Caldran to Floyd TD with 14 seconds left lift Gardner-Webb over Elon 34-27

Updated Sep. 9, 2023 10:27 p.m. ET

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Matthew Caldran dumped a short pass that Ephraim Floyd turned into an 11-yard touchdown with 14 seconds left and Gardner-Webb defeated Elon 34-27 on Saturday night.

Caldwell's second touchdown pass capped a quick nine-play, 69-yard drive, which came after Elon tied the game with 1:25 to play.

Brandon Tyson recovered a fumble near midfield to give the Phoenix the ball with 2:30 to play. Elon went 45 yards in eight plays, the last 3 on Matthew Downing's second TD pass to Jamarien Dalton in the final four minutes.

But the Runnin' Bulldogs (1-1) wouldn't be denied. Running back Narii Gaither turned a short pass into a 23-yard gain and he had three runs for another 23 to help set up what was expected to be a winning field goal. But Caldwell instead completed two passes with Floyd bouncing off several tackles to get the win.

Jimmy Bowdry intercepted a pass with four seconds left to seal it after the teams combined for 37 points in the fourth quarter.

Caldwell was 32 of 48 for 298 yards and he ran for a score. Gaither carried 21 times for 120 yards. Ty French set the Big South Conference career record for sacks at 25.5 when he shared one in the fourth quarter.

Downing was 17 of 25 for 199 yards and three touchdowns for Elon (0-2).

___ AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll

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