NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Gardner-Webb opens conference play for the first time in the new Big South-OVC Football Association, heading to Nashville to face off against Tennessee State.
Gardner-Webb (1-1) at Tennessee State (1-1)
Saturday, Sept. 16 - 6:00 PM
Nashville, Tenn. - Nissan Stadium
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Listen (Runnin' Bulldog Sports Network)
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THE GAME
Gardner-Webb opens up conference play on the road, traveling to Nashville, Tenn. to face off against Tennessee State. Kickoff is set for 6:00 PM Eastern/5:00 PM Central. Dave Friedman and Mark Covert will have the online radio call via the Runnin' Bulldog Sports Network on The Varsity Network and gwusports.com or on the radio via WGNC 101.1 FM/1450 AM. Dan Laing and Keith Bulluck will have the call on ESPN+.
THE HEAD COACHES
Gardner-Webb head coach Tre Lamb is the second-youngest skipper in Division I football at age 33. He is 14-16 in his brief tenure, with six of those losses coming to 85-scholarship FBS programs. He will actually turn 34 during the game against Tennessee State. Former Heisman Trophy winner at Ohio State and Tennessee Titan Eddie George is in his second season at Tennessee State. George has a record of 5-8 so far in his second year with the Tigers, with one of those losses coming to #13 Notre Dame.
LAST TIME OUT
Gardner-Webb enters this week's contest 1-1 following a 34-27 win over Elon. GWU led the Phoenix 27-13 with 6:47 left in the game, but Elon scored 14 unanswered points to tie the game at 27 apiece with 1:25 left. The Runnin' Bulldogs responded with an eight-play, 69-yard drive in just 1:11, concluding with an 11-yard touchdown pass from Matthew Caldwell to Ephraim Floyd with 14 seconds left. Jimmy Bowdry's interception with five seconds remaining clinched the win for the Runnin' Bulldogs.
SCOUTING TENNESSEE STATE
Tennessee State enters the contest with a 1-1 record after defeating Arkansas-Pine Bluf 24-14 last week in Memphis, Tenn. James Green returned a blocked field goal 94 yards with 53 seconds remaining to clinch the victory for the Tigers. Green also had 11 tackles in the game, and was named Big South-OVC Defensive Player of the Week...Tennessee State is coached by 1995 Heisman winner and former Tennessee Titans running back Eddie George. George is 5-8 in his two seasons at Tennessee State...Jalen Rouse leads the Tigers in rushing, with 28 attempts for 119 yards so far this season. Deveon Bryant ranks second on the team with 109 rushing yards on 16 carries...Bryant is also 19-for-31 for 217 yards with two interceptions...Monroe Beard III leads Tennessee State on defense with 18 tackles, 12 of those being solo. Both Chris Walker and Terrell Allen have 2.0 tackles-for-loss and one sack, along with six total tackles.
CROWN HIM
With a half sack along with Brendan Jackson against Elon, Ty French recorded his 25.5 career sack, giving him the Big South conference career sack record, breaking the mark of 25.0 set by Chima Uzowie of Liberty (2012-15). French is 3.5 sacks shy of Gabe Wilkins (1990-93) for the school career sack record of 29.0. French's 42 career tackles-for-loss is tied for the fifth-most in Gardner-Webb history. His 3.5 TFL this season are tied for first in the conference.
THE MAYOR
Running back Narii Gaither (5-10, 181, R-Sr.) now has 2,605 yards rushing for his career, ranking fifth all-time. Gaither is now second on the school's all-time Division I career rushing list, trailing only Tyrell Maxwell (2,944). Gaither also needs just three receptions to pass fullback Philip Keefe (88) for the most receptions by a running back in school history. Gaither needs just 29 yards to pass Justin Richardson (1998-2001) for the fourth-most rushing yards in program history.
THE JOHN MERRITT CLASSIC
This week's game between GWU and Tennessee State is the 24th annual John Merritt Classic. The game is named after former Tiger coach and College Football Hall of Famer John Merritt, who coached Tennessee State from 1963-1983. Merritt compiled a record of 172-33-7 at TSU and was 232-65-11 overall in his coaching career. Former NFL Stars coached by Merritt include "Jefferson Street" Joe Gilliam (Pittsburgh Steelers), Richard Dent (Chicago Bears), Ed "Too Tall" Jones (Dallas Cowboys), and Claude Humphrey (Philadelphia Eagles). Tennessee State holds a 16-7 record in the John Merritt Classic, but dropped last year's classic to Division-II Lane College 28-27.
BiG TIME BILLINGSLEY
Jay Billingsley earned his first career Big South-OVC Special Teams Player of the Week honors on Monday, Sept. 11. Billingsley was a perfect 2-for-2 on field goals, connecting on a 25-yard attempt in the first quarter to give Gardner-Webb a 3-0 lead over Elon before hitting a 32-yarder at the end of the first half to put the 'Dawgs ahead 13-3 at the break. The sophomore was also a perfect 4-for-4 on extra points as the Runnin' Bulldogs knocked off the Phoenix 34-27 on Saturday. Billingsley also handled kickoff duties for Gardner-Webb, as he averaged 54.7 yards per kick. The honor is Billingsley's second career weekly award, as he earned Big South Freshman of the Week last season following his week two performance at Coastal Carolina (9/12).
DOING WELL CALDWELL
Matthew Caldwell has grown more comfortable as the starting quarterback for Gardner-Webb, as his 66.0 completion percentage ranks 25th in the FCS and 1st in the Big South-OVC, while his 62 total completions lead the nation. In back-to-back weeks, Caldwell has recorded top-10 marks for completions in a game, as his 30 completions against App State are the eighth-most in a game by a GWU quarterback, while his 32 completions against Elon are the fourth-most in a game. Caldwell threw for 296 yards and two touchdowns and ran for a touchdown in the Runnin' Bulldogs' win over the Phoenix.
THIRD DOWN PATROL
The Gardner-Webb defense continues to be stout on third downs, as opposing offenses have converted just 28.6 percent of their third downs against GWU this season. Last week, the 'Dawgs held Elon to 0-for-6 on third down in the first half, and the Phoenix went 0-for-9 on their first nine third down attempts of the game. Elon went just 4-for-15 on third downs against Gardner-Webb last week
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 30 games he has played in since earning the starting linebacker job in the 2021 spring season. This season, McRainey has 18 total tackles, including ten tackles last week against Elon.
BRIGHT LIGHTS, BIG CITY
Tennessee State plays their football games inside of Nissan Stadium, the home of the NFL's Tennessee Titans. This is the second time Gardner-Webb will play a football game at a current NFL stadium, as the Runnin' Bulldogs traveled to Pittsburgh, Pa. in 2012, falling to Pitt 55-10 at Heinz Field, the home of the Pittsburgh Steelers. With Nissan's listed capacity of 69,143, this will be the largest stadium the Runnin' Bulldogs have ever played in, beating out Heinz Field (68,400) and Mississippi State's Davis Wade Stadium (61,000).
BURNS BABY BURNS
Jonathan Burns has been a big target for the Gardner-Webb offense, as his 13 receptions so far this season rank 12th in the FCS and fifth in the conference. Last week, Burns hauled in a career-high nine catches for 62 yards and a touchdown against Elon. Burns is averaging 7.9 yards per catch and 51.5 yards per game so far.
GREAT WALL OF GABE
Gabe Thompson has been a stalwart on the Gardner-Webb offensive line, starting in 30 games so far in his career, primarily at center. The All-Big South selection has anchored an offensive line that has allowed just one sack so far this season, while also converting 47.2 percent of their third downs. Thompson and the offensive line have also helped the 'Dawgs average 140 yards on the ground per game, and have scored four rushing touchdowns.
MILEAGE
The Runnin' Bulldogs will play six road games this season, traveling a total of 2,112 miles. Their longest trip will be on Nov. 5, heading to Smithfield, RI to face Bryant (715 miles). The 'Dawgs have already played their shortest road game of the season, as they headed just 47 miles up the road to face App State on Sept. 2.
NATIONAL NOTICE
Matthew Caldwell earned FCS Stats FedEx Ground Offensive Player of the Week Honorable Mention honors for his play against Elon last week. It is the first weekly honor for Caldwell in his career. It is the second straight week that a Gardner-Webb player has been recognized to the list, as Jayden Brown earned the accolade following his big game in week one at App State.
UP NEXT
The Runnin' Bulldogs step back out of conference play, facing another FBS opponent, traveling to ECU to face off against the Pirates in Greenville, N.C on Saturday, Sept. 23. Kickoff is set for 6:00 PM
