Box Score POSTGAME PRESS CONFERENCE
LEXINGTON, Va. - Gardner-Webb rallied with two touchdowns over the last five minutes of the fourth quarter to defeat VMI, 36-22, Saturday afternoon before 8,367 Parents Weekend spectators at Foster Stadium in the Big South Conference opener for both teams.

Senior wide receiver Duvaughn Flagler connected with sophomore quarterback Stan Doolittle for a 61-yard touchdown pass play with 5:00 remaining in the game to provide the Bulldogs with what proved to be the winning score.

Gardner-Webb improved its overall mark to 3-4 (1-0 BSC) while VMI fell to 2-5 (0-1).

Leading 22-21 in the fourth quarter, VMI's offense drove the ball to the Gardner-Webb 11-yard line and faced a third-and-one with six minutes remaining. But a fumbled pitch exchange between sophomore quarterback Kyle Hughes and sophomore slotback Tim Maypray resulted in a five-yard loss and was followed by a bad snap on a 33-yard field goal attempt by Patrick Sweeney to send VMI away empty handed in the red zone.

Gardner-Webb took over at its own 27 and scored the go-ahead touchdown three plays later when Doolittle hit Flagler on a midfield crossing route for the 61-yard pass play.

The Bulldogs emerged victorious despite being dominated statistically in many categories by the Keydets. VMI ran a school record-tying 95 plays for 449 yards total offense to Gardner-Webb's 330 yards. VMI outrushed the Bulldogs, 352-111, and held a 39:42 to 20:18 advantage in time of possession. VMI rolled up a season high 28 first downs to GWU's 13 first downs.

Doolittle completed 10 of 15 passes for 151 yards and sophomore running back David Montgomery added 97 yards rushing and two touchdowns to lead the GWU attack. Flagler hauled in four catches for 75 yards while junior wide receiver Dobson Collins caught three passes for 87 yards and a touchdown.

VMI sophomore fullback Howard Abegesah rushed for a career-high 180 yards on 23 carries and produced his third 100-yard rushing game of the season. Hughes added 91 yards rushing and two touchdowns for the Keydets.

Sophomore wide receiver Tim Maypray caught a game-high five passes for 49 yards for VMI and hauled in a touchdown pass for the second straight week.

Gardner-Webb capitalized on big defensive plays and jumped to a 14-0 lead after one quarter on a 46-yard interception return for a touchdown by sophomore linebacker Quantavis Jackson and a 19-yard sweep TD run by Montgomery on a drive that was set up by a Cedric McGowan interception.

The Keydets turned the tables in the second quarter with 15 unanswered points to take the lead at halftime.

A nine-play, 59-yard drive capped by a Patrick Sweeney 28-yard field goal put VMI on the board at the 12:33 mark and the drive was keyed by a 30-yard run by Abegesah.

VMI trimmed the margin to 14-9 with 6:58 left in the fourth quarter when Hughes capped an eight-play, 56 yards drive with a one-yard quarterback sneak. Hughes guided the drive with four rushed for 32 yards while Abegesah added a 16-yard run. The scoring drive was set up by VMI's first interception of the year, a pick-off and 26-yard return to the VMI 44 off a Doolittle pass by sophomore strong safety Bryant Youngblood.

After holding Gardner-Webb to a three-and-out on the next possession, VMI moved 74 yards in 15 plays and scored with just seven seconds remaining before halftime to take a 15-14 lead on a Hughes to Maypray catch covering 17 yards.

Gardner-Webb took the opening drive of the second half and appeared bottled up on a three-and-out at their own 35, but a fake punt and seven-yard run by sophomore Philip Peoples extended the drive and four plays later, Collins took a Devon Campell pass in the right flat and dashed down the sideline for a 45-yard touchdown to put the Bulldogs ahead, 21-15 with 12:17 remaining in the third quarter.

VMI retook the lead with a 12-play (11 rushes), 90-yard drive that was capped by a diving Kyle Hughes keeper into the left corner of the endzone and Sweeney's extra-point pushed the Keydets ahead, 22-21, with 11:55 remaining in the fourth quarter.

Defensively, the Keydets were led by sophomore linebacker Patrick McKinney with seven tackles including two for loss. Freshman tackle Ben Brant also turned in two tackles-for-loss for nine yards including a sack.

Senior defensive end Brian Johnston led Gardner-Webb defensively with four tackles for loss for 26 yards and two sacks.

VMI travels to Conway, S.C. next Saturday night to play Coastal Carolina at 7:00 p.m. while Gardner-Webb hosts Charleston Southern for a homecoming date in Boiling Springs, N.C. beginning at 1:30 p.m.

HEAD COACH JIM REID- "Again today, we've got mistakes in the kicking game we need to clean up. We could not hit a field goal today when we needed one. We had an opportunity to go up by 4 with 5:45 left in the game and could not execute. It would have forced them to score a touchdown to go ahead. The way we were moving the ball late it looked like we would be able to go up by 8 and then we again got bogged down in the red zone. We must continue to execute for 60 full minutes."

On the offense's ability to move the ball- "Our offense continues to move the ball extremely well. We are 6th in the nation in rushing and are averaging almost 400 yards per game. Our 4th down conversions have been very successful. The way we are struggling in the kicking game right now we will need to continue to take chances to score touchdowns rather than kick. Our defense has been either very good or has given up big plays. I am proud of our players in their tenacity for the entire game again today."