THE GAME
Gardner-Webb hosts North Carolina A&T on Saturday at Noon for the Big South Conference football championship and a berth to the 2022 NCAA Division I FCS Playoffs. The game will stream live on ESPN+ with Phil Constantino and Mark Covert calling the action and will air live on WGNC 1450 AM / 101.1 FM with Dave Friedman and Chuck Burch on the call.

HOT ROUTES
*    TJ Luther has more catches this season (51) than he had the first three seasons of his college football career combined (39). He is also the first GWU receiver in school history to top 1,000 yards with fewer than 70 receptions.

*    Five teams on Gardner-Webb's 2022 schedule have at least seven wins this season. Three are currently ranked in their respective subdivision's top-25 (Coastal Carolina, Elon, Mercer) and two more (Liberty, Limestone) are receiving votes. Limestone qualified for the NCAA Division II playoffs.

*    Bailey Fisher is tied for the most 300-yard passing games in Gardner-Webb's Division I era, joining Lucas Beatty as the only men with seven to their credit.

*    TJ Luther has nine games with 100+ receiving yards over two seasons at Gardner-Webb, leaving him one shy of tying Kenny Cook (2012-2014) and William Andrews (2000-2003) for the school mark in the Division I era.

*    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 has claimed 70 percent of the Big South's Freshman of the Week nods this season, doing so seven times in 10 weeks. Jayden Brown has been chosen twice.

*    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.

SERIES NOTES
North Carolina A&T owns a 2-1 series lead over Gardner-Webb, winning the first two meetings in 2017 and 2018 ... The Aggies were likely the best team in the FCS nationally in 2017, going a perfect 12-0 and winning the Celebration Bowl ... Gardner-Webb rallied to take a 37-25 win in Greensboro last season in both teams' season finale ... The Aggies led 20-7 after the first play of the fourth quarter, but GWU rattled off 28 unanswered points over the next 10 minutes to take a 35-20 lead that would hold.

SERIES HISTORY
10/02/17 – #25 North Carolina A&T 45, Gardner-Webb 3 (Boiling Springs)
10/08/18 – #5 North Carolina A&T 45, Gardner-Webb 6 (Greensboro)
11/20/21 – Gardner-Webb 35, North Carolina A&T 27 (Greensboro)

WHAT A SCHEDULE
Each of Gardner-Webb's non-conference opponents have been lights out in 2022. Both Liberty and Coastal Carolina are bowl eligible, and Marshall is one win away from reaching that mark. Limestone (8-3) will compete in the NCAA Division II playoffs and both Elon (8-3) and Mercer (7-3) are nationally-ranked and projected as potential at-large selections to the FCS Playoffs. The overall schedule rates 11th nationally by NCAA.com, just behind Eastern Washington.

THE MAYOR
Running back Narii Gaither (5-10, 181, Sr.) now has 2,057 yards rushing for his career, moving the Rock Hill, S.C., native into eighth on the school's all-time rushing list, just behind former All-Big South back Kenny Little (2,142 yards). Gaither is third on the school's all-time Division I career rushing list, trailing only Tyrell Maxwell, Juanne Blount and Little. Darrell Middleton (3,877 yards) is the school's all-time leading rusher after a Hall of Fame career from 1986-1989.

BIG MOMENT
Saturday's Gardner-Webb/North Carolina A&T battle is the Big South's fourth ever "Winner Take All" regular season finale or Championship Game. The others came in 2011 (Stony Brook/Liberty), 2017 (Kennesaw State/Monmouth) and 2021 (Kennesaw State/Monmouth).

THE HEAD COACHES
Gardner-Webb head coach Tre Lamb is the second-youngest skipper in Division I football at age 33. He is 11-14 in his brief tenure, with five of those losses coming to 85-scholarship FBS programs. Sam Washington is 31-14 in his fifth season in charge of the Aggies and is one of the most well-respected coaches in the subdivision.

HOIST THE HOG
Gardner-Webb captured the second annual NC Pork East/West BBQ Bowl vs. Campbell this past Saturday in Buies Creek. The Runnin' Bulldogs defeated the Camels, 42-35, to bring home the well-built, hefty trophy -- topped with a decorative hog and adorned with a placard to engrave each year's winning team and score -- and will enjoy a feast of barbeque supplied by the Camels as part of the arrangement. The rivalry game is tied at 1-1, as Campbell won the inaugural BBQ Bowl in 2021.

CATCH THIS
Receiver TJ Luther (6-1, 180, R-Sr.) has been among the best in the nation this season, catching 51 passes for 1,010 yards and seven touchdowns through 10 games. The Arcadia, Fla., native ranks No. 3 nationally in receiving yards, No. 5 nationally in receiving yards per game and No. 11 nationally in yards per catch – leading the Big South in all three categories. Luther now has 113 career catches for 2,272 receiving yards and 19 touchdowns in 43 games played. He has 3,291 career all-purpose yards. Luther is also the first Gardner-Webb receiver to post seven different 100-yard receiving games in a season since the 'Dogs moved ot Division I in 2000. He is the first 1,000-yard receiver for Gardner-Webb since 2019 and only the third since the move to Divison I in 2000.

CATCH THAT
Receiver Cutrell Haywood (6-0, 217, Gr.) has been consistently strong as well, hauling in a career-high 64 passes for 614 yards and six scores. Haywood has caught 209 passes for 2,013 yards and 20 touchdowns in 41 career games. Haywood has now gone over 50 catches three times in his career.

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.

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.) was 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 9.5 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 22 career starts. 

ROAD TRIP
Gardner-Webb endured the longest road swing in program history during the month of October, playing four in a row away from Spangler Stadium from October 1-October 22. GWU went 2-2 during that stretch, with the losses coming at FBS Marshall and current #19 FBS Liberty. Gardner-Webb's two road conference wins at Robert Morris (Oct. 8) and Charleston Southern (Oct. 22) mark the first time since 2009 that GWU has picked up multiple Big South wins away from home in the same season.

THIRD DOWN PATROL
Gardner-Webb has been among the nation's best on third down, ranking No. 3 nationally by allowing a 28.9 percent conversion rate.  GWU has been aided by a strong pass rush, with the team ranking No. 7 nationally in sacks this season. Gardner-Webb got to the Campbell quarterback four times in its BBQ Bowl victory. Teams are converting an average of just 3.6 third downs per game against GWU this season.

TIGHT SQUEEZE
Three of Gardner-Webb's five losses this season have come by one possession, including a one-point loss at FBS Liberty (21-20) and a four-point loss at FBS Coastal Carolina (31-27). Both Liberty and Coastal Carolina are bowl eligible and either are currently ranked (Coastal Carolina) or have been ranked (Liberty) in the Associated Press top-25. Gardner-Webb has shown growth late this season, winning each of its last two one-possession games.

CORNERING THE MARKET
Gardner-Webb has dominated the Big South's Freshman of the Week award in 2022, posting seven winners in the first nine weeks of play. Janiero Crankfield took the honor after the opener, followed by Jay Billingsley (Week 2), Ty Anderson (Week 5), Jayden Brown (Week 6, Week 8), Jonathan Burns (Week 9) and Caleb Borders (Week 10).

BEHIND THE LINE
Gardner-Webb leads the Big South and ranks No. 7 nationally in total sacks as a team, posting 33 on the season. GWU has posted 22 of those in the past six games, including five at FBS Liberty. The 'Dogs have 63 tackles for loss in 2022, led by Ty French (12.0), Brendan Jackson (8.0) and Janathian Turner (8.0).

WHEN THE MAYOR IS IN THE OFFICE
Gardner-Webb has played just six games this season with All-America running back Narii Gaither at full speed, going 5-1 in those contests. GWU is averaging 40.3 points and 531.8 yards of total offense per game over those six contests, with the only loss coming in a 21-20 nailbiter at FBS Liberty (8-2). Gaither himself is averaging 94.8 rushing yards per game on those six dates with three touchdowns. He has four 100-yard games in those six outings.

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.

THIS IS COOL
Quarterback Bailey Fisher (5-11, 207, R-Sr.) is the first man in Gardner-Webb's football history – with the senior college era dating back to 1970 – to pass for 400 or more yards twice in the same season. The Clayton, Ga., native went for 403 yards in a narrow loss at bowl eligible Coastal Carolina and topped that with 408 yards at Charleston Southern (10/22).

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.

A STREAK
Gardner-Webb's current three-game win streak is the first time the program has posted three in a row over Division I opponents since beating Presbyterian, VMI and Stony Brook in 2008. GWU also won three in a row in 2013 with wins over #12 Richmond, #8 Wofford and Point (Ga.) University. Gardner-Webb hasn't won four games in a row since 2002, when the 'Dogs closed the season with eight wins in a row over Division I foes to finish at 9-1 and ranked No. 18 nationally.

THE GREAT NATE
Janathian Turner (6-3, 306, R-Sr.) has enjoyed a strong 2022 so far, posting 7.0 tackles for loss on the season to go with 41 total hits. He recorded at least a half TFL in each of Gardner-Webb's first five games this season. 

NEARLY DID IT AGAIN
Gardner-Webb narrowly missed its second-ever FBS victory on September 10, as the Runnin' Bulldogs fell to former Big South power Coastal Carolina, 31-27. GWU rallied back from a 24-10 deficit to take a 27-24 lead at 10:33 in the fourth quarter. In Week 7, the Runnin' Bulldogs suffered a one-point defeat at former Big South rival Liberty, 21-20. GWU held a 20-14 lead early in the fourth quarter. Gardner-Webb's lone win against an FBS squad came at Akron on September 11, 2010 (38-37). GWU nearly stunned Georgia Tech on October 11, 2008, falling 10-7 in Atlanta and lost a five-point game at Georgia Southern in the 2021 season opener.

TACKLING MACHINE
Gardner-Webb linebacker William McRainey (6-0, 217, Jr.) leads the team and ranks among the Big South's best with 77 tackles this season. The Shallotte, N.C., native has 205 career tackles through 24 starts and is a two-time All-Big South selection. McRainey is also an Academic All-America candidate again in 2022, one season after earning Academic All-District III honors as a sophomore.

MORE ON FISHER
Quarterback Bailey Fisher (5-11, 207, R-Sr.) ranks among the nation's top-10 among active career leaders in 10 offensive categories and tied a Big South record this past week with his third-straight game with at least 350 yards of total offense. Fisher has four games over 350 yards this season and has three games with 400+ yards of total offense.

THIS IS 40
Gardner-Webb is averaging 41.5 points per game in Big South play this season, topping the 40-point mark three times in four games. The last time GWU averaged 40+ points in league action was 2002 (42.0 points) over three games.