CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Charlotte 49ers struck gold again with a home win against Gardner-Webb Saturday evening.
The action was already kicked up in the first quarter; Charlotte scored 14 points then, while the Runnin' Bulldogs eked out a field goal for 3 points. It was the same song, different verse again in Q2; the 49ers again added two touchdowns and points after for 14 more in their column. Gardner-Webb was able to touch down and get the point after before halftime.
Charlotte stayed on top after halftime. The third quarter saw yet another touchdown and successful point after, and a fourth-quarter field goal was the cherry on top. With no score response from Gardner-Webb in the second half, the 49ers easily added to their win column 38-10.
Charlotte quarterback Chris Reynolds kicked off the win early in Q1, rushing for the touchdown with plenty of time to spare. A good kick from Johnathan Cruz, a senior from Cartersville, Ga., ensured every point after landed, starting with the first touchdown from the 49ers.
Shadrick Byrd, a junior running back from Alabaster, Ala., ran in his first career touchdown for the 49ers in Q1. In the second quarter, senior running back Calvin Camp of Hickory joined in the scoring action, rushing in a touchdown for Charlotte. Reynolds also found freshman wide receiver Jairus Mack of Athens, Ga. for a pass to get in the second touchdown of Q2.
Fayetteville's own ChaVon McEachern, a running back, ran in his own touchdown for Charlotte in the third quarter. He would score the last touchdown for the 49ers. Cruz capped off the scoreboard in Q4 with a field goal.
Kicker Austin McKay and runing back Narii Gaither were the only two Runnin' Bulldogs of the day to add points to Gardner-Webb's tally. McKay, a sophomore from Aiken, S.C., scored the sole field goal and successful point-after attempt for the visiting team. Gaither, a junior from Rock Hill, scored Gardner-Webb's sole touchdown for the day.
Reynolds ranked among the league leaders in passing efficiency for the past two years while second-team all-C-USA pick. Victor Tucker, one of the league's most reliable receivers, averages over 67 yards per game in his career with 10 TDs over the last two seasons. Reynolds ended up surpassing the 49ers' program record of passing yards, reaching 5,406 with another pass to Tucker.
Saturday's win sees Charlotte's record rise to 2-0 for the 2021 season so far.
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