BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. - The defending Big South Champions #24/25 Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs open the 2023 football season in Boone, N.C. Kickoff is set for 3:30 PM, and will air live on ESPN+. Fans can also tune in to the Runnin' Bulldog Sports Network radio broadcast via The Varsity Network app, on the radio via WGNC 1450 AM/101.1 FM or at gwusports.com.
#24/25 Gardner-Webb (0-0) at Appalachian State (0-0)
Kidd Brewer Stadium - Boone, N.C.
Saturday, Sept. 2 - 3:30 PM
Watch: ESPN+
Listen: The Varsity Network app,
WGNC 1450 AM/101.1 FM, or
gwusports.com
Live Stats
THE GAME
Gardner-Webb opens the season with an FBS opponent for the first time since 2021, heading to Boone, N.C. to face Sun Belt foe Appalachian State. Kickoff is set for 3:30 PM, with Dave Friedman and Mark Covert handling the online radio call at gwusports.com, WGNC 1450 AM/101.1 FM and The Varsity App. Dave Jackson and Avery Hall will handle the call on ESPN+.
SERIES NOTES
Appalachian State leads the all-time series 6-0 against Gardner-Webb. This is the second meeting between the two teams since the Mountaineers jumped to the FBS level, the first being a 72-7 shellacking by App State on Sept. 22, 2018. That is the most points ever allowed by Gardner-Webb in the school's history of four-year football (since 1970), and the program's largest margin of defeat ever. The Runnin' Bulldogs went 0-4 against the Mountaineers in FCS matchups, including a 41-6 win for #2 App State on Sept. 23, 2006 that was broadcasted on ESPNU in front of the largest crowd in the history of Spangler Stadium (8,490). The two team's first meeting in 1983 was at the NAIA level, a 21-17 win for Appalachian State.
WHAT A SCHEDULE
Gardner-Webb faces one of the toughest nonconference schedules in FCS football. The Runnin' Bulldogs have two nonconference home games, a September 9 collision against RV Elon, and an FCS Playoff rematch on October 21 against #24 Eastern Kentucky. The Runnin' Bulldogs travel to FBS foes Appalachian State and East Carolina, and will also hit the road against RV Austin Peay. In conference play, the 'Dawgs will host defending OVC Champion RV UT Martin, while also making trips to Tennessee State (9/16), Bryant (11/5), and Tenneessee Tech (11/12).
THE MAYOR
Running back Narii Gaither (5-10, 181, R-Sr.) now has 2,462 yards rushing for his career, moving the Rock Hill, S.C., native into fifth on the school's all-time rushing list, passing Juanne Blount (2,439 yards). Gaither is now second on the school's all-time Division I career rushing list, trailing only Tyrell Maxwell (2,944). Darrell Middleton (3,877 yards) is the school's all-time leading rusher after a Hall of Fame career from 1986-1989.
BEWARE OF DAWG
Gardner-Webb is just 1-20 all-time against the FBS, but three of their last five games have been decided by one possession. Last season, GWU led Liberty 20-14 going to the fourth, and led Coastal Carolina 27-24 with 10:33 remaining in the game. In 2021 at Georgia Southern, a sack by the Eagles with 42 seconds remaining clinched the win for the Eagles. The 'Dawgs lone win against an FBS team came on September 11, 2010 at Akron, a 38-37 win over the Zips in overtime.
THE HEAD COACHES
Gardner-Webb head coach Tre Lamb is the second-youngest skipper in Division I FCS football at age 33. He is 13-15 in his brief tenure, with five of those losses coming to 85-scholarship FBS programs. Shawn Clark paces the sidelines for Appalachian State, holding a 26-13 record, including a road win at #6 Texas A&M and a thrilling victory over Troy in front of ESPN College Gameday last season. Clark played for the Mountaineers, and was a two-time All-American (1996 and 1998) and three-time all-conference selection (1995, 1996, 1998).
FAMILIAR FACES
The Lamb family is familiar with Appalachian State football. Tre Lamb's cousin Taylor Lamb played quarterback at Appalachian State from 2014-17. Lamb passed for nearly 10,000 yards (9,786), rushed for 2,008 yards and accounted for 113 total touchdowns. He finished his time at Appalachian State second to Armanti Edwards in the school's record books with 11,794 yards of total offense and 36 wins.
Meanwhile, former Gardner-Webb defensive coordinator Travis Cunningham roams the App State sidelines as the Inside Linebackers coach for the Mountaineers. During his 17 seasons at Gardner-Webb, Cunningham spent 14 of those seasons coaching inside linebackers and one season coaching the secondary. Six Bulldogs earned all-conference honors under Cunningham's leadership as defensive coordinator, and his standouts included an FCS All-American in linebacker Chad Geter, who went on to play professionally in the Canadian Football League. Cunningham also played for the Runnin' Bulldogs from 1999-2000
WHAT DO YOU SAY, AJ?
A pack of new receivers look to make their impact for the 'Dawgs, led by Redshirt Freshman AJ Johnson. Johnson is the highest-rated recruit in GWU football history, as he was rated as a four-star prospect and as nation's No. 20 receivers in the Class of 2022 following his junior season by Rivals.com. Prior to moving to Florida, Johnson spent his junior season at Newman High School in Louisiana, where he caught 40 passes for 558 yards and six touchdowns. In his senior year at Western High in Florida, Johnson caught 13 passes for 171 yards and a touchdown
WOWSLEY
Raequan Ousley exploded onto the scene last season, recording 19 pass break ups and earning Third Team All-American honors. His 19 PBUs are the second-most in a single season in GWU history, behind James Harbison, who broke up 20 passes in the 1992 season. Ousley's 19 PBU's also ranked inside the top-15 in the FCS
ROAD TRIP
The Runnin' Bulldogs will once again face long stretches away from Spangler Stadium in 2023. GWU will play just one home game in September, facing RV Elon on Sept. 9. The 'Dawgs will also have just one home game in November, hosting conference rival Charleston Southern in the regular season finale on Nov. 18. Gardner-Webb does play three home games in October, hosting Robert Morris on Oct. 7, #24 EKU on Oct. 21, and RV UT Martin on Oct. 28
THIRD DOWN PATROL
Gardner-Webb was among the nation's best on third down last season, ranking No. 21 nationally by allowing a 35.0 percent conversion rate. GWU has been aided by a strong pass rush, with the team ranking No. 10 nationally in sacks last season. Eight different players recorded multiple sacks in 2022, with Ty French (11.5), William McRainey (5.5) and Willie Harris (5.5) leading the way.
WHERE THERE'S A WILL, THERE'S A TACKLE
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 28 games he has played in since earning the starting linebacker job in the 2021 spring season
COMING OUT STRONG
Gardner-Webb football is 27-23-2 all-time in season opening games. The Runnin' Bulldogs longest win streak game from 1999-2003, when GWU won five straight season opening games. Gardner-Webb and App State played the season opener in 1989, a 43-7 win for the Mountaineers. Under Tre Lamb, GWU is 2-1 in season openers, including a 42-20 win in his first game as head coach in the 2021 spring season. The two ties came in 1974 against Lenoir-Rhyne and in 1988 against Knoxville College.
BONJOUR
Gardner-Webb defensive stalwart Ty French (6-3, 230, Sr.) had a career-best season in 2022, breaking the Big South single-season record for sacks with 11.5 through 12 games. French is just the third player in league history to reach double figures in sacks and finished just a half sack from tying the GWU single-season mark set by Chris Mintz in 1999. The Moultrie, Ga., native needs just one more sack to tie the Big South career mark (25.0). French needs five more sacks to reach the Gardner-Webb career mark – currently held by former Green Bay Packer and GWU Hall of Famer Gabe Wilkins (1990-1993). French was a finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award and was on the final watch list for the Ted Hendricks Award in 2022. He enters the 2023 season on the Buck Buchanan Award List once again.
QUARTERBACK
The main storyline all offseason has been the QB battle for Gardner-Webb. The Runnin' Bulldogs return Matthew Caldwell, who started one game for the 'Dawgs and played in six, finishing the season 33-for-55 with one TD and 374 yards passing. Gino English arrives to Boiling Springs as a graduate transfer from Florida State, going 2-for-2 for 16 yards passing in his lone appearance for the Seminoles against Louisiana last season. Freshman Jaylen King also competed for the starting job this summer. During his time at Charlton County High School in Georgia, King passed for 2,234 career yards and 17 touchdowns and ran for 551 yards and four more scores over three seasons. King was a first-team All-Region selection in 2022 after passing for 879 yards and seven touchdowns on 50-of-91 attempts. Ty Lyles also transfers in from Coastal Carolina after spending last season as a running back with the Chanticleers. Lyles graduated from East Forsyth High School in 2021, and was rated as a three-star recruit at quarterback, and was a two-time NCHSAA Class 4A state championship game MVP, completing 258-of-454 passes for 4,560 yards, 44 touchdowns, and 17 interceptions, while adding 1,238 yards and 13 touchdowns on the ground in his Eagles career.
GETTING IT DONE ON AND OFF THE FIELD
For the first time ever, Gardner-Webb has a player nominated for the William V. Campbell trophy in 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.
RUN 'DAWGS RUN
Gardner-Webb posted two of the top-4 rushing games in school history last season, rumbling for 412 yards in the season opener vs. Limestone and nearly topping that effort with 405 yards in its playoff win over Eastern Kentucky on November 26. GWU topped 200 yards on the ground seven times in the 2022 season, going 6-1 in those games.
WHEN THE MAYOR IS IN THE OFFICE
Gardner-Webb played just ten games last season with All-America running back Narii Gaither at full speed, going 7-3 in those contests. GWU averaged 37.3 points and 495.1 yards of total offense per game over those 10 games. Gaither averaged 101.9 rushing yards per game on those ten dates with seven touchdowns. He had six 100-yard games, and went for 245 yards in the win at Eastern Kentucky – the top rushing performance in Gardner-Webb's Division I history (since 2000).
UNFRIENDLY CONFINES
Gardner-Webb has lost six straight road openers, their last win coming in 2016, a 31-6 win at Elon. GWU played one road game in the Spring 2021 season, a 20-7 loss to Charleston Southern. The last two road opening losses were to Georgia Southern (30-25) and to Coastal Carolina (31-27) by a combined nine points.
THIS IS COOL
Gardner-Webb had a passer go for 300+, a rusher go for 100+ and a receiver go for 100+ in the same game for just the fourth time in its 42-35 win at Campbell on November 12, 2022. It was only the second time that the Runnin' Bulldogs won a game when accomplishing that feat, joining a November 11, 2000 win over No. 23 New Hampshire on the road.
A LONG TIME COMING
Before the 2022 season, Gardner-Webb last secured the Big South's three major postseason awards in the same season in 2002, when Jeremy Martin (Offensive Player of the Year), Mario Williams (Defensive Player of the Year) and Steve Patton (Coach of the Year) were honored. Keppy Baucom was also named Big South Freshman of the Year in 2002. That solo award is now split into two different awards – Offensive and Defensive Freshman of the Year.
NATIONAL RANKINGS
For the first time since the 2003 preseason, GWU finds themselves in the preseason national polls. The 'Dawgs are ranked #25 in the STATS Preseason Poll and #24 in the AFCA Coaches Poll. It is the first time Gardner-Webb has been ranked since earning the #24 spot in both polls on Oct. 5, 2013. Gardner-Webb's highest ranking ever was when the squad earned the #18 spot in the final media poll following the 2003 season.
ALL THE LISTS
This preseason, Ty French and Narii Gaither have found themselves on several preseason award Watch Lists. Gaither is on the Walter Peyton Award Watch List for best offensive player in the FCS, while French slides in on the Buck Buchanan Watch List for best defensive player. Both athletes earned preseason All-American honors from STATS, along with teammate Raequan Ousley. French also became the first GWU player since Chad Geter in 2016 to earn a spot on the Reese's Senior Bowl Watchlist.
WE'RE BACK, A DEFENSE STORY
The Runnin' Bulldogs return 10 of their 11 starters from last season's defense. GWU led the conference in interceptions (16), forced turnovers (24), and third-down defense (32.1) last season. The Runnin' Bulldogs also led the Big South in sacks with 38 total for an average of 2.9 sacks a game. Ty Anderson was one of just four players in the conference to tally a pick six, recording a 45-yard interception return at Marshall (10/1). The GWU defense also forced three redzone turnovers last season, the third-most in the Big South.
BLOCK OUT THE NOISE
Gardner-Webb was one of just two teams in the FCS Playoffs last season to win a true road game, knocking off Eastern Kentucky 52-41. The other win was #7 Incarnate Word defeating #2 Sacramento State 66-63 in the Quarterfinals. The Runnin' Bulldogs also became the first team to win their first ever FCS Playoff game in program history since Austin Peay made a run to the Quarterfinals in 2019, knocking off Furman 42-6 and Sacramento State 42-28.
SEASONS TO REMEMBER
The 2023 season marks the 50th anniversary of the 1973 Gardner-Webb football team. That team went 7-5, the first winning season for any four-year football team at GWU, as the school was a junior college until 1970. The squad earned an invite to the Poultry Bowl against Stephen F. Austin, the only bowl invite for a senior college team at Gardner-Webb. Richard Grissom earned All-American honors, the first GWU football player to earn the accolade for a senior college team.
This season also marks the 20th anniversary of the 2003 Runnin' Bulldog team that won their second straight Big South Championship. That team featured 2003 Big South Player of the Year Mario Williams, who had 15 pass break-ups, the sixth most in a single season in program history. The 2003 team also defeating three current FBS squads (FIU, Liberty and Coastal Carolina) and shut out Charleston Southern 46-0 to go a perfect 4-0 in conference play.
UP NEXT
Gardner-Webb will play inside Spangler Stadium for the first time in 2023, hosting RV Elon for Family Weekend. Kickoff is set for 6:00 PM. Fans can purchase tickets at gwusports.com. For those unable to make it out to Spangler Stadium, fans can watch the game on ESPN+ or listen live via the Runnin' Bulldog Sports Network via The Varsity Network, on the radio via WGNC 1450 AM/101.1 FM or gwusports.com.
