ATHENS, Ohio – Whether playing against Division II Brevard last week or against FBS opponent Ohio this week, Gardner-Webb is concentrating on playing football fundamentally.

The FCS Runnin’ Bulldogs will take a major step up in opponent this week by traveling to Peden Stadium to take on the Bobcats.

“The good thing is fields are 100 yards and we all play with a football,” Gardner-Webb coach Ron Dickerson Jr. said. “That’s what I’ve been trying to tell my guys. Last week, they were a football team. It doesn’t matter what division it is, going into Ohio, they’re a football team, and we’ve got respect both of them. They’re great teams. The excitement is already going to come for us having the opportunity to play out of our division and play a BCS team. But I’m not really worried we’re going to get overwhelmed by the situation.”

That is because the Runnin’ Bulldogs have experience against FCS opponents and picked up a victory at Akron last season.

“The good thing about it is they have won in situations like that,” Dickerson said. “They know it’s a game that’s going to go four quarters. If we just keep fundamentally sound and don’t turn the ball over, we have a chance. We have a chance to really compete and everything, and our guys know that. The good thing is it’s still fresh in our minds. We’re just going to focus on our role now and go up there and have a great game plan.”

Gardner-Webb (1-0) won its season opener against Brevard, 34-17, utilizing a balanced offensive attack that included two running backs going over the century mark. Kenny Little had a career-high 131 yards and three touchdowns, while Juanne Blount added 102 rushing yards in the Runnin’ Bulldogs’ 437-yard effort.

Ohio (1-0) also showed balance offensively in its season-opening 44-24 victory at New Mexico State. Quarterback Tyler Tettleton accounted for four touchdowns, Dante Harden rushed for 81 yards and the Bobcats finished with 241 yards on the ground and 211 through the air.

Defensively, the Runnin’ Bulldogs gave up 245 rushing yards in their opener, but only 18 passing yards. The Bobcats’ defense had the opposite effort, surrendering only 6 rushing yards but 362 passing yards.

Linebacker Devin Johnson led the Runnin’ Bulldogs defense in the first week with 15 tackles.

Ohio defensive end Nic Barber had a pair of sacks and a third tackle for loss against the Aggies, and safety Xavier Hughes had a sack and interception on back-to-back plays. Outside linebacker Alphonso Lewis led the team with nine tackles.

The Bobcats could be without two of their starters on defense, however. Middle linebacker Noah Keller aggravated a hamstring injury Saturday and has not practiced this week. Defensive tackle Carl Jones injured his shoulder but practiced in full Wednesday and seems probable to play against the Runnin’ Bulldogs.

On special teams, kicker Matt Weller booted three touchbacks, punter Paul Hershey had an 80-yard punt and Travis Carried returned a punt 65 yards for a touchdown. But the Bobcats also gave up a kickoff return for a score.

“They have a lot of talented athletes,” Dickerson said. “They have one of the top punt returners in the country. They have speed on offense, speed on defense, and it’s a mature team. It’s a team that’s played together. It’s going to be a hostile environment, but it’s going to be an exciting environment. It’s their first home game, so we’re preparing our guys for that with a lot of noise, and we’re just going to do what we do last Saturday – go up there and give it our best.”

Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Peden Stadium.