LEXINGTON, Va. - Senior wide receiver William Andrews (Norcross, Ga.) caught six passes for 79 yards and three touchdowns to lead Gardner-Webb to a 37-25 Big South win over VMI Saturday at Alumni Memorial Field.
The Bulldogs improved to 3-0 in the league and 6-2 overall. They have won 19 of their last 22 games and are 6-0 all-time in Big South games dating back to last season.
VMI fell to 4-4, 1-2.
GWU Sophomore quarterback Nick Roberts completed 11 of 24 passes for 135 yards and four touchdowns to pace the Bulldog attack. Senior running back Chris Foster rushed for 102 yards on 20 carries to lead all ground gainers. It was Roberts' fourth 100-yard ground game over the last five contests.
After falling behind 7-0, VMI's Matt Sharpe booted four straight field goals to put VMI up 12-7 with 10:13 left in the second quarter. Sharpe kicked a pair of career-long 48-yard field goals and also hit attempts from 39 and 39 yards to make him 12 of 17 on the year.
The VMI lead was short-lived, however, when freshman wideout Andrew Gaines caught a option pass from Foster for a 27-yard score to put the Bulldogs back on top, and a successful two-point conversion run by Foster gave Gardner-Webb a 15-12 lead with 4:40 left in the second quarter. The Bulldogs moved 87 yards on 10 plays on the go-ahead drive which was keyed by a 19-yard completion from Roberts to Darin Bradford from the GWU 9 on a third-and-14 situation.
On GWU's next possesssion, Andrews caught a sideline route, broke a tackle with a spin move and dashed down the boundary for a 40-yard score to give the Bulldogs a 22-12 lead at halftime.
Gardner-Webb appeared on the verge of blowing the game open after intermission when junior outside linebacker Tavoris Horton sacked VMI quarterback Jonathan Wilson in the endzone for a safety with 5:56 remaining in the third quarter. Touchdown passes from Roberts to Bradford (11 yards) and Andrews (9 yards) extended the Bulldogs lead to 37-12 with 14:26 left in the game.
VMI mounted a rally when reserve quarterback Josh Lyles engineered a six-play, 83-yard drive capped by a bizarre 56-yard scoring play that started with a T.J. Snelling reception to the GWU 30, a fumble by Snelling after a hit by Bulldog safety Mario Williams, and a scoopup and 25-yard dash to the endzone by VMI junior receiver John Puvogel. The unusual score sliced the Bulldog lead to 37-18 with 11:55 left, as Sharpe missed his first PAT attempt of the season in 28 attempts.
Lyles scored on a two-yard sweep run on a fourth and goal call to cut the lead to 37-25 with 8:19 remaining. The score was costly, however, as Lyles sustained a partial dislocation of his right shoulder which should sideline him for two weeks.
VMI's defense forced Gardner-Webb to punt on the ensuing possession and the Keydets took over at its own 25 with 4:56 left. Wilson reentered the game and moved the offense to a first down at the VMI 40, but a six-yard sack by junior noseguard Harold Wells, an incomplete pass, a three-yard rush by sophomore running back Sean Mizzer, and a six-yard pass to T.J. Snelling saw the drive stall at the VMI 43 with 3:29 left in the game.
Mizzer, who entered the game as the Big South's leading rusher averaging 111.9 yards per contest, was limited to 74 yards on 22 carries.
Wilson labored through a a 10 for 25 day for 69 yards passing and was sacked three times.
Senior outside linebacker Jim Maxwell led the Bulldogs with eight tackles including one-for-loss, and forced two fumbles. VMI's Derik Screen had 15 stops including one-for-loss.
Gardner-Webb outgained the Keydets, 439-247, with a balanced attacked of 277 yards rushing and 162 yards passing.
VMI steps out of conference play next Saturday to face state rival Richmond at UR Stadium at 3:00. Gardner-Webb will take an open date before facing Florida Atlantic in Ft. Lauderdale on November 1 at 3:30.
POSTGAME QUOTES
VMI Head Coach Cal McCombs
- "We weren't able to run the football effectively with just five people in the box. They did a nice job of stopping the run."
- "Our defense played hard and made some plays."
- "They (Gardner-Webb) were a little more experienced than we were. They handled adverse situations well and were a more confident football team. That was the difference in the ball game."
- "We have to find a way to rush the football better than the way were rushing it right now."
Gardner-Webb Head Coach Steve Patton
- "It was hard-fought game and we were fortunate to come away with a good conference road victory."
- "Turnovers hurt us, but our defense kept VMI out of the end zone in the first half and gave our offense a chance to respond."
- "Our kids showed a lot of poise and responded the way we needed them to respond."
POSTGAME NOTES
VMI
- Senior kicker Matt Sharpe kicked a career-high four field goals. He tied the second best mark in VMI history, equalling Craig Jones' mark achieved on Sept. 18, 1976 against Appalachian State. Jones holds the single-game record of five, achieved against William & Mary on Sept. 10, 1977.
- Sharpe kicked two career-long 48-yard field goals on the day.
- Sharpe now has 149 career kicking points, putting him No. 3 on VMI's all-time list. He is now No. 6 on VMI's all-time scoring list. He is now No. 1 on the VMI all-time list in PAT's (83) and fouth in field goals (22).
- Senior slotback T.J. Snelling now has 96 receptions for 1,026 yards in his career. Three more receptions moves him into the top five in the VMI all-time career list.
- Senior cornerback Musa Sarki made his 10th interception. That moves him to No. 5 on VMI's all-time career list.
- Junior wide receiver John Puvogel's recovery of a VMI fumble and advance for a touchdown was the fist since P.W. Sarver did so against Chattanooga on Nov. 6, 1983.
- The safety that Gardner-Webb registered in the third quarter was the first against the Keydets since Appalachian State did so on Nov. 23, 1986.
Gardner-Webb
- Gardner-Webb is now 6-0 in the Big South and 4-0 in conference road games.
- Senior running back Chris Foster has now rushed for over 100 yards in all six Big South games that he has played in.
- Senior wide receiver William Andrews, Jr. now holds the school receiving touchdown catches record with 32. He surpasses Rodney Robinson (1990-92).
