BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. – In what was a back-and-forth affair, the Gardner-Webb football team came up just short on Thursday night in its season-opener, dropping a 21-20 nail biter to visiting Wofford inside Spangler Stadium.
 
The Runnin' Bulldogs raced out of the gate with a solid first drive of the 2024 campaign, racking up 32 yards on six plays. Anthony Lowe put GWU in great field position with a 41-yard kickoff return, but the drive would stall at the Wofford 32 as the home team settled for a 44-yard field goal off the foot of Jay Billingsley.
 
Following a three-and-out on its first drive, Wofford was able to earn its first lead of the new season, marching 82 yards on eight plays, capped by a 17-yard pitch-and-catch from Amari Odom to Kyle Watkins. The Terriers tacked on the two-point conversion, leading 8-3 with 4:12 remaining in the first quarter.
 
That ignited a seesaw battle as Gardner-Webb forced a Terrier punt before racing down the field 67 yards in only eight plays to push back ahead 10-8. Back-to-back completions of 28 and 12 yards set the Runnin' Bulldogs up at the Wofford 32. Four plays later, quarterback Tyler Riddell hooked up with Giovanni Adopte for a 22-yard touchdown pass.
 
The Terries used 6:17 of the clock before punching in their next score, a 47-yard field goal from Jones, but Gardner-Webb answered right back with 24 yards and eight plays before Billingsley split the uprights, giving the Runnin' Bulldogs a 13-11 lead at the break.
 
Gardner-Webb gained a bit of breathing room with a defensive stand to begin the third period. With the Terriers faced with a 3^rd-and-15 from its own 35-yard line, Jackson Marshall wreaked havoc in the backfield, sacking Odom while causing a fumble. The Black and Red wasted no time putting points on the board as Edward Saydee took the first handoff of the drive and scampered 32 yards to paydirt, giving GWU a 20-11 lead.
 
However, that would be the last points scored by the Runnin' Bulldogs as a Ryan Ingram touchdown trimmed the Terrier deficit to 20-18 followed by a 45-yard field goal from Jones, which proved to be the game-winner with 5:50 on the clock. Wofford was able to convert a crucial 4^th-and-1 from just over midfield with 90 seconds remaining, ultimately allowing the visitors to milk the clock for the one-point win.
 
Gardner-Webb will return to action on Saturday, September 7, traveling to Harrisonburg, Va. to take on the Dukes of James Madison. Kickoff is slated for 6 p.m.