BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. - After almost a month on the road, Gardner-Webb returns to Spangler Stadium, facing Robert Morris in a Big South-OVC Football Association contest on Saturday, Oct. 7.

Robert Morris (2-3, 0-0 Big South-OVC) at Gardner-Webb (1-3, 0-1 Big South-OVC)
Saturday, Oct. 7 - 4:00 PM
Boiling Springs, N.C. - Spangler Stadium

Watch: ESPN+ (Phil Constantino, Mark Covert)
Listen Live: gwusports.com , The Varsity Network, WGNC 1450 AM/101.1FM (Dave Friedman, Reginald Walker Jr.)
Live Stats
 

THE GAME
After three weeks away from home, Gardner-Webb hosts Robert Morris on Saturday, Oct. 7, for their Big South-OVC home opener inside of Spangler Stadium. Kickoff is set for 4:00 PM. Phil Constantino and Mark Covert will have the call on ESPN+. David Friedman will have the live radio call via the Runnin' Bulldog Sports Network on The Varsity App, on the air at WGNC 1450 AM/101.1 FM, and online at gwusports.com.

SCOUTING ROBERT MORRIS
Robert Morris enters the game 2-3 overall following a 35-10 loss to Howard last week. RMU quarterback Anthony Chiccitt leads the conference in completion percentage (68.9) and passing touchdowns (11), and has thrown for 990 yards. Noah Robinson and Chaese Jackson both lead the conference with four touchdown catches each, as Robinson leads the conference with 434 yards receiving. Dee Pierce leads the Colonials on defense with 29 total tackles and one sack. The Colonials have given up an average of 342.5 yards per game on defense, the best mark in the Big South-OVC...Robert Morris has thrown just two interceptions all season, tied with Gardner-Webb for the second-best tally in the conference. RMU is the most penalized team in the conference, with 38 total penalties called on the Colonials for an average of 58.6 yards per game.

THE HEAD COACHES
Gardner-Webb head coach Tre Lamb is the second-youngest skipper in Division I football at age 34. He is 14-18 in his brief tenure, with seven of those losses coming to 85-scholarship FBS programs. Bernard Clark is 15-37 and in his sixth year as head coach of Robert Morris. Clark played collegiately at Miami, earning 1988 Orange Bowl MVP honors, before being drafted in the third round of the 1990 NFL Draft by the Cincinnati Bengals. Clark was previously the defensive coordinator at UAlbany and Hampton before becoming head coach of the Colonials.

LAST TIME OUT
Gardner-Webb enters this week's contest 1-3 following a 44-0 loss to FBS East Carolina. It is the first shutout loss for the Runnin' Bulldogs since Nov. 10, 2018, a 16-0 loss to Charleston Southern. Despite the loss, Ty French recorded six tackles, including a sack, giving him 27.5 for his career, passing Jason Burns (1988-1991) for the second-most career sacks in program history.

SERIES NOTES
GWU leads the series against Robert Morris 2-0. Last season, the Runnin' Bulldogs shut out the Colonials 48-0 in Moon Township, Pa. The shutout win was the first conference shutout victory for Gardner-Webb since Nov. 13, 2004 when they beat Charleston Southern 18-0. Ty French finished five total tackles (four solo), 2.0 sacks and a quarterback hurry and Willie Harris posted 2.5 sacks and a pair of quarterback hurries, while Honus Wagner also had a sack in the win and forced a fumble last season.

MOVING UP THE BOARD
Ty French forced a punt early in the game at East Carolina on Sept. 23, thanks to his sack that kicked the Pirates out of field goal range. Frech is now 1.5 sacks shy of tying former GWU Runnin' Bulldog and Green Bay Packer Gabe Wilkins (1990-93) for the most in school history (29.0). French also has 8.0 tackles-for-loss this season, the most in the conference and the seventh-most in the FCS. For his career, French has 48 tackles-for-loss, the fourth-most in program history

THE MAYOR
Running back Narii Gaither (5-10, 181, R-Sr.) now has 2,802 yards rushing for his career, ranking third all-time. Gaither is now second on the school's all-time Division I career rushing list, trailing only Tyrell Maxwell (2,944). Gaither broke the school record for career receptions for a running back vs ECU with two catches, and now has 89 receptions for his career. His 6.0 yards per carry are the second-most for a running back in program history for a career. 

HOSTILE ENVIRONMENT
In his first three seasons at Gardner-Webb, Tre Lamb has never had a losing record at home, going 9-4 inside Spangler Stadium. In the 'Dawgs last home game on Sept. 9 against Elon, Ephraim Floyd scored with 12 seconds left to give GWU the 34-27 victory over the Phoenix. Since moving to the Division-I level in 2000, the Runnin' Bulldogs are 75-48 at home, winning 15 straight home games from Oct. 6, 2001-Sept. 18, 2004.

NEW YEAR, NEW CONFERENCE
On Feb. 22, 2022, the Big South Conference and Ohio Valley Conference announced the creation of an association of their football member institutions, to begin with the 2023 NCAA Division I football season and have an initial term of at least four years. The unique agreement combines the two conferences' football membership to ensure NCAA championship access and stability for the multisport conferences.  Schools comprising the association are Bryant University (Smithfield, RI), Charleston Southern University (Charleston, SC), Eastern Illinois University (Charleston, IL), Gardner-Webb University (Boiling Springs, NC), Lindenwood University (St. Charles, MO), Robert Morris University (Moon Township, PA), Southeast Missouri State University (Cape Girardeau, MO), Tennessee State University (Nashville, TN), Tennessee Technological University (Cookeville, TN) and University of Tennessee at Martin (Martin, TN).  Western Illinois University (Macomb, IL) will join the association beginning with the 2024 season.  

BIG SOUTH STATS
Gardner-Webb is 45-58 all-time in Big South Conference or Big South-OVC play since joining the conference in 2002. Gardner-Webb has gone undefeated in conference play three times, in 2002 (3-0), 2003 (4-0), and 2022 (5-0). The Runnin' Bulldogs did opened their time in the Big South with six straight seasons without a losing record in conference play, going 15-8 in conference games from 2002-2007, winning seven conference games in a row before falling to Liberty 17-9 on Oct. 2, 2004. Last season's 5-0 record in Big South play ended a stretch from 2017-2021 where Gardner-Webb failed to record a winning record in conference play, going just 5-21 in that time span. 

SEMIFINALIST
For the first time ever, Gardner-Webb has a player in the semifinals for the William V. Campbell trophy in William McRainey. The Shallotte, N.C. native is the reigning Big South Scholar Athlete of the Year, graduating in July with a 3.55 GPA while majoring in Economics and Finance. He is also an Eagle Scout, and has helped the GWU football team with service projects at elementary schools in Shelby and Boiling Springs. The William V. Campbell trophy is considered the "Academic Heisman," with past winners such as Peyton Manning, Tim Tebow, Christian Wilkins, and Justin Herbert.

UP NEXT
Gardner-Webb returns to the road and back out of conference play, heading to Clarksville, Tenn. to face Austin Peay. Kickoff is set for 2:00 PM eastern from Fortera Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 14.