2022 Playoffs Round 1: Gardner-Webb @ Eastern Kentucky

[Professor Chaos]

Game kicks off at 5PM ET on Saturday 11/26 and will be streamable on ESPN+. Here's how they break down statistically (the number in parentheses is each team's FCS rank in that particular category).

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52512743604_b24b89aee7_z.jpg


Winner moves on to face #5 William & Mary.

[The Cats]

Eastern Kentucky wins

[JacksFan40]

Gardner-Webb is a very good 6-5 team, not real sold on EKU. Picking Gardner-Webb to win this.

[Libertine]

This one is going to be wild. Lots of points, lots of penalties, some massive defensive lapses and inexplicable turnovers. The other FCS fanbases will watch this game and shake their heads in disgust that is an actual playoff game while W&M's will simply nod and start making travel plans for Bozeman.

[Tribal]

Weird, but I think I want EKU because of their rushing D. Hope this game goes to 7OT.


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[Bison Fan in NW MN]

EKU wins IMO.

[EKU05]

Gardner-Webb is a very good 6-5 team, not real sold on EKU. Picking Gardner-Webb to win this.

I should probably be "offended" by this, but we've been inconsistent. We can put up points, but our D has good and bad weeks. If our D is no we probably win, but if they're not we could easily lose by fourteen.

[Paladin1aa]

EKU is the pick but Bill and Mary will be smiling.

[MTfan4life]

Gardner-Webb is a very good 6-5 team, not real sold on EKU. Picking Gardner-Webb to win this.

This. Gardner-Webb has one bad game this season. A blowout loss to Mercer. Outside of that, their other four losses are a narrow loss to Elon, a last second loss to 9-1 FBS Coastal Carolina, a one point loss to 8-3 FBS Liberty, and a 21 point loss to FBS Marshall. Since then they've rattled off games with Bailey Fisher destroying teams through the air. NC A&T kept Fisher at bay, so they just dominated on the ground instead. Their defense isn't anything to write home about, but neither is EKU's. This should be a shootout featuring two very talented QBs. Eastern Kentucky has played pretty good down the stretch, too, though. I'll go with them being at home, but I'd be very surprised if Gardner-Webb gets rolled the same way Davidson surely will be.

[OhioHen]

The loss to Mercer in FUBeAR's BBQ Bowl concerns me but I'll stick with my current home state in this one. G-W in a slugfest.

[FUBeAR]

The loss to Mercer in FUBeAR's BBQ Bowl concerns me but I'll stick with my current home state in this one. G-W in a slugfest.
BBQ Bowl was Gardner-Webb @ Campbell. They ain’t got no good Eastern NC BBQ in Maconga.

[caribbeanhen]

This one is going to be wild. Lots of points, lots of penalties, some massive defensive lapses and inexplicable turnovers. The other FCS fanbases will watch this game and shake their heads in disgust that is an actual playoff game while W&M's will simply nod and start making travel plans for Bozeman.

haha this is the perfect analysis

[Sitting Bull]

haha this is the perfect analysis

I don’t feel that confident. I didn’t know much about either team though looking at their season schedule, pretty impressive. Particularly G-W. They both played two FBS games and were competitive in all four.

[Sitting Bull]

I don’t feel that confident. I didn’t know much about either team though looking at their season schedule, pretty impressive. Particularly G-W. They both played two FBS games and were competitive in all four.

Check that! Gardner-Webb played THREE FBS opponents. That has to be the most of any FCS team this year.

Granted all 3 were G5 - that’s still a stretch.

[Sitting Bull]

Massey picks EKU 35-31

[Bison Fan in NW MN]

Both of these cupcakes brought the defensive effort in this one......G-W up 21-14 on EKU at the end of the 1st quarter.

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

The defense in this game is even worse than Fordham-UNH. This is ridiculous...lol

[JSUSoutherner]

EKU is 10-ply

[skinny_uncle]

Defense optional.

[grizband]

31-27 with :14 left in the first half.

FCS playoffs: Defense not required

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

Seems like this first half lasted 1/2 the day. This game really has the "field filler" feel.....

[Tribal]

C’mon EKU.


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[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

GWU looks like they might win this one going away....

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

The Bulldogs are rolling...

52-27 1:15 3Q

EKU looks completely outclassed....

[OrangeAndBlack]

Everyone laughed when we said mercers rout of G-Webb was a quality win. The running bulldogs are putting on a show! Love to see it.

[WileECoyote06]

Everyone laughed when we said mercers rout of G-Webb was a quality win. The running bulldogs are putting on a show! Love to see it.

I thought that win would get you all the nod.

[kdinva]

very impressive effort by G-Webb, congrats.

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

GWU has really good team speed. I'm interested to see how they adjust to much better competition in the next round....

[Tribal]

EKU fielded an awful run D. G-W rushed for 54 on Elon and allowed over 250. I hope W&M, at minimum, will match those stats.


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[Schism55]

I quite enjoyed this game. GW has juice on offense. The D, well. Be interesting to see if their D can keep them in the next game against a much better opponent.

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[caribbeanhen]

EKU fielded an awful run D. G-W rushed for 54 on Elon and allowed over 250. I hope W&M, at minimum, will match those stats.


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Might as well play the game in Spain because it’s gonna be the running of the bulls

[Libertine]

This one is going to be wild. Lots of points, lots of penalties, some massive defensive lapses and inexplicable turnovers. The other FCS fanbases will watch this game and shake their heads in disgust that is an actual playoff game while W&M's will simply nod and start making travel plans for Bozeman.

Just going to leave this here.

[FUBeAR]

Everyone laughed when we said mercers rout of G-Webb was a quality win. The running bulldogs are putting on a show! Love to see it.
You mean this completely dominating win by Mercer over a Conference Champion & 2nd Round (at worst) Playoff Team?

MERCER -VS- GARDNER-WEBB



Team
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
Total


Mercer
21
7
7
10
45


Gardner-Webb
0
7
7
0
14



…yeah. Congrats to Coach Lamb and the several other former Mercer Bears in Boiling Springs!

BEAT BILL & THE BEEYATCH!!

#DefundTheCommittee

[EKU05]

Just going to leave this here.

There was officially only one turnover in the game which was an interception thrown by EKU in the end zone. There was a second "turnover" with an interception on an attempted two-point conversion. There were also a grand total of 65 yards in penalties for both teams combined. No doubt that the EKU offense was beyond terrible, but give GWU some credit for some nice halftime adjustments.

So that prediction basically was right in that two teams with top 30 offenses will score a lot...wow...psychic.

To recap, you listed four things in your second sentence:

-The first was spot on.
-The second was pretty off-target.
-The third was mostly right, but GWU got much better in the second half. We couldn't move the ball in 3Q, and it wasn't because our offense got worse.
-The fourth was wildly incorrect. Perhaps the least turnovers of any game? I haven't checked but it seems probable.

Gardner-Webb is a good team, and that offense will give anyone at least a little trouble (especially us, because our defense is a joke).

[The Cats]

Eastern Kentucky wins

That didn't age well..