BOILING SPRINGS – Western Carolina used a late score at the halftime buzzer and another with 10:13 left in the game to pull away for a 28-10 win at Gardner-Webb on a windy Friday evening in Spangler Stadium.

The game was moved up a day due to expected tropical weather from Florence and was dry – but very windy – throughout. 

The Catamounts (2-0) returned after a bye week well rested, and scored quickly on their first drive – taking advantage of a blown coverage as Tyrie Adams lofted a 33-yard scoring toss to Connell Young with 13:32 left in the first quarter.

Gardner-Webb (1-2) settled down from there and eventually evened the score. Quarterback Jordan Smith marched his squad 89 yards in 10 plays, complete two clutch throws on third down to keep the drive alive. The second of those throws – a 30-yarder to Kyle Horton – set up an 11-yard touchdown run by Jayln Cagle with 3:31 to play in the first quarter.

Western Carolina countered with a long drive of its own that spanned the first and second quarters, as backup quarterback Will Jones came on to lead an 88-yard drive that lasted 12 plays to give the visitors the lead back. Jones connected with Owen Cosenke from 15 yards out to put the Catamounts up 14-7 with 14:36 to play in the half.

Tre Jackson nailed a 41-yard field goal to cut the lead to 14-10 with 8:08 to go before the break and Gardner-Webb got the ball back with 2:38 to go in the half with a chance to pull closer. The ensuing drive managed just three yards and Western Carolina got the ball back with 1:20 on the clock.

Adams connected with Nate Mullen on a seven-yard gain on first down and a late-hit penalty supercharged the drive after the play. Adams scrambled for gains of 11 and 12 yards into the red zone and hit Daquan Patten from three yards out as time expired to put Western Carolina up 21-10 at the half.

Gardner-Webb could not find its rhythm in the third quarter, gaining only 22 yards offensively. Western Carolina kept the ball with a solid running game itself, but did not find the end zone again until Connell Young scored on a 31-yard sprint with 10:13 left in the game. The extra point provided the final margin.

GWU drove inside the Western Carolina 10-yard line with just under four minutes to play, but a fourth-down pass from Smith to Adonus Lee was just out of bounds. The Catamounts ran out the clock from there.

Adams finished with 106 yards on the ground on 12 carries and completed 13-of-24 passes for 108 yards and two scores. Young also had a strong night running the ball, picking up 105 yards on just 14 carries with a score. Donnavan Spencer added 69 ayrds on nine carries as the Catamounts rumbled for 325 yards on the ground and a healthy 7.1 yards per carry. That paced a 475-yard total offense effort.

Mitchell Chancey led the Catamounts with 10 stops (eight solo), while pass rusher Jacquez Williams finished with five stops, 3.0 tackles for loss, 2.0 sacks and three quarterback pressures.

Gardner-Webb finished with 246 yards offensively, with 173 yards coming in the first half. The 'Dogs managed just 97 yards on the ground, with five sacks hampering that production.

Cagle had 83 yards and a score on 25 carries and A.J. Moses picked up 24 yards on four attempts. Smith was 13-of-30 for 149 yards, but was picked off twice and sacked five times. His favorite target was Jonathan Blackmon, with five catches for 26 yards. Horton finished with three grabs for 61 yards and Braylin Collins caught two passes for 39 yards – including two catches in the first half that produced first downs.

Linebacker Corey Horne posted a career-high 16 total stops (11 solo) to go with a sack and Shai Thomas added a career-best 12 hits and a tackle for loss. Triston Dozier and Devin Mines each broke up a pair of passes.

Gardner-Webb hits the road next Saturday, traveling to face FBS Appalachian State at 3:30 pm in Boone (ESPN+).