Hogs, Hits and Hometown Pride: BBQ Bowl Fires Up at Gardner-Webb

Runnin’ Bulldogs Host Charleston Southern in Sizzling Rematch for the Coveted Hog Trophy—and a Feast Fit for Champions

BOILING SPRINGS, N.C.—The coals are hot and the rivalry is well-seasoned as Gardner-Webb opens the month of October with a BBQ Bowl rematch against Charleston-Southern. This gridiron grill-off marks the start of Big South/OVC play for GWU and the second annual “Clash of the Carolinas,” set for Oct. 4 at 1:30 p.m. in Spangler Stadium. At stake? Bragging rights and the North-South BBQ trophy—a hefty hog atop a placard engraved with each year’s victor and score.

The ’Dawgs smoked out a nail-biter 17-14 win over Charleston Southern in last year’s inaugural BBQ Bowl and are fired up to keep the trophy—and the flavor—on their side of the smoker. If Gardner-Webb holds on, the Bucs will be serving up a smokehouse feast. But if CSU flips the grill, the Bulldogs will bring the slow-cooked spread to Charleston. In this rivalry, the victors don’t just win—they choose the pitmaster’s platter: North Carolina-style (western BBQ, of course) or South Carolina-style.

Interim Gardner-Webb President Nate Evans noted, “Football, BBQ, and bragging rights … what’s not to love? The BBQ Bowl is more than a game; it is about spirit and tradition. We welcome our friends from Charleston-Southern and look forward to defending the trophy while enjoying some good BBQ!”

Gardner-Webb and Charleston Southern are the only two remaining original Big South football teams from the conference’s inception in that sport in 2002. The two teams have met every year since joining the Big South. This will be the 23rd overall meeting with Gardner-Webb leading the series with 13 wins.

“This is an unmatched tradition between the Carolinas to determine which Big South Baptist university has the best football and BBQ,” CSU President B. Keith Faulkner said. “CSU will launch the attack this year to bring the Hog Trophy title back to where it belongs—in Charleston, South Carolina.”

Gardner-Webb won the first five meetings in the series from 1988-2004. Charleston Southern won five in a row from 2017-2021, before the Dawgs broke the losing streak to the Bucs with a 28-14 win on Oct. 22, 2022. Gardner-Webb has won the last two meetings in the series, including a 34-10 victory on Nov. 18, 2023, in the regular season finale to clinch the inaugural Big South-OVC championship.

Both schools’ athletics programs compete as full members of the Big South Conference.

Tickets for Gardner-Webb football are available online at GWUSports.com. 

About Charleston Southern

Charleston Southern University is an independent, comprehensive Christian university grounded in the liberal arts tradition, affiliated with the South Carolina Baptist Convention. Founded as the Baptist College at Charleston in 1964 upon the principle that students should have an opportunity for a quality education under the guidance of Christian faculty, the institution changed its name to Charleston Southern University in 1990 to reflect the offering of graduate programs.

About Gardner-Webb

Gardner-Webb University is North Carolina’s recognized leader in private, Christian higher education. A Carnegie-Classified Doctoral/Professional University, GWU is home to nine colleges and schools, more than 80 undergraduate and graduate majors, and a world-class faculty. Located on a beautiful 225-acre campus in Boiling Springs, N.C., Gardner-Webb prepares graduates to impact their chosen professions, equips them with the skills to advance the frontiers of knowledge, and inspires them to make a positive and lasting difference in the lives of others. Learn more at Gardner-Webb.edu.