BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. - Hunter Smith booted three second-half field goals and Tavoris Horton returned an interception 31 yards for a TD with 3:05 left to lead Gardner-Webb past VMI, 28-17, in Big South football action Saturday night.

VMI led 14-13, at the break, but the Bulldogs took the opening drive of the second half 59 yards and eight plays and capped it with a 27-yard field goal to give Gardner-Webb the lead for good with 11:10 remaining in the third quarter. Smith later added field goals of 45 and 26 yards to extend the lead to 22-14 with 9:16 left in the fourth quarter.

The Keydets cut the margin to 22-17 at the 6:21 mark when freshman Barrett Way booted a career-long 46-yarder for his fifth consecutive field goal of the season.

VMI forced GWU to punt on its next possession and VMI took over at its own 25 with four minutes remaining. The Keydets advanced to their own 43, but on a third and six situation, Montelone rolled left and fired a sideline pass that was picked off by Horton at the 36 and returned down the sideling for a touchdown. Smith's extra point provided the final margin.

Monteleone became VMI's fourth starting quarterback of the year and took all snaps during the contest. He finished with 10 of 17 completions for 121 yards and two TD's, but was picked off twice.

VMI overcame a 7-0 first quarter deficit with 14 unanswered points. Junior wideout Zohn Burden took a screen pass from Monteleone on a GWU blitz and scored on a 49-yard pass play to put VMI on the board, and Way's extra-point tied it at 7-7 with 1:05 left in the first quarter.

The Keydets took the lead in the second quarter when Montelone scrambled to his right and found junior Gary Price in the right corner of the endzone with 5:37 left, capping a four-play 37-yard drive that was set up by Jamaal Walton's interception at the GWU 37-yard line. Way's extra point put VMI up by a touchdown.

GWU answered 47 seconds before halftime with a 12-play 87-yard drive topped by a two-yard run by defensive lineman and short yardage specialist Harold Wells' 2-yard run - his second TD of the game. The Bulldogs passed up a chance to tie the game by pulling a fake on the extra point, but Graham Whitlock's pass was batted down at the goal line by linebacker Mike Maleski.

VMI junior running back Sean Mizzer netted his 12th career 100-yard game with 126 yards on 25 carries. GWU's Jermaine Boston led all rushers with 145 yards on 18 carries, including 101 in the second half.

The Keydets (0-8, 0-3) play their final road game of the season next Saturday at #13 James Madison, a 26-20 winner at Richmond on Saturday. Gardner-Webb (3-4, 1-1) hosts Coastal Carolina in a Big South game next Saturday at 1:30 p.m.