2022 Gardner–Webb Runnin' Bulldogs football team

2022 Gardner–Webb Runnin' Bulldogs football
2022 Gardner–Webb Runnin' Bulldogs football
Big South champion
NCAA Division I Second Round, L 14–54 at William & Mary
Conference	Big South Conference
Record	7–6 (5–0 Big South)
Head coach	Tre Lamb (3rd season);
Defensive coordinator	Josh Reardon (3rd season)
Home stadium	Ernest W. Spangler Stadium
	Seasons ← 2021 2023 →

The 2022 Gardner–Webb Runnin' Bulldogs football team represented Gardner–Webb University as a member of the Big South Conference during the 2022 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by third-year head coach Tre Lamb, the Runnin' Bulldogs played their home games at the Ernest W. Spangler Stadium in Boiling Springs, North Carolina.

2022 Big South Conference football standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
Gardner–Webb $^	5	–	0	7	–	6
North Carolina A&T	4	–	1	7	–	4
Campbell	2	–	3	5	–	6
Bryant	2	–	3	4	–	7
Charleston Southern	2	–	3	2	–	8
Robert Morris	0	–	5	0	–	11

$ – Conference champion ^ – FCS playoff participant Rankings from STATS Poll

Three milestones were reached for the program this season. For the first time since 2003, Gardner-Webb won the Big South championship. With it, they clinched an automatic bid to the NCAA Division I Football Championship, their first playoff appearance as an FCS team and first as a program since the 1992 NAIA playoffs.^[1] Their best season in 19 years would be further added on with a win over Eastern Kentucky in the first round of the playoffs, their first FCS playoff win in program history. They would ultimately fall to William & Mary in the second round.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 1	7:00 p.m.	Limestone*	Ernest W. Spangler Stadium Boiling Springs, NC	ESPN+	W 56–21	4,560
September 10	6:00 p.m.	at Coastal Carolina*	Brooks Stadium Conway, SC	ESPN+	L 27–31	12,261
September 17	6:00 p.m.	at Elon*	Rhodes Stadium Elon, NC	FloSports	L 24–30	8,126
September 24	6:00 p.m.	No. 17 Mercer*	Ernest W. Spangler Stadium Boiling Springs, NC	ESPN+	L 14–45	4,750
October 1	3:30 p.m.	at Marshall*	Joan C. Edwards Stadium Huntington, WV	ESPN+	L 7–28	19,845
October 8	12:00 p.m.	at Robert Morris	Joe Walton Stadium Moon Township, PA	ESPN3	W 48–0	2,416
October 15	3:30 p.m.	at Liberty*	Williams Stadium Lynchburg, VA	ESPN+	L 20–21	20,924
October 22	6:00 p.m.	at Charleston Southern	Buccaneer Field North Charleston, SC	ESPN3	W 28–14	4,112
October 29	1:30 p.m.	Bryant	Ernest W. Spangler Stadium Boiling Springs, NC	ESPN+	W 48–40	3,060
November 12	1:00 p.m.	at Campbell	Barker–Lane Stadium Buies Creek, NC	ESPN3	W 42–35	4,586
November 19	1:30 p.m.	North Carolina A&T	Ernest W. Spangler Stadium Boiling Springs, NC	ESPN+	W 38–17	268
November 26	5:00 p.m.	at Eastern Kentucky*	Roy Kidd Stadium Richmond, KY (NCAA Division I First Round)	ESPN+	W 52–41	4,973
December 3	2:00 p.m.	at No. 6 William & Mary*	Zable Stadium Williamsburg, VA (NCAA Division I Second Round)	ESPN+	L 14–54	7,110
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from STATS Poll released prior to the game All times are in Eastern time

^[2]^[3]

Game summaries

Limestone

	1	2	3	4	Total
Saints	0	7	7	7	21
Runnin' Bulldogs	28	14	14	0	56

At Coastal Carolina

	1	2	3	4	Total
Runnin' Bulldogs	0	10	10	7	27
Chanticleers	3	14	7	7	31

At Elon

	1	2	3	4	Total
Runnin' Bulldogs	3	21	0	0	24
Phoenix	13	7	7	3	30

No. 17 Mercer

	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 17 Bears	21	7	7	10	45
Runnin' Bulldogs	0	7	7	0	14

At Marshall

Game Five – Gardner–Webb Runnin' Bulldogs (1–3) at Marshall Thundering Herd (2–2)

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Runnin' Bulldogs	7	0	0	0	7
Thundering Herd	7	7	7	7	28

at Joan C. Edwards Stadium • Huntington, West Virginia

Date: Saturday, October 1, 2022
Game time: 3:30 p.m. EDT
Game weather: Rain • Temperature: 54 °F (12 °C) • Wind: N/A
Game attendance: 19,845
Referee: Scott Jackson
TV announcers (ESPN+): Chad Bush (play-by-play), Doug Chapman (analyst)
Pregame line: Marshall –31.0

Game information

First quarter

(9:30) MRSH – A.J. Turner 24 yard pass from Henry Colombi, Rece Verhoff kick (Drive: 7 plays, 41 yards, 2:40; Marshall 7–0)
(3:03) GWU – Ty Anderson 45 yard interception return, Jay Billingsly kick (Tied 7–7)

Second quarter

(5:48) MRSH – Corey Gammage 10 yard pass from Henry Colombi, Rece Verhoff kick (Drive: 6 plays, 57 yards, 2:59; Marshall 14–7)

Third quarter

(11:09) MRSH – Khalan Laborn 1 yard run, Rece Verhoff kick (Drive: 10 plays, 67 yards, 3:13; Marshall 21–7)

Fourth quarter

(8:11) MRSH – Khalan Laborn 78 yard run, Rece Verhoff kick (Drive: 1 play, 78 yards, 0:12; Marshall 28-7)

Statistics	GWU	MRSH
First downs	8	21
Plays–yards	51–143	86–421
Rushes–yards	19–19	53–236
Passing yards	124	185
Passing: comp–att–int	11–32–3	21–33–1
Time of possession	21:34	38:26

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Gardner–Webb	Passing	Bailey Fisher	9/28, 114 yards, 3 INT
	Rushing	Donovan Jones	4 carries, 37 yards
	Receiving	Deland Thomas	2 receptions, 49 yards
Marshall	Passing	Henry Colombi	13/20, 138 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT
	Rushing	Khalan Laborn	35 carries, 191 yards, 2 TD
	Receiving	Charles Montgomery	5 receptions, 72 yards

At Robert Morris

	1	2	3	4	Total
Runnin' Bulldogs	7	13	14	14	48
Colonials	0	0	0	0	0

At Liberty

	1	2	3	4	Total
Runnin' Bulldogs	0	10	7	3	20
Flames	7	7	0	7	21

At Charleston Southern

	1	2	3	4	Total
Runnin’ Bulldogs	3	10	15	0	28
Buccaneers	7	0	7	0	14

Bryant

	1	2	3	4	Total
Bulldogs	14	9	6	11	40
Runnin' Bulldogs	14	14	14	6	48

At Campbell

	1	2	3	4	Total
Runnin' Bulldogs	14	21	7	0	42
Fighting Camels	0	14	14	7	35

North Carolina A&T

	1	2	3	4	Total
Aggies	7	7	3	0	17
Runnin' Bulldogs	3	21	7	7	38

FCS Playoffs

At Eastern Kentucky – first round

	1	2	3	4	Total
Runnin' Bulldogs	21	10	21	0	52
Colonels	14	13	0	14	41

At No. 6 William & Mary – second round

	1	2	3	4	Total
Runnin' Bulldogs	0	0	7	7	14
No. 6 Tribe	7	27	13	7	54

References

^ "Gardner-Webb Wins 2022 Big South Football Championship". Big South Conference. November 19, 2022. Retrieved December 6, 2022.
^ "Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs Schedule 2022". ESPN. Retrieved October 18, 2023.
^ "2022 Football Schedule". Gardner–Webb University. Retrieved October 18, 2023.

[1] "Gardner-Webb Wins 2022 Big South Football Championship". Big South Conference. November 19, 2022. Retrieved December 6, 2022.

[2] "Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs Schedule 2022". ESPN. Retrieved October 18, 2023.

[3] "2022 Football Schedule". Gardner–Webb University. Retrieved October 18, 2023.

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