Petty ready for big spotlight

Former Gaffney High standout Tyson Petty and his Gardner- Webb teammates play ACC foe North Carolina State on Saturday. It sounds funny to say, but former Gaffney High standout Tyson Petty believes a preseason head injury hastened his development as a top-notch receiver for Gardner-Webb.

Petty suffered a concussion diving for a pass during preseason camp. He also needed 12 stitches to close a gash on his nose.

The injuries sidelined him for a week. But he said he put the time off to good use, by refining his route running.

"I was still practicing but there was no contact," he said. "I think my routes got better because I kept on doing drills."

In addition to being a dangerous kickoff returner, Petty had 18 catches for 255 yards a season ago. Those numbers earned him a berth on the preseason Big South all-conference team.

He had a catch for 18 yards in the Bulldogs' season opening win over Mars Hill and had a couple of catches, including a 10-yard TD in the team's win over Western Carolina on Saturday.

But competition is ramped up a notch or two this week when Gardner-Webb travels to North Carolina State.

"It's a pretty big game for us," Petty said. "We just have to go out and do like we've been coached to do."

Win or lose, Petty said the experience should help him and the Bulldogs down the road.

"This is exciting," he said. "The exposure will be good for us playing in front of 70,000 fans."

Playing an ACC school is nothing new for the Bulldogs, who traveled to Georgia Tech last season.

"We should play well," Petty said. "We just need to execute and we'll be alright."

Another former Gaffney High star, Denzelle Good, will be on the other sideline. Good signed with North Carolina State, but is redshirting this season.

"I know Denzelle, but I haven't been in touch with him yet," Petty said.