Ohio (1-2 overall) will return home this Saturday after finishing out the grueling three-game non-conference stretch last week against No. 1 Ohio State to play its final non-conference game of the regular season against FCS opponent Gardner-Webb (2-1 overall).
The Runnin’ Bulldogs have been very solid to open their year, beating both FCS teams they played in Western Carolina and The Citadel, but they fell against No. 18 Georgia Tech.
Ohio will look to get to 2-2 before Mid-American Conference play begins next week against Bowling Green. Here is everything to know about Gardner-Webb.
Head Coach
As mentioned by Ohio head coach Brian Smith, Gardner-Webb’s coaching staff has lots of ties to Ohio.
“Gardner-Webb is a really good football team,” Smith said. “One of the things that I do think is interesting about them is that the staff has a lot of Ohio ties.”
Cris Reisert is the head coach for the Runnin’ Bulldogs, and he is in his second season at the helm since coming from DII Tiffin University in Tiffin, Ohio.
His offensive coordinator, Tyler Johns, also came from Tiffin, along with running backs coach Darius Pinnix.
Quarterback
Gardner-Webb has a weapon under center in graduate student quarterback Nate Hampton. He’s had a red-hot start to the year, throwing for 514 yards and five touchdowns without throwing an interception.
He is also a dual-threat quarterback, able to hurt opposing defenses with his legs, as he has ran for 157 yards and four touchdowns in the season already.
Hampton spent his last four years at Liberty University, but he was never able to get enough snaps to prove himself. Now at Gardner-Webb, he has blossomed into a player that the Ohio defense will need to take seriously.
Running Backs
There is a duo of running backs that get a good amount of snaps for Gardner-Webb, as they have somewhat of a running-back-by-committee system in the offense.
Quasean Holmes is the leading rusher for the year with 254 yards and one touchdown on the ground so far.
Behind him is Columbus native and Upper Arlington alum Carson Gresock, who has ran for 155 yards through the first three games.
Quarterback Nate Hampton is the second leading rusher on the team, making for an offense with a lot of options.
Wide Receivers
The Runnin’ Bulldogs have a solid group of weapons to complement the strong play of Hampton at quarterback, with redshirt sophomore receiver Chris Lofton leading the way so far with 248 yards and a touchdown.
Behind him is Anthony Lowe, who has been Hampton’s go-to guy this year with 17 catches, 197 yards and three touchdowns.
Graduate student Caleb Borders rounds out the group as a solid third option. He has six catches for 116 yards and two touchdowns on the year.
Defense
In Gardner-Webb’s first game they won a shootout against Western Carolina, winning 52-45 in a high-scoring matchup. The defense then allowed 59 points to Goergia Tech, but they bounced back last week against The Citadel, holding the opposing offense to just 13 points in the 23-13 win.
That was an encouraging game for a defense that was gashed throughout the first two games, and time will tell if the momentum carries over from last week.
Jamari Young, Jecari Bryson and Cahari Haynes make for a very solid linebacking trio, and they lead the team in tackles with 19 each.
Springfield, Ohio, native Robert Holtz is the team’s sack leader on the defensive line with two to start the year. The front seven is rock solid for the Runnin’ Bulldogs, and they will look to add on from their performance against The Citadel.
