CHARLOTTE – Gardner-Webb's Jayln Cagle ran for 84 yards and two touchdowns, but the Runnin' Bulldogs fell 49-28 at FBS Charlotte in both teams' season opener Thursday night at Richardson Stadium.

Gardner-Webb (0-1) put forth a strong defensive effort over the first 12 minutes of action, but Charlotte (1-0) went to quarterback Chris Reynolds midway through the opening quarter and the former Davie County standout sparked the 49ers on offense.

An 11-play, 80-yard drive was capped by a fourth-down plunge from All-Conference USA back Benny LeMay for a 7-0 lead with 1:22 to play in the first quarter, and Reynolds scampered in himself from three yards out for a 14-0 lead with 8:59 to play before halftime.

Gardner-Webb hushed the sellout crowd of 16,119 fans briefly on the ensuing kickoff, when freshman sensation Devron Harper gathered the kick at his own one and out-ran the 49ers all the way to the end zone. Josh Walston's PAT kick cut the lead to 14-7.

Charlotte responded with a return into Gardner-Webb territory, and Reynolds engineered a quick 41-yard scoring drive to push the lead to 21-7. A blocked punt by Solomon Rogers led to a 28-7 lead with 3:44 remaining before halftime and the host team appeared to be gathering steam for another march after Gardner-Webb stalled again.

Linebacker Quinton Jones had other ideas, snagging Reynolds' first down pass and returning it all the way to the Charlotte 5-yard line, setting up a Cagle scoring plunge that trimmed the 49ers' lead back to two scores.

LeMay ruined momentum quickly, darting 65 yards on first down with just 40 seconds before the half for a 35-14 edge at the break.

Gardner-Webb came out with more focus on its first drive of the third quarter, driving inside the 20 with a strong run game, but a fumble thwarted the scoring chance.

Devin Mines returned the favor, picking off his second pass of the night in Gardner-Webb territory, and returning the pick into favorable field position. The 'Dogs responded with a score, going 38 yards in eight plays – spurred on by key first down catches from Izaiah Gathings and Chuma Awanna.

Cagle capped the drive, bouncing outside for a three-yard score with 6:30 to play in the quarter. Walston connected again to trim the lead to 35-21.

Reynolds wasn't finished for Charlotte, capping a 71-yard scoring drive with a one-yard scramble into the end zone for a 42-21 lead – and the 49ers scored early in the fourth quarter when starter Brett Kean found Micaleous Elder open on a 31-yard pass play for a touchdown and a 49-21 lead.

Gardner-Webb's defense came up with a fourth down stop at midfield later in the quarter, and Dexter Brown came on to cap a 50-yard scoring drive. The St. Augustine, Fla., speedster darted 35 yards for a score with 4:19 to play – and Walston provided the final margin with his fourth extra point kick of the night.

The Runnin' Bulldogs overcame a slow start to finish with 219 yards offensively on 52 plays, gaining 159 yards on the ground. Cagle, Brown (50 yards) and A.J. Moses (25 yards) paced that effort.

Jordan Smith faced an effective pass rush for much of the night and finished 6-of-17 for 60 yards. He was sacked five times. Gathings (two catches, 38 yards) and Awanna (two catches, 15 yards) were the only receivers with multiple grabs.

Harper finished with no offensive touches, but managed 202 yards on six kickoff returns in a fine debut.

Cameron McCutcheon had 11 tackles on the night, with Darien Reynolds and Cade Hamilton close behind with nine stops each. Hamilton had all nine of his stops by midway through the second quarter before missing the remainder of the game with cramps – an issue that limited several Gardner-Webb defensive standouts throughout the third and part of the fourth quarter.

Mines was a standout defensively, finishing with seven tackles, two interceptions and two tackles for loss. He returned his two picks for 32 total yards. Jack Pawloski was solid in his Gardner-Webb debut, punting seven times for an average of 45.3 yards per attempt. He had a long of 61 yards and pinned one inside the 20-yard line.

Charlotte finished with a healthy 508 offensive yards, getting 322 on the ground (46 carries). LeMay, already on the Senior Bowl Watch List, had 16 carries for 120 yards and a pair of scores in the opening half – with his 65-yard run accounting for more than half of those after being bottled up for much of the first quarter. 

Reynolds came off the bench to run for 72 yards and two scores, while completing 14-of-20 passes for 136 yards and another. Starter Keane was 4-of-8 for 50 yards, one score and two interceptions.

All-Conference defensive end Alex Highsmith – like Reynolds a former walk-on now on scholarship – led the 49ers with seven total tackles, two sacks and two quarterback hurries. Markees Watts also had a pair of sacks.

Gardner-Webb will play up once more, traveling to face FBS East Carolina for the first time on Saturday, September 7 in Greenville, N.C. Kickoff is set for 6 pm on ESPN3.

The game will also air live on WGNC 1450 AM / 101.1 FM with Dave Friedman and Reggie Walker on the call. WGNC is also available online via the TuneIn app and the station's website.