Victory, At Last: Gardner-Webb rushes past Presbyterian 42-21

After three near-misses, Gardner-Webb secured its first victory of the season with a dominant 42-21 win over Presbyterian on Saturday night at Bailey Memorial Stadium in Clinton, SC.

Sophomore running back Carson Gresock powered the Runnin’ Bulldogs with a career-high 134 rushing yards and three touchdowns, while senior Quasean Holmes added 132 yards and two scores on the ground.

The Runnin’ Bulldogs set the tone early, scoring on their opening drive with Gresock’s 2-yard run. They extended their lead in the second quarter when Holmes found the end zone twice, including a 51-yard breakaway run, pushing the advantage to 21-0.

Presbyterian responded with two quick touchdowns before halftime, trimming the deficit to 21-14, but Gardner-Webb’s defense held strong the rest of the way. In the fourth quarter, the Runnin’ Bulldogs added three more touchdowns, including a 14-yard pass from Tyler Ridell to Giovanni Adopte and two more scores from Gresock.

Gardner-Webb amassed 485 yards of total offense, including 285 rushing yards. Ridell contributed 238 yards through the air, and Adopte led the receivers with 72 yards and a touchdown.

Gardner-Webb (1-3) will return home next Saturday to face Tennessee Tech at Spangler Stadium. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m.

The Bulldogs aren’t far off from being 4-0 in coach Cris Reisert’s first season at the helm. Wofford escaped Spangler Stadium with a one-point win in week one. GWU lost at James Madison 13-6 — the same JMU squad that put up 70 points on North Carolina this week — and then fell by a point at Charlotte.

Gardner-Webb Top-Performers

1. Carson Gresock: 134 rushing yards, 3 TDs
2. Quasean Holmes: 132 rushing yards, 2 TDs
3. Tyler Ridell: 238 passing yards, 1 TD
4. Giovanni Adopte: 72 receiving yards, 1 TD
5. Caleb Borders: 44 receiving yards

Scoring Summary

• 1Q, 08:04: Gresock 2-yard run (Billingsley kick) – 7-0 GWU
• 2Q, 09:24: Holmes 6-yard run (Billingsley kick) – 14-0 GWU
• 2Q, 07:00: Holmes 51-yard run (Billingsley kick) – 21-0 GWU
• 2Q, 04:28: Hodges 2-yard pass from Hurst (Mikko kick) – 21-7 PC
• 2Q, 02:17: Englehart 13-yard pass from Patrick (Mikko kick) – 21-14 PC
• 4Q, 11:41: Adopte 14-yard pass from Ridell (Billingsley kick) – 28-14 GWU
• 4Q, 03:41: Gresock 9-yard run (Billingsley kick) – 35-14 GWU
• 4Q, 02:44: Gill 61-yard pass from Hurst (Mikko kick) – 35-21 PC
• 4Q, 01:18: Gresock 4-yard run (Billingsley kick) – 42-21 GWU

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