2022 Gardner–Webb Runnin' Bulldogs football team

{{Infobox college sports team season

| year = 2022

| team = Gardner–Webb Runnin' Bulldogs

| sport = football

| image = Gardner-Webb Athletic Wordmark - full'22.jpg

| image_size = 200

| conference = Big South Conference

| short_conf = Big South

| record = 7–6

| conf_record = 5–0

| head_coach = Tre Lamb

| hc_year = 3rd

| off_coach =

| oc_year =

| off_scheme =

| def_coach = Josh Reardon

| dc_year = 3rd

| def_scheme =

| captain =

| champion = Big South champion

| bowl= NCAA Division I Second Round

| bowl_result = L 14–54 at William & Mary

| stadium = Ernest W. Spangler Stadium

}}

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.

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.{{cite news|title=Gardner-Webb Wins 2022 Big South Football Championship|url=https://bigsouthsports.com/news/2022/11/19/gardner-webb-wins-2022-big-south-football-championship.aspx|website=Big South Conference|date=November 19, 2022|accessdate=December 6, 2022}} 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

{{CFB schedule

| rankyear = 2022

| rankdivision = NCAA Division I FCS

| poll = STATS

| timezone = Eastern

|{{CFB schedule entry

| date = {{tooltip|September 1|Thursday}}

| time = 7:00 p.m.

| w/l = w

| nonconf = y

| opponent = {{cfb link|year=2022|team=Limestone Saints|title=Limestone}}

| site_stadium = Ernest W. Spangler Stadium

| site_cityst = Boiling Springs, NC

| score = 56–21

| tv = ESPN+

| attend = 4,560

}}

|{{CFB schedule entry

| date = September 10

| time = 6:00 p.m.

| w/l = l

| away = y

| nonconf = y

| opponent = Coastal Carolina

| site_stadium = Brooks Stadium

| site_cityst = Conway, SC

| score = 27–31

| tv = ESPN+

| attend = 12,261

}}

|{{CFB schedule entry

| date = September 17

| time = 6:00 p.m.

| w/l = l

| nonconf = y

| away = y

| opponent = Elon

| site_stadium = Rhodes Stadium

| site_cityst = Elon, NC

| score = 24–30

| tv = FloSports

| attend = 8,126

}}

|{{CFB schedule entry

| date = September 24

| time = 6:00 p.m.

| w/l = l

| nonconf = y

| opponent = Mercer

| opprank = 17

| site_stadium = Ernest W. Spangler Stadium

| site_cityst = Boiling Springs, NC

| score = 14–45

| tv = ESPN+

| attend = 4,750

}}

|{{CFB schedule entry

| date = October 1

| time = 3:30 p.m.

| w/l = l

| nonconf = y

| away = y

| opponent = Marshall

| site_stadium = Joan C. Edwards Stadium

| site_cityst = Huntington, WV

| score = 7–28

| tv = ESPN+

| attend = 19,845

}}

|{{CFB schedule entry

| date = October 8

| time = 12:00 p.m.

| w/l = w

| away = y

| opponent = Robert Morris

| site_stadium = Joe Walton Stadium

| site_cityst = Moon Township, PA

| score = 48–0

| tv = ESPN3

| attend = 2,416

}}

|{{CFB schedule entry

| date = October 15

| time = 3:30 p.m.

| w/l = l

| nonconf = y

| away = y

| opponent = Liberty

| site_stadium = Williams Stadium

| site_cityst = Lynchburg, VA

| score = 20–21

| tv = ESPN+

| attend = 20,924

}}

|{{CFB schedule entry

| date = October 22

| time = 6:00 p.m.

| w/l = w

| away = y

| opponent = Charleston Southern

| site_stadium = Buccaneer Field

| site_cityst = North Charleston, SC

| score = 28–14

| tv = ESPN3

| attend = 4,112

}}

|{{CFB schedule entry

| date = October 29

| time = 1:30 p.m.

| w/l = w

| homecoming = y

| opponent = Bryant

| site_stadium = Ernest W. Spangler Stadium

| site_cityst = Boiling Springs, NC

| score = 48–40

| tv = ESPN+

| attend = 3,060

}}

|{{CFB schedule entry

| date = November 12

| time = 1:00 p.m.

| w/l = w

| away = y

| opponent = Campbell

| site_stadium = Barker–Lane Stadium

| site_cityst = Buies Creek, NC

| score = 42–35

| tv = ESPN3

| attend = 4,586

}}

|{{CFB schedule entry

| date = November 19

| time = 1:30 p.m.

| w/l = w

| opponent = North Carolina A&T

| site_stadium = Ernest W. Spangler Stadium

| site_cityst = Boiling Springs, NC

| score = 38–17

| tv = ESPN+

| attend = 268

}}

|{{CFB schedule entry

| date = November 26

| time = 5:00 p.m.

| w/l = w

| nonconf = y

| away = y

| opponent = Eastern Kentucky

| stadium = Roy Kidd Stadium

| cityst = Richmond, KY

| gamename = NCAA Division I First Round

| tv = ESPN+

| score = 52–41

| attend = 4,973

}}

|{{CFB schedule entry

| date = December 3

| time = 2:00 p.m.

| w/l = l

| nonconf = y

{{Americanfootballbox

|titlestyle= {{CollegeSecondaryStyle|Gardner–Webb Runnin' Bulldogs}}; text-align:center;

|state=autocollapse

|bg=#fff

|bg2=#eee

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

|date=Saturday, October 1, 2022

|time= 3:30 p.m. EDT

|road=Runnin' Bulldogs

|R1=7|R2=0|R3=0|R4=0

|home=Thundering Herd

|H1=7|H2=7|H3=7|H4=7

|stadium=Joan C. Edwards Stadium • Huntington, West Virginia

|attendance=19,845

|weather=Rain • Temperature: {{convert|54|F|C}} • Wind: N/A

|referee=Scott Jackson

|TV=ESPN+

|TVAnnouncers=Chad Bush (play-by-play), Doug Chapman (analyst)

|reference=Pregame line: Marshall –31.0

|scoring=

;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)

}}

{{AmFootballGameStatistics

| Float = left

| Visitor = Gardner–Webb Runnin' Bulldogs

| VisitorDisplay = GWU

| Home = Marshall Thundering Herd

| HomeDisplay = MRSH

| VisFirsts = 8

| VisPlaysYds = 51–143

| VisRushing = 19–19

| VisPassYds = 124

| VisPassing = 11–32–3

| VisTOP = 21:34

| HomeFirsts = 21

| HomePlaysYds = 86–421

| HomeRushing = 53–236

| HomePassYds = 185

| HomePassing = 21–33–1

| HomeTOP = 38:26

}}

{{AmFootballGameTopPlayers

| Float = right

| Visitor = Gardner–Webb Runnin' Bulldogs

| VisitorDisplay = Gardner–Webb

| Home = Marshall Thundering Herd

| HomeDisplay = Marshall

| VisPasser = Bailey Fisher

| VisPassStats = 9/28, 114 yards, 3 INT

| VisRusher = Donovan Jones

| VisRushStats = 4 carries, 37 yards

| VisReceiver = Deland Thomas

| VisReceivingStats = 2 receptions, 49 yards

| HomePasser = Henry Colombi

| HomePassStats = 13/20, 138 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT

| HomeRusher = Khalan Laborn

| HomeRushStats = 35 carries, 191 yards, 2 TD

| HomeReceiver = Charles Montgomery

| HomeReceivingStats = 5 receptions, 72 yards

}}

=At Robert Morris=

{{Linescore Amfootball

|Road=Runnin' Bulldogs

|R1=7

|R2=13

|R3=14

|R4=14

|Home=Colonials

|H1=0

|H2=0

|H3=0

|H4=0

}}

=At Liberty=

{{Linescore Amfootball

|Road=Runnin' Bulldogs

|R1=0

|R2=10

|R3=7

|R4=3

|Home=Flames

|H1=7

|H2=7

|H3=0

|H4=7

}}

=At Charleston Southern=

{{Linescore Amfootball

|Road=Runnin’ Bulldogs

|R1=3

|R2=10

|R3=15

|R4=0

|Home=Buccaneers

|H1=7

|H2=0

|H3=7

|H4=0

}}

=Bryant=

{{Linescore Amfootball

|Road=Bulldogs

|R1=14

|R2=9

|R3=6

|R4=11

|Home=Runnin' Bulldogs

|H1=14

|H2=14

|H3=14

|H4=6

}}

=At Campbell=

{{Linescore Amfootball

|Road=Runnin' Bulldogs

|R1=14

|R2=21

|R3=7

|R4=0

|Home=Fighting Camels

|H1=0

|H2=14

|H3=14

|H4=7

}}

References

Gardner-Webb

Category:Gardner–Webb Runnin' Bulldogs football seasons

Category:Big South Conference football champion seasons

Gardner-Webb

Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs football