Liberty's home opener looks like a formality on paper, but Gardner-Webb has crashed this party before — and this time the Bulldogs bring an entirely new offensive identity.
Bush’s Picks
GWEBLIB
GWEBLIB
OverUnder
Best BetLiberty
Liberty hasn't lost to an FCS opponent since jumping to the FBS level, and that talent gap is the baseline case here. Gardner-Webb's new staff has a track record of scoring points, but it's importing an entirely new system with a rebuilt receiving corps — that's a lot to ask against an FBS defense in September. Back Liberty, but don't expect it to be as clean as the moneyline suggests given how close the 2022 meeting was.
Gardner-Webb
+new staff's system led nation in passing yards at D2
+veteran back Carson Gresock returns off a 14-TD year
+pushed Liberty to the wire in their last meeting
−lost top 2 receivers and all 4 all-conference linemen
−first-year head coach installing a brand-new system
−road trip against an FBS program in Week 2
Liberty
+14-9-1 all-time series edge, unbeaten vs FCS since FBS move
+deepest, most experienced group is the offensive line
+home opener after already playing on the road
−coming off a 4-8 season with real offensive questions
−skill positions largely unproven under Chadwell
This is Jamey Chadwell's fourth year in Lynchburg, and it comes off a rough 4-8 debut into 2025 that left plenty to prove before Conference USA play ramps up. Gardner-Webb, meanwhile, shows up with a totally new coaching staff — 30-year-old Kris McCullough arrives from Division II UT Permian Basin, where his group led the nation in passing yards. The last time these two met, in 2022, Liberty escaped with a 21-20 win that nearly cost the program its perfect record against FCS competition since jumping to the FBS level.
Gardner-Webb's new identity is real, but it's being built on shaky ground. McCullough's staff wants to sling it around the field, yet they're doing it with a rebuilt receiving corps after the top 2 pass-catchers left the program, and behind an offensive line that lost all 4 returning all-conference starters to the portal. Redshirt-senior Cole Pennington, a Marshall transfer, is the presumed answer at quarterback, with bruising back Carson Gresock — 798 yards and 14 touchdowns a year ago — as the steadying piece while the passing attack finds its footing.
Show fees
5:00 PM CT
Spread
ML
Total
GWEB Gardner-Webb
LIB Liberty
Liberty's counter is stability up front. Fourth-year offensive line coach Bill Durkin returns the most experienced group on the roster, even with skill-position questions lingering after last year's slide. Both sides are treating this as an early gut check — Gardner-Webb wants proof its new system travels against FBS competition, and Liberty wants a clean get-right game before tougher tests against Ball State and Coastal Carolina later in September.
Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs
Liberty Flames
Sep 5?@ James Madison—
Recent form.
History says this shouldn't be close. Liberty leads the all-time series 14-9-1 and hasn't lost to an FCS opponent since moving up to the FBS level. But the 2022 meeting is a reminder that a hungry, well-coached FCS team can hang around if the FBS side comes out flat, and Gardner-Webb's new staff has already shown it can move the ball fast at a lower level.
For Liberty, this is about establishing rhythm and building confidence in a rebuilt offense before conference play. For Gardner-Webb, it's a measuring-stick trip that tells the fanbase whether McCullough's system is the real deal or still a work in progress against tougher competition.
