GREENVILLE, S.C. – Gardner-Webb held tough defensively for much of Saturday night's season opener, but fell at No. 18 Furman, 13-3.

Freshman Jon Croft Hollingsworth booted field goals from 28 and 47 yards and averaged 39 yards on nine punts for the Paladins (1-0).

The Runnin' Bulldogs (0-1) played the game without preseason All-America linebacker Tanner Burch, but still proved to be tough defensively on the ground – limiting the Paladins to just 80 yards rushing. Furman quarterback Reese Hannon was effective at times through the air, however, completing 21-of-30 passes for 221 yards and a score.

Hannon's six-yard touchdown toss to Jordan Snellings with 1:08 left before halftime broke a 3-3 tie and was the lone touchdown of the game. Snellings caught the short pass and stepped out of a tackle to get into the end zone.

Gardner-Webb freshman Paul Schumacher booted home a 19-yard field goal with 7:42 left before halftime to tie the game at 3-3. GWU had the ball inside the one-yard line before the drive stalled, with Blount barreling for several big runs on the march.

Gardner-Webb's O.J. Mau forced a fumble that was recovered by Jebrai Regan late in the third quarter near midfield, but the Runnin' Bulldogs were forced to punt. GWU held defensively the rest of the way, but was forced to punt in each of its next three possessions and Furman held on for the win.

The Runnin' Bulldogs were limited to 194 yards of total offense in the game, its first game below 200 yards since gaining 184 at Marshall last September 7. GWU had 169 total yards at halftime, but were held to only 25 yards in the final 30 minutes.

Neither team was effective on third down, with Gardner-Webb going 4-for-17 and Furman converting just five times in 16 attempts.

Juanne Blount led the way Saturday, gaining 63 hard-earned yards on the ground. Lucas Beatty was harassed much of the second half and completed 15-of-31 passes for 125 yards. He was sacked four times, with three coming late in the fourth quarter.

Blount also caught four passes for 25 yards and Seth Cranfill had three catches for 31 yards to pace the receiving corps. GWU was without the services of preseason All-America receiver and big play threat Kenny Cook for the final three quarters. Cook finished with two catches for 13 yards in the game.

Bradley Taylor had nine tackles to lead the GWU defense. Donald Buie III had seven hits and 2.0 tackles for loss and Mau finished with 2.0 tackles for loss, a sack and a forced fumble at nose guard. Tyler Hough-Jenkins had a career-high seven hits and a tackle for loss at end. Aaron Cook and Chad Geter each had seven stops for the Runnin' Bulldogs.

Furman had 329 total yards in the game, paced by Hannon's passing. Snellings was his favorite target, hauling in eight passes for 51 yards and the game's lone touchdown. Andrej Suttles had four catches for 71 yards.

Antonio Wilcox led the ground game with 50 yards on 14 carries. Furman played Saturday without its top running back, Hank McCloud.

Gardner-Webb has allowed just three offensive touchdowns in its last 12 quarters of action, dating back to last season. The 'Dogs have held six consecutive opponents under 150 yards rushing.

The Runnin' Bulldogs will remain on the road for its second game of the season, traveling to Wake Forest next Saturday. Kickoff is set for 6:30 pm in Winston-Salem (ESPN3).