COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Big plays in the first half pushed Gardner-Webb over Tennessee Tech 35-0 on Saturday, Nov. 11.
On the third play of the game,
Jamari Brown picked off a pass from Jordyn Potts, scoring from 33 yards out to give Gardner-Webb (6-4, 4-1 Big South-OVC) a 7-0 lead. The Golden Eagles elected to go for it on fourth and one on their next possession, and
Ty Anderson recorded a tackle-for-loss to give the Runnin' Bulldogs the ball deep in Tennessee Tech territory.
Gardner-Webb needed just two plays to get on the board again, as
Narii Gaither took a pass from
Jaylen King 23 yards to the endzone to push GWU ahead 14-0 with 11:32 in the first quarter. Tennessee Tech (3-7, 1-4 Big South-OVC) took their next drive to the Gardner-Webb 34-yard line, but a fourth down pass by Potts was knocked down by
Brandon Wilson, and the Runnin' Bulldogs knocked the Eagles off the field again.
After both teams traded punts, King connected with Gaither again, this time on a 59-yard pass to swell the Runnin' Bulldog bulge to 21-0 at the end of the first quarter.
Tennessee Tech drove deep into Gardner-Webb territory to start the second quarter, but a sack by
Jimmy Bowdry forced the Golden Eagles to attempt a field goal.
Raequan Ousley blocked the field goal attempt, and kept TTU off the scoreboard.
Later in the quarter on third down for Gardner-Webb, King made a nifty move, evading two tacklers and finding
Karim Page wide open down the sideline for a 62-yard touchdown pass, putting GWU ahead 28-0. The defense got their second score of the game on the next Golden Eagle possession, as
Ja'Kai Young picked off Potts and returned the ball 23 yards for a touchdown, and Gardner-Webb went ahead 35-0 at the break.
Early in the third quarter,
Brandon Wilson recorded an interception, the third of the game for Gardner-Webb. The Runnin' Bulldogs would get stuffed on fourth down on the ensuing possession, and the GWU lead remained 35-0 after three quarters of play.
Both teams' defenses stepped up in the fourth quarter, allowing minimal yardage, and a pass break up by Young on fourth down ended the game, with GWU taking the 35-0 victory.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- This is the first time in Gardner-Webb football's Division-I history that the defense has had two pick sixes in a game. It is also Ja'Kai Young's second pick six of the season, recording an interception for a touchdown on Oct. 21, 2023 vs Eastern Kentucky.
- Gardner-Webb's 61 rushing yards is the fewest in a victory since rushing for 55 yards in a 35-27 win over Hampton on Oct. 12, 2019.
- The Gardner-Webb defense held Tennessee Tech to 0-for-5 on fourth down and 6-for-22 on third down.
- Gardner-Webb held Tennessee Tech to just 23 yards rushing. It is the second week in a row the Runnin' Bulldogs have held a team to under 100 yards on the ground. Bryant rushed for just 33 yards last week in Gardner-Webb's 45-44 win.
- This is Gardner-Webb's first shutout win since knocking off Robert Morris 48-0 on Oct. 8, 2022.
- With the win, Gardner-Webb moves to 6-4 overall, clinching back-to-back winning records for the first time since the 2002 and 2003 seasons. GWU went 7-6 last season.
UP NEXT
Gardner-Webb closes out the regular season at Spangler Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 18 against rival Charleston Southern. A win would give Gardner-Webb a share of the Big South-OVC conference championship, and the automatic bid to the FCS Playoffs for the second year in a row. Kickoff is set for 1:00 PM. Fans can purchase tickets online at gwusports.com.
