NASHVILLE, Tenn. – A 50-yard field goal with nine seconds left gave Tennessee State a 27-25 win over Gardner-Webb on Saturday, Sept. 16.
 
One the first play of the game, Ty French exploded through the Tiger defensive line, picking up a sack as the Runnin' Bulldogs forced a three-and-out on Tennessee State's (2-1, 1-0 Big South-OVC) opening drive. After a 36-yard pass from Matthew Caldwell to Brennen McGuire put Gardner-Webb (1-2, 0-1 Big South-OVC) in the red zone, Narii Gaither powered into the endzone for his first touchdown of the season, giving the Runnin' Bulldogs a 7-0 lead early in the first quarter.
 
The 'Dawgs forced a turnover on Tennessee State's second drive of the game, as Brandon Wilson punched the ball out of Jalen Rouse's arms, with AJ Thomas scooping up the ball. Gardner-Webb opted to go for it on fourth down at the TSU 39 yard-line, and were unsuccessful, with the pass to Jonathan Burns falling incomplete.
 
Tennessee State forced a Gardner-Webb three-and-out, and taking advantage of great field position, Deveon Bryant rushed into the endzone from 24 yards out to tie the game at seven. Gaither broke free for a 52-yard run to get the Runnin' Bulldogs deep into Tennessee State territory, but could not convert on a 29-yard field goal as time expired in the first quarter.
 
After a 22-yard punt return by Maleek Huggins, Darius Hough scored on a 28-yard passing touchdown by Caldwell, snagging the ball off the hands of Gaither and sprinting to the endzone to give Gardner-Webb a 14-7 lead with 9:51 remaining in the second quarter. The Tigers answered with a deep shot of their own, as Draylen Ellis completed a 55-yard touchdown pass to Da'Shon Davis to tie the game at 14-14 with 1:39 remaining. The 'Dawgs used an eight-play. 42-yard drive, and Jay Billingsley nailed a career-long 48-yard field goal to give Gardner-Webb the 17-14 lead at the break.
 
Gaither opened the second half with another big run, this time a 44-yard rush, but GWU could not convert a field goal chance. On fourth down from midfield, a punt snap went over the head of Austin Hendley. Tennessee State took advantage of the field possession, and scored on a seven-yard rush by Rouse, giving the Tigers a 21-17 lead with 6:40 remaining in the third quarter.
 
The 'Dawgs got back on the board, after a Hendley punt pinned TSU deep, Ty Anderson tackled Rouse in the backfield to cut the Tiger lead down to 21-19. After both teams traded punts for a bit, Tennessee State swelled the lead to 24-19.
 
Gardner-Webb got the ball back with 6:23 remaining in the contest, and Jackson Head converted a fourth and two to keep the drive alive. Caldwell found Gaither open in the flat, and the senior took the ball 16 yards for a touchdown. The two-point conversion was no good, but GWU went on top 25-24 with 4:50 left in the game.
 
On the ensuing Tennessee State drive, Josiah Wright picked off a pass over the middle to give Gardner-Webb possession with 4:25 remaining. After the drive stalled, Tennessee State got the ball down to the GWU 33-yard line, where James Lowrey drilled a 50-yard field goal to give the Tigers a 27-25 lead with nine seconds remaining. Caldwell completed a pass across the middle to Hough, who lateraled the ball to McGuire, but Tennessee State tackled him at the 45-yard line to give TSU the 27-25 victory.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Narii Gaither rushed for 152 yards in the loss, moving him past Jonny Walker (1974-77) for the third-most rushing yards in school history. Gaither has now rushed for 2,757 yards in his career.
• Gaither's 16-yard touchdown catch gives him seven career touchdown catches, one shy of tying Philip Keefe (1992-95) for the most in school history by a running back. He is also one reception shy of tying Keefe for the most receptions in program history by a running back (8).
• Ty Anderson's safety in the third quarter is the first safety recorded by the Runnin' Bulldogs since 2019, when Josh Ramseur picked up a safety at East Carolina

 
UP NEXT
Gardner-Webb heads back out of conference play, taking on FBS East Carolina in Greenville, N.C. on Saturday, Sept. 23. Kickoff is set for 6:00 PM.