CHICAGO, Ill. - For the first time in his career, Matthew Caldwell earned FedEx Ground FCS National Offensive Player of the Week Honorable Mention honors, announced by The Analyst on Monday, Sept. 11. 

Caldwell had another strong start for the Runnin' Bulldogs, going 32-for-46 through the air for 296 yards with two passing touchdowns. Caldwell also rushed for 21 yards, including a four-yard touchdown scramble in the fourth quarter.

The Auburn, Ala. native was clutch for the 'Dawgs, as he led an eight-play, 69-yard drive in 1:11, culminating with an 11-yard touchdown pass with 14 seconds left to Ephraim Floyd to give GWU a 34-27 victory over Elon.

Nationally, Caldwell leads all of the FCS with 62 completions so far. His 66.0 completion percentage is third in the Big South-OVC and ranks 25th in the FCS. The redshirt sophomore's 519 passing yards also leads the conference and ranks 14th in the nation.

It is the second straight week a Gardner-Webb player has earned FedEx Ground FCS National Offensive Player of the Week Honorable Mention honors, with Jayden Brown getting the nod after his performance at App State week one. 

Gardner-Webb opens conference play this weekend, traveling to Nashville, Tenn. to face Tennessee State. Kickoff is set for 6:00 PM Eastern.