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ATHENS, Ohio – The Ohio football team (1-2, 0-0 MAC) is set to conclude non-conference play in Athens when it hosts the Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs (2-1, 0-0 OVC-Big South) on Saturday, Sept. 20. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. ET and can be seen on ESPN+ with Kelsie Kasper and Ryan Cavanaugh on the call. 
 
The Bobcats' matchup can also be heard on the Ohio Sports Network from Learfield, presented by Holzer Health System. Veteran Ohio radio personality Marty Bannister is reprising his role as Ohio's play-by-play broadcaster. Bannister will be joined by color analyst Rob Cornelius, who has been a part of the broadcasts for more than two decades. 
 
SERIES HISTORY VS. GARDNER-WEBB
The Bobcats and the Runnin' Bulldogs have met three times since 2007, posting a 3-0 record. The pair last met in 2016; Ohio won, 37-21.    
 
SCOUTING GARDNER-WEBB
Gardner-Webb is currently 2-1, coming off a 23-13 victory over the Citadel (Sept. 13). As a team, they average 29 points, 190 rushing yards and 239 passing yards per game. 
 
Graduate student quarterback Nate Hampton and redshirt junior quarterback Cole Pennington have both appeared in all three games this season. Hampton is 31-for-61  with no interceptions and five touchdowns on 514 yards, while Pennington is 17-for-27 with one interception and one touchdown on 203 yards. 
 
On the ground, Hampton and graduate student running back Quasean Holmes lead the team with 44 touches apiece. Holmes claims a team-best 254 rushing yards while Hampton boasts four rushing touchdowns. Redshirt junior running back Carson Gresock is responsible for 25 attempts on 155 yards. 
 
Graduate student wide receiver Anthony Lowe has scored three receiving touchdowns on 17 catches, accumulating 197 yards, while redshirt sophomore wide receiver Chris Lofton leads the team with 248 receiving yards. Lofton and graduate student wide receiver Caleb Borders are responsible for the Runnin' Bulldogs' other three receiving touchdowns, with Lofton scoring once and Borders scoring twice. 
 
On the defensive side of the ball, Gardner-Webb's opponents average 39 points, 218 rushing yards and 262.33 passing yards per game. Redshirt junior linebacker Jecari Bryson, redshirt sophomore linebacker Cahari Haynes and redshirt junior linebacker Jamari Young have 19 tackles each on the season, with Haines claiming a team-best 13 solo stops. Senior defensive lineman Robert Holtz is responsible for two of the team's six sacks and leads the defense in tackles for loss (3). Junior defensive back Josiah Harris and graduate student defensive back Wendell McClain are responsible for the Runnin' Bulldogs' two interceptions so far this season. 
 
Junior kicker Charlie Viorel is 9-for-11 on PATs and 4-for-6 on field goals, with his longest kick clocking in at 33 yards. Across 18 kickoffs, Viorel amassed 1,096 yards, averaging 60.9 yards per kick. 

To read this week's complete notes, click here. 

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