with 12 total hits, 4.0 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks. He added three quarterback presssures en route to earning Stats Perform FCS National Freshman of the Week honors and Big South Freshman of the Week accolades. French's impact on the Gardner-Webb pass rush limited Elon to just one pass play longer than 20 yards all day. He followed with nine total hits and 1.5 sacks vs. Presbyterian – earning his second Big South Freshman of the Week award. French has been an honorable mention FCS National Freshman of the Week honoree in each of his last two games, after collecting a sack vs. No. 18 Monmouth in early April. His four sacks through three games already eclipsed Gardner-Webb's leading man in that category over 12 games in 2019.


BUILDING DEPTH
Gardner-Webb has looked to its youthful roster to build depth this spring, in advance of an 11-game fall schedule in 2021. Heading into the season finale, 31 freshman or sophomores are listed on the team's two-deep chart on offense and defense. A total of 18 starts combined by freshman have shown exceptional results, particularly on defense by end Ty French (6-3, 242, Fr.) and linebacker William McRainey (6-0, 217, Fr.). Offensive linemen Clayton Frady (6-5, 295, Fr.) and Gabe Thompson (6-3, 321, R-Fr.) have the brightest of futures.


THE BIG DOGS
Gardner-Webb's success on the ground through three games can be directily attributed to a retooled offensive line that has emphasized building depth and using its versatility. Six men have started so far, with Dan Wittekind (6-3, 305, Gr.), Gabe Thompson (6-3, 321, R-Fr.), Travis Polson (6-3, 274, R-Fr.) and Clayton Frady (6-5, 295, Fr.) starting both games. Kyle Schneider (6-4, 288, So.) and Will Webster (6-4, 285, Gr.) have each started one game so far. Talented veteran Jack Nichols (6-3, 308, Sr.) has been vital in the rotation at guard, leaning on the experience of 34 college starts. Carter Francis (6-2, 280, R-So.) has also been a big part of the rotation, playing both guard and center. Mike Brooks (6-3, 320, R-Fr.) is also a big factor and can play center, guard or tackle when needed.


ON THE AIR AGAIN
Gardner-Webb football will have a broadcast presence on a commercial radio station again in 2021. All six spring 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 analyst Reginald Walker, Jr. will serve as talent. Walker is a former collegiate player at Penn State and veteran of the television industry. The station is available online via the TuneIn app.


THE STREAM TEAM
Each of Gardner-Webb's four spring home games will stream live on ESPN+ ($4.99 per month subscription), with a new braodcast crew on tap. Penn State graduate Phil Constantino, Gardner-Webb's brand new Director of Broadcasting, will serve as play-by-play voice. He will be joined this season by former Carolina Panther and University of Maryland star Al Wallace. 


ZERO PROBLEMS
Quarterback Carlton Aiken and defensive end Shai Thomas were the first Gardner-Webb players to ever wear the #0 jersey in a college game for the Runnin' Bulldogs. The jersey number was previously unavailable as a choice until a recent NCAA rules change.


NON-CONFERENCE
The entire 2021 schedule will be released within the next 10 days, but Gardner-Webb's non-conference slate for next fall is ready to be shared. The Runnin' Bulldogs will open with FBS dates at Georgia Southern (9/4) and Charlotte (9/11), before returning home to host Division II Lincoln (Pa.) on September 18 and Western Carolina on September 25. Big South play begins on the road October 2. 


HE'S NOT SHAI
Gardner-Webb defender Shai Thomas (6-2, 271, Sr.) has been in the mix for All-Big South Conference honors at linebacker for the past two seasons, narrowly missing out on postseason honors. A genuine need for a pass rusher in the new defensive scheme and Thomas adding nearly 20 pounds of muscle to his frame meant a move down to defensive end for the Anderson, S.C., native. He has 2.5 tackles for loss, one sack and six pressures so far in 2021.


SEEING DOUBLE
Gardner-Webb will, for the first time in its history, have players in double jersey numbers for the 2021 season and beyond. Players in jerseys 0, 1, 2, 5, 7, 13, 14 and 15 have spots on both sides of the ball. The NCAA rule allowing double jersey numbers simply states that those players cannot be on the field at the same time. This is the first season Gardner-Webb has taken advantage of the opportunity.


FUTURE SCHEDULE NOTES
Gardner-Webb has its slate of FBS opponents almost complete for the next few seasons, with dates at Coastal Carolina (2022), Liberty (2022), Appalachian State (2023), East Carolina (2023), Charlotte (2024) and Georgia Tech (2025) on tap.


THE MAYOR
Running back Narii Gaither (5-10, 177, So.) brings a healthy dose of positivity to all that he does. His breakout game against No. 24 Elon was no surprise, as he sparked Gardner-Webb's effective ground game with 19 carries for 111 yards and two touchdowns. He followed with 18 carries for 151 yards and another score – and caught the game-winning pass in overtime. Gaither's 96-yard jaunt was a school and conference record. He has three of Gardner-Webb's five explosive plays in the run game and has shown himself to be a dangerous second option in the kick return game. He ranks No. 14 nationally and No. 2 in the Big South with 99.3 yards per game on the ground.


UP NEXT
Spring season complete. Gardner-Webb will break for the remainder of the semester before beginning strength training in late May. The next time GWU hits the field will be on September 4 in Statesboro, Ga., against the six-time FCS/I-AA National Champion – and current FBS Sun Belt member – Georgia Southern.


SEASON TICKETS
Gardner-Webb will begin to sell season tickets next week online at GWUSports.com, with several packages available for the 2021 season. Follow @GWUFootball on Twitter and Instagram for updates on ticket sales, packages and other information regarding Gardner-Webb football during the offseason.