SMITHFIELD, R.I. - RV Gardner-Webb looks to extend its winning streak, heading 715 miles north to face Bryant in a Big South-OVC Association contest on Saturday, Nov. 4.
RV Gardner-Webb (4-4, 2-1 Big South-OVC) at Bryant (4-4, 2-1 Big South-OVC)
Smithfield, R.I - Biernie Stadium
Saturday, November 4 - 1:00 PM
WATCH (ESPN+)
LISTEN (RBSN)
LIVE STATS
THE GAME
The Runnin' Bulldogs travel 715 miles north for their longest road trip of the season, facing Bryant in a Big South-OVC matchup. Kickoff is set for 1:00 p.m. Tim Lynch and Thomas Zinerella will handle the call on ESPN+. Dave Friedman and Mark Covert will have the radio call on WGNC 1450 AM/101.1 FM or online via the Varsity Network App and at gwusports.com.
SERIES NOTES
This is just the second meeting all-time between the two Bulldogs, as GWU leads the series 1-0. Gardner-Webb knocked off Bryant 48-40 last season in Boiling Springs in a game that featured 1,003 combined total yards of offense. Bryant quarterback Zevi Eckhaus went 34-for-59 for 450 yards and three touchdowns, but also threw three interceptions in the game, with two of those coming from AJ Thomas. Tray Dunson also had an interception in the contest.
SCOUTING BRYANT
Bryant enters the game 4-4 overall and 2-1 in the Big South-OVC following a 47-24 win over Charleston Southern last week. Zevi Eckhaus earned Big South-OVC Offensive Player of the Week honors after throwing for 368 yards and four touchdowns, while Lake Ellis had an interception for the third straight game. Eckhaus ranks second in the conference in passing yards (1,808) and passing touchdowns (14). He also ranks tenth in the conference in rushing yards with 318. Kenny Dyson, Jr. ranks 16th in the FCS with 6.0 sacks this season. As a team, Bryant ranks 12th in the FCS and second in the conference with 16 total turnovers. Ellis is sixth in the FCS with three interceptions this season. The Bulldogs have blocked three punts this season, the fourth-most in the FCS, and have blocked five field goals this season, the second-most in the FCS.
LAST TIME OUT
Gardner-Webb enters this week's contest 4-4 overall and 2-1 in the Big South-OVC following a 38-34 win over #13/14 UT Martin. The Runnin' Bulldogs led 31-20 at the break, but UT Martin took a 34-31 lead and pinned GWU at their own 10-yard line with 5:20 remaining. Gardner-Webb marched down the field, converting three fourth downs, getting all the way to the UT Martin 10-yard line. Jaylen King scrambled around on second down and found a seam up the middle, rolling across the goal line and giving GWU a 38-34 lead with 15 seconds left. UT Martin got the ball to the 48-yard line of Gardner-Webb with seven seconds remaining, but Kinkhead Dent's pass to the endzone was broken up by Ty Anderson in the endzone, and the Runnin' Bulldogs pulled off the upset, knocking off the Skyhawks 38-34.
THE HEAD COACHES
Gardner-Webb head coach Tre Lamb is the second-youngest skipper in Division I football at age 34. He is 17-19 in his brief tenure, with seven of those losses coming to 85-scholarship FBS programs. Chris Merritt is 21-25 in five seasons at Bryant, recording 26 All-Conference selections, three All-Americans, one Big South Special Teams Player of the Year, one NEC Defensive Rookie of the Year and one NEC Offensive Rookie of the Year.
GETTING CLOSER
Ty French recorded a strip sack last week against #13 UT Martin, allowing Ty Anderson to return the ball 36 yards for a touchdown. Frech is now 0.5 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 12.0 tackles-for-loss this season, the 13th most in the FCS For his career, French has 52 tackles-for-loss, tied with Tory Atkins (1998-2001) for the third-most in program history.
THE MAYOR
Running back Narii Gaither (5-10, 181, R-Sr.) now has 2,953 career rushing yards, only the third player in program history to rush for at least 2,900 yards in their GWU career. He ranks second all-time in career rushing yards, as he passed Tyrell Maxwell (2014-17) for the most rushing yards in the Division-I era last week with 59 yards vs UT Martin. Gaither needs just 47 rushing yards to become just the second player in program history to eclipse 3,000 rushing yards. Gaither also has 97 career receptions, passing Philip Keefe for the most career pass receptions by a running back in Gardner-Webb history, while his eight receiving touchdowns are tied for the most in program history.
KING ME
Jaylen King has started to earn recognition over the past few weeks, as the true freshman has gone 2-1 in his first three career starts. King earned his first career conference honor from the Big South-OVC Football Association, after recording 254 yards of total offense and three touchdowns, as the quarterback helped lead Gardner-Webb to a 38-34 upset victory over #13/14 UT Martin. King came up big on the final drive of the game, leading a 16-play, 90-yard drive to score a 10-yard rushing TD with 0:13 left in the contest. The Runnin' Bulldogs also converted three fourth downs on the final drive. The Folkston, Ga. native showed off his arm as well, finding Jayden Brown for a 71-yard passing touchdown in the first quarter, and also ending the first half with a one-yard strike to Karim Page to put GWU up 31-20 at the break. Against one of the best defenses in the FCS, King was 16-for-33 with 216 passing yards and two touchdowns. On the ground, King had 17 rushes, for 38 yards with the game-winning rushing touchdown.
King also earned FedEx Ground FCS National Freshman Honorable Mention honors for the second straight week. His first honor came on Oct. 23, after going 14-for-18 for 185 yards with one touchdown pass and rushing for 46 yards and a touchdown in Gardner-Webb's 35-32 win over Eastern Kentucky.
BACK IN BLACK
Last season, Gardner-Webb opened the year with new black helmets, defeating Limestone 56-21 in the season opener. The Runnin' Bulldogs donned the black helmets in all five conference games last season, culminating in the program's first Big South Conference championship since 2003. The black magic continued for GWU in the first round of the FCS Playoffs, rolling to a 52-41 victory over Eastern Kentucky in the 2022 FCS Playoffs. While the streak ended at #5 William & Mary the next week, GWU broke out the black helmets again on Oct. 21, 2023, defeating EKU 35-32. GWU returned to the black helmets on Oct. 28, 2023, defeating #13/14 UT Martin 38-34. Gardner-Webb is now 8-1 all-time in the new black helmets.
ROAD WOES
While Gardner-Webb is 4-0 at home this season, they are 0-4 on the road. Two of those losses were at FBS opponents, falling to Appalachian State 45-24 and ECU 44-0. GWU is 5-15 in road games under Tre Lamb, but seven of those contests have been against teams at the FBS levle. Gardner-Webb did win their first-ever FCS playoff game on the road, knocking off Eastern Kentucky 52-41 in Richmond, K.Y. on Nov. 26, 2022. Gardner-Webb's last winning record in road games game in 2006, going 3-2 away from Spangler Stadium. The last time the Runnin' Bulldogs did not have a losing record on the road came in 2009, when GWU went 3-3 in away contests
MR. 305
For the past two years, William McRainey has been a head hunter for the Runnin' Bulldogs, recording over 100 tackles the past two seasons. Last year, McRainey led the team with 104 tackles, with 9.0 TFL and 5.5 sacks. McRainey has started all 34 games he has played in since earning the starting linebacker job in the 2021 spring season. This season, McRainey has 65 total tackles, picking up 11 tackles in back-to-back games against Austin Peay and Robert Morris, and 14 tackles, along with an interception, against EKU. McRainey now has 305 tackles for his career, as he is just the 20th player in program history to record at least 300 tackles.
BIG SOUTH STATS
Gardner-Webb is 48-58 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.
HEAD NORTH, YOUNG MAN
Gardner-Webb is 11-18 all-time against schools located north of the Mason-Dixon Line, with six of those games being against FBS opponents. Oddly enough, Gardner-Webb's lone win over an FBS team was over a team north of the Line, knocking off Akron 38-37 on Sept. 11, 2010. GWU has shared conference ties with four teams located north of the Mason-Dixon Line, facing off against Stony Brook (N.Y) (1-4), Monmouth (N.J.) (1-6), Robert Morris (P.A.) (2-0), and Bryant (R.I) (1-0). Other notable games against teams north of the Mason-Dixon Line for Gardner-Webb include hosting the 1992 NAIA National Championship vs Central State (O.H.) (L, 19-16), and the program's first playoff win at the senior college level over Moorhead State (M.N.) in 1987 (27-7).
UP NEXT
Gardner-Webb closes out their regular season road stretch, facing Tennessee Tech in Cookeville. Kickoff is set for 2:30 PM eastern on Saturday, Nov. 11.
