Sept. 12, 2009

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Cullowhee, N.C. - Redshirt junior Marquel Pittman caught nine passes for 113 yards and two touchdowns, but it was not enough as a late Gardner-Webb drive thwarted Western Carolina's comeback attempt as the Bulldogs escaped E.J. Whitmire Stadium / Bob Waters Field with a 27-20 victory Saturday night. GWU quarterback Stan Doolittle orchestrated a 12-play, 79-yard drive that consumed 4:16 off the fourth-quarter clock, capping the game-winning drive with a one-yard plunge behind his offensive line to provide the final tally.

WCU junior kicker Blake Bostic connected on a pair of field goals for WCU in the losing effort, splitting the uprights from 30 and 27, respectively, with the latter knotting the game at 20 with six minutes remaining in regulation.

"I thought the defense spent too much time on the field. Even though we had a couple of drives offensively in the second half, we weren't consistent enough to keep the defense off the field. Our defense struggled all night letting the offense convert on third down," said second-year head coach Dennis Wagner during post-game press conference.

He added, "The kids didn't quit; they kept fighting and they played hard. I'm not going to tell them that it's okay to lose. It's unacceptable. Our backs are against the wall. Our wins are going to come harder than they have so far."

Even after the go-ahead score by Gardner-Webb, the Catamounts had a chance in the waning moments of the game, opening their final drive with 1:55 showing on the game clock. Yet, a sack on first down and incomplete passes on second and fourth, respectively, handed the ball back to GWU on downs and allowed the Bulldogs to run out the clock.

Pittman was held to three catches for 33 yards in the opening 30 minutes. However, after halftime, the Maxton, N.C., native hauled in six passes for 80 yards including both scores and a two-point conversion.

Leading 13-0 at halftime, Gardner-Webb (2-0) pushed across its fourth unanswered score of the game on a three-yard plunge by Philip Peoples late in the third quarter to pull ahead, 20-0. However, the Catamounts answered just 40 seconds and two-plays later as Jaynes moved the offense 61 yards in two plays, capped by a seven-yard strike to Pittman.

It was the "Canton Connection," of former Pisgah High School teammates - Jaynes and redshirt sophomore receiver Josh Cockrell - for a 54-yard strike that enabled WCU's first score of the season. The Jaynes-to-Pittman score helped the Catamount offense end its eight-quarter scoreless drought which dated back to the second half of the 2008 season finale against Appalachian State.

Jaynes finished 21-of-32 with two touchdown passes and an interception on the night.

Trailing 20-6 and needing a strong defensive push to begin the comeback, the Catamounts got what they needed. Following the score, the defense forced three-consecutive, three-and-out series by the Gardner-Webb defense. The WCU offense converted those stops into points.

After the first stop, Jaynes guided the team down for a 30-yard Bostic field goal to close the gap to 11, 20-to-9. A second-consecutive three-and-out by Gardner-Webb was turned into Pittman's second TD, capping a nine-play, 66-yard scoring drive. Freshman George Richardson was key on the drive, catching a pair of passes for 23 yards. Trailing by five, the Catamounts went for two to make it a one-possession game with Jaynes finding Pittman on the same play as the touchdown to pull WCU within a field goal, 20-17, with just under 10 minutes remaining in the game.

A third defensive stop ignited the crowd and WCU sidelines, with the offense managing to tie the game on Bostic's second field goal, a 27-yarder through the goal posts on the north end of the field.

However, Doolittle and the Bulldog offense got back on track after the three-straight, three-and-outs, chewing up yardage and clock on what proved to be the game-winning drive.

In addition to Pittman's 113 yards, Cockrell finished with 65 yards on three catches, while Richardson equaled that total for 39 yards and added five rushes for 19 yards. Senior DB Antoine George and sophomore linebacker Ricky Schwarz each accounted for nine tackles for WCU defensively, with senior Chris Collins tallying eight total stops including a game-high three tackles for loss and a sack.

For Gardner-Webb, Doolittle finished 23-for-40 for 265 yards and a touchdown pass to Tyson Petty and added one TD rush. Peoples rushed for 43 yards on 15 carries including a touchdown to lead the Bulldogs.

Western Carolina (0-2) will open its Southern Conference season next weekend, traveling to Statesboro, Ga., to face the Georgia Southern Eagles at 7:00 pm at Paulson Stadium.