CULLOWHEE, N.C. – Kurt Everett's 33-yard field goal as time expired lifted Gardner-Webb to a 24-21 win at Western Carolina Saturday.

The Runnin' Bulldogs (2-3) improved to 2-1 against FCS competition after opening with a pair of road games at FBS Charlotte and East Carolina.

After the Catamounts (1-4) jumped out to a 7-0 lead following a grueling, 18-play, 93-yard drive with 5:43 to play in the first quarter, Gardner-Webb answered with a quick strike.

Jayln Cagle carried nine yards on first down, then bolted 46 yards off the left side for the tying score. The 55-yard drive, which was set up by Narii Gaither's kickoff return to near midfield, took just 44 seconds.

Western Carolina used some trickery to get the lead back, with a pair of long pass plays getting the home team back into the red zone. Tyrie Adams hit Nate Mullen from 15 yards out for a 14-7 lead with just 47 seconds left in the opening quarter, and the game's pace appeared to be headed into high scoring territory.

Gardner-Webb overcame a turnover to get the ball back midway through the second quarter and Cagle was again the go-to guy, capping another solid drive with a two-yard touchdown run to tie the score with 5:59 left before halftime. The 50-yard march took only 2:04 to complete.

Neither team would scratch again until Kalen Whitlow went up top for Chuma Awanna, and the pair of graduate transfers connected on a 52-yard touchdown play – giving Gardner-Webb its first lead with 8:46 to play in the third quarter.

Western Carolina needed another epic march to tie the game, going 97 yards on 12 plays. A 35-yard Adams run energized the drive and he kept himself on an eight-yard touchdown run to tie the score with 14:54 to play in the game.

Gardner-Webb had golden opportunities to score in tight twice. Whitlow hit Izaiah Gathings on a first down pass and Gathings bolted down inside the 10 before he was stripped and the Catamounts recovered.

The Runnin' Bulldogs buckled down defensively to get a key stop, however, and the offense pushed inside the 10-yard line again behind hard running from Cagle. Western Carolina had its biggest defensive series of the game, however, turning away four GWU runs inside the two-yard line to regain possession with just over six minutes left.

Gardner-Webb again forced a punt and Whitlow calmly worked his offense down the field on a 16-play, 54-yard drive that included a pair of fourth-down conversions. His fourth down pass to James Ellis II kept the drive going inside the 30-yard line and Cagle barreled for 13 yards with five seconds left in the game to set up Everett's game-winning kick.

The Medina, Ohio, sophomore endured two Western Carolina timeouts before banging the back of the net with room to spare as the clock hit zero.

Gardner-Webb finished with a 388-362 edge offensively, with Whitlow making his first start for the Runnin' Bulldogs under center. The former Western Carolina recruit – who redshirted at WCU in 2015 – completed 14-of-23 passes for 194 yards and a touchdown.

He hit Awanna five times for 78 yards, found tight end A.J. Alexander three times for 37 yards and connected twice with Gathings for 77 yards.

Cagle finished with another 100-yard day, carrying 20 times for 138 yards and two big touchdowns. Gardner-Webb finished with a balanced 194 yards on the ground and through the air Saturday.

Darien Reynolds led GWU defensively with 13 tackles before exiting the game in the third quarter due to a targeting foul. Devin Mines and Quinton Jones each had 10 stops and Cade Hamilton made nine big tackles in his first action on the field since the loss at East Carolina in week two.

Western Carolina was led by Preseason SoCon Player of the Year Adams, who was back on the field full time after a two-game suspension and shared duty last weekend at Chattanooga. The senior ran for 98 yards and passed for 138 on the day.

Gardner-Webb will return home to open Big South Conference play next Saturday, hosting Hampton at 1:30 pm in Spangler Stadium. The game will stream live on ESPN+ (Fabian Fuentes, Brendan Boylan) and will air live on WGNC Radio (Dave Friedman, Reginald Walker).