THE GAME
Gardner-Webb returns to Big South Conference action Saturday night at its oldest league rival, Charleston Southern. Kickoff is set for 6:00 pm at Buccaneer Field. The game will stream live on ESPN3, with Killian McClatchey, Jack DeLongchamps and Anna Witte. Gardner-Webb will broadcast the game on WGNC 1450 AM / 101.1 FM with Dave Friedman and Phil Constantino in the booth.

HOT ROUTES
Receiver Ephraim Floyd will wear jersey #20 on Saturday and Stormy Mosteller will switch positions – to tight end – and wear jersey #2 against the Bucs. Mosteller (6-4, 258, Gr.) gives GWU an extra, experienced blocker at the positon.

Gardner-Webb head coach Tre Lamb (33, September 16, 1989) is the second youngest head coach in the FCS ranks currently, with only Austin Peay skipper Scotty Walden (32, November 15, 1989) slightly younger.

Gardner-Webb won outright Big South Conference championships in both 2002 and 2003, the conference's first two seasons sponsoring football. Gardner-Webb is the only team remaining in the Big South with multiple outright league titles. Charleston Southern won an outright crown in 2005.

Gardner-Webb and Charleston Southern are the two remaining original football members of the Big South Conference. The two schools began play in 2002, with GWU claiming that first league trophy. The first conference season featured GWU, CSU, Liberty and Elon.

Gardner-Webb played three FBS opponents in a season for the first time in program history. GWU played two FBS foes in 2009 (NC State, Buffalo), 2011 (Ohio, Wake Forest), 2019 (Charlotte, East Carolina) and 2021 (Georgia Southern, Charlotte).

Gardner-Webb has two preseason All-America selections on its roster – Narii Gaither and Ty French – for the first time since 2014. GWU is the lone Big South squad with multiple preseason All-America selections in 2022.

TJ Luther leads the Big South with four 100-yard games in 2022 and tops the circuit with 20.5 yards per catch. He has run the 100-meter dash in 10.4 seconds.

The Runnin' Bulldogs have scored 50 or more points 19 times during its NCAA Division I tenure, going 18-1 in those games. The only loss came in a 53-51 sprint at Charlotte on October 5, 2013.

SERIES NOTES
Gardner-Webb and Charleston Southern are the lone remaining original members of the Big South Conference in the sport of football, beginning league play in 2002 ... Gardner-Webb holds a 10-9 edge in the all-time series, but Charleston Southern owns a five-game win streak ... GWU last won in Charleston on November 5, 2016 over the No. 8 Buccaneers (17-10) ... The two teams first met in 1988 when CSU was playing as a club team and Gardner-Webb was an NAIA member ... GWU won the first five meetings of the series until falling 38-7 on Homecoming Weekend in 2005 to the eventual Big South champions ... GWU has been held to 10 points or less three times in the last five meetings, with the outlier coming in last season's 30-24 double overtime loss in Spangler Stadium and a 30-27 loss in Spangler in 2019 ... GWU is 4-1 in the series when the two teams play in the month of October.

THE HEAD COACHES
Gardner-Webb head coach Tre Lamb is the second-youngest skipper in Division I football at age 33. He is 8-14 in his brief tenure, with five of those losses coming to 85-scholarship FBS programs. Autry Denson is in his fourth season as head coach at Charleston and is 13-19. Denson, who starred at running back for Notre Dame, served as running backs coach at his alma mater prior to taking the CSU job in 2019.

TOUGH SLATE
Gardner-Webb's non-conference slate is among the toughest in FCS, with the six teams – including Liberty – posting a combined 30-11 record heading into this weekend (73.1 percent). All six opponents, Division II Limestone (4-3), FCS contenders Elon (5-2) and Mercer (6-1) and FBS foes Coastal Carolina (6-1), Marshall (3-3) and Liberty (6-1) are either ranked or have received votes in their respective national top-25 polls. Elon and Mercer are currently ranked in the FCS top-20 tabulation by Stats Perform and the top-25 in the AFCA Coaches Poll. Gardner-Webb's overall schedule is currently rated 15th toughest by NCAA.com based on cumulative records of its previous opponents.

THAT WAS FUN
Gardner-Webb posted its largest margin of victory ever in a Big South Conference game when it steamrolled Robert Morris 48-0 in the Pittsburgh suburbs on October 8. The previous mark was a 46-0 win over Charleston Southern on November 8, 2003 in Boiling Springs. The previous mark for a Big South road game was 42 points in a 57-15 win at Charleston Southern on November 9, 2002.

THE MAYOR OF ROCK HILL
Gardner-Webb deploys one of the most talented offensive players in the country in Narii Gaither (5-10, 181, Sr.). The Rock HIll, S.C., native is a preseason FCS All-America choice as an all-purpose back and is one of only two men in the nation returning  after leading his team in both rushing yards and receptions. Gaither, who nearly reached the 1,000-yard rushing mark last season despite playing in just eight full games, was also recently named to the Walter Payton Award Watch List – given annually to the top offensive player in the Football Championship Subdivision. He didn't disappoint in the season opener, churning out 137 yards and a score on just 13 carries – despite playing less than two full quarters. Gaither played just two snaps at Coastal Carolina before leaving with an injury and missed the next three games before returning with 11 carries for 106 yards at Robert Morris on October 8.  He has three 100-yard games this season.

ALSO FUN
Gardner-Webb's 48-0 win at Robert Morris on October 8 marked its first shutout in a Big South game since an 18-0 win at Charleston Southern on November 13, 2004. It was the first shutout for the Runnin' Bulldogs in a Division I game since beating No. 8 Wofford by a 3-0 score in Spartanburg on September 21, 2013.

BONJOUR
Defensive end Ty French (6-3, 234, Jr.) is a preseason FCS All-America choice, as well as one of the nation's most feared pass rushers. A disruptive force on the edge, the Moultrie, Ga., native had 14.5 tackles for loss last season and recorded 7.0 sacks over his final four starts of the season. A two-time, first-team All-Big South selection, French was named to the Buck Buchanan Award Watch List in August. The Buchanan Award is given each season to the top defender in the Football Championship Subdivision. French has 7.5 sacks so far this season, collecting a pair to go with three hurries at Marshall (10/1). He followed with two more sacks and a hurry at Robert Morris (10/8) and two at Liberty (10/15). French has seven games with multiple sacks in 20 career starts. 

TIGHT SQUEEZE
Gardner-Webb has been close to breaking the door down in the column over the past two seasons, with seven of its 12 losses coming by just one possession. Two of those losses came last season in double overtime in back-to-back weeks. Gardner-Webb had a stretch of five-straight losses come by one possession, including nailbiters this season at FBS Coastal Carolina (31-27) and CAA contender Elon (30-24).

CLOSE AGAINST THE BOWLERS
Gardner-Webb has lost three games to FBS foes this season, including two games by one possession. GWU lost 31-27 at bowl eligible Coastal Carolina (6-1) on September 10 and dropped a 21-20 decision at bowl eligible Liberty (6-1) on October 15. GWU lost a 30-25 affair at Georgia Southern in 2021's season opener.

THIRD DOWN PATROL
Gardner-Webb has been among the nation's best defenses this season on third down, ranking fifth nationally in the FCS by allowing opponents to convert just 27.4 percent. GWU built on that success by limiting FBS Liberty to just 1-of-12 on third down, it's best effort against a foe from the Football Bowl Subdivision since holding Georgia Tech to a 4-of-14 effort in a 10-7 loss on October 11, 2008. Teams are converting an average of just 3.7 third downs per game against GWU this season. Over its last two games, opponents have converted just 4-of-26 on third down (15.4%) and have totaled just 246.0 yards per game on offense (84.5 yards rushing).

PARTNERSHIP
The Big South Conference and the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) have created an association of their football member institutions, to begin with the 2023 NCAA Division I football season. The unique agreement combines the two conferences' football membership to ensure NCAA championship access. It will provide the football member institutions a schedule of games against all the teams in their home conference and additional games against schools from the other conference. This new model for FCS football also creates more stability for the multisport conferences.

CORNERING THE MARKET
Gardner-Webb has dominated the Big South's Freshman of the Week award in 2022, posting four winners in the first seven weeks of play. Janiero Crankfield took the honor after the opener, followed by Jay Billingsley (Week 2), Ty Anderson (Week 5) and Jayden Brown (Week 6).

BEHIND THE LINE
Gardner-Webb leads the Big South and ranks No. 10 nationally in total sacks as a team, posting 24 on the season. GWU has posted 14 of those in the past three games, including five at FBS Liberty. The 'Dogs have 23.0 tackles for loss in those same three games and has made 31.0 TFL in its three FBS games combined.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN
Gardner-Webb will play a program-record seven road games this season, including four this month. The four-game road swing ties the longest in program history, with the previous set happening from September 12-October 17 in 2009. GWU went 2-2 that year with wins at Western Carolina and Charleston Southern sandwiching losses at NC State and Buffalo. Gardner-Webb will play in four different states before getting back home to play Bryant (10/29) in Spangler Stadium.

BEST IN STATE
Three current players on Gardner-Webb's roster were State Players of the Year as seniors. Quarterback Bailey Fisher (Rabun County HS, Ga.) earned Class 2A Offensive State Player of the Year honors in 2017. Defensive back Jamari Brown (Eastside HS, Ga.) was named Class 4A Defensive State Player of the Year in 2018. Running back Donovan Jones (Champagnat Catholic, Fla.) was the Class 2A Offensive State Player of the Year in 2020

HELLO OLD FRIENDS
GWU faced three former Big South Conference foes in 2022, traveling to Liberty (10/15) after facing off at Coastal Carolina (9/10) and Elon (9/17). Elon is now a member of the CAA, while Coastal Carolina (Sun Belt) and Liberty (C-USA)  compete in the FBS. GWU went 0-3 in those games, but lost by a scant average of 3.7 ppg.PRESEASON HONOR
Narii Gaither (5-10, 181, Sr.) was named Big South Preseason Offensive Player of the Year in July, and is only the second Gardner-Webb man to earn that honor in league history. Quarterback Tyrell Maxwell was also named prior to the 2017 season after earning the postseason award in 2016. Gardner-Webb has seen seven men earn Big South Preseason Defensive Player of the Year honors, including four consecutive between 2007 and 2010.

ELITE COMPANY
Gaither is one of only three backs to pace the Big South Conference in total rushing yards for two consecutive seasons, joining Liberty's Dre Barnes (2002-2003), Stony Brook's Miguel Maysonet (2010-2012) and Coastal Carolina's De'Angelo "Hop" Henderson (2014-2015) also accomplishing the feat. Maysonet is the only man to lead the league for three consecutive seasons.

THE GREAT NATE
Janathian Turner (6-3, 306, R-Sr.) has enjoyed a strong 2022 so far, posting 5.0 tackles for loss on the season to go with 35 total hits. He recorded at least a half TFL in each of Gardner-Webb's first five games this season. 

A CUT ABOVE
Transfer Cutrell Haywood (6-0, 217, Gr.) joined the program in January from the University of Idaho and made a quick, strong impression. The Stockton, Calif., native totaled 145 receptions during his time with the Vandals, including a pair of 50-catch campaigns. He was an All-State choice at Stagg High, leading the entire state of California in yardage after catching 100 balls for 1,644 yards and 22 scores. He has 41 catches for 334 yards and two scores in 2022.

TACKLES AND BOOKS
All-Big South linebacker William McRainey (6-0, 219, Jr.) has started each game of his career so far and led the league, while ranking No. 15 nationally with 109 total tackles last season. The Shallotte, N.C., native earned 2021 CoSIDA Academic All-District honors and is an Academic All-America candidate again in 2022. McRainey had 14 hits at Marshall and followed with 10 stops (nine solo) at Robert Morris. He has 61 total tackles through seven starts in 2022.

ANOTHER RECORD
Gardner-Webb's passing offense set the Big South single-game record for highest completion  percentage (based on a minimum 25 attempts) on October 8 at Robert Morris. GWU's passing accuracy of 85.2 percent on 23-of-27 passes bettered the old mark of 84.6 (22-of-26), which was established by Gardner-Webb vs. Point in the 2013 season.

MORE ON THE MAYOR
Narii Gaither (5-10, 181, Sr.) is 169 rushing yards away from 2,000 in his career, which would make him the 30th player in Big South history to reach the plateau. Meanwhile, Gaither has caught 59 passes out of the backfi eld for 467 yards and six scores, and needs three receiving touchdowns to break the Big South record for most career receiving touchdowns (8) by a running back. He needs one catch to become the 10th running back with 60 in a career.