How did 49ers QB Chris Reynolds respond to starting snub? Check the scoreboard.

Chris Reynolds would never say so publicly, but he was understandably unhappy when he learned he wouldn’t start at quarterback for the Charlotte 49ers in their season-opener Thursday against Gardner-Webb.

That didn’t mean Reynolds didn’t want grad transfer Brett Kean — who started ahead of Reynolds — to succeed. Or that he wouldn’t put in a maximum effort whenever he did get in the game.

But when you’re used to starting, as Reynolds did as a redshirt freshman in 2018 before suffering a knee injury six games into the season, you might be a little chapped when you don’t.

Reynolds, a former walk-on, and Kean were locked in a battle for the starting spot throughout the preseason, and first-year coach Will Healy didn’t name a starter until shortly before game time.

“I know it hurt (Reynolds) when we told him Brett was going to run out there for the first snap,” Healy said after the 49ers’ 49-28 victory against the Runnin’ Bulldogs. “And it should, because he’s a competitor. How you respond is what makes you who you are.”

Here’s how Reynolds responded: After the 49ers went nowhere offensively behind Kean in their first two possessions, Reynolds entered the scoreless game midway through the first quarter. He led the 49ers to touchdowns on all four of his possessions in the first half, helping Charlotte to a 35-14 halftime lead.

“It’s tough when you ... have to hop in there and expect to make a play right away,” Reynolds said.

Reynolds kept it up in the third quarter. Although he threw an interception on Charlotte’s first possession of the quarter, Reynolds came back to lead a drive that included him picking up 35 yards on one dash and following that with a 1-yard touchdown run

Reynolds clearly outplayed Kean, completing 14-of-20 passes for 136 yards and one touchdown. He also rushed for 72 yards and two scores. Kean was 4-of-8 for 50 yards and a touchdown, but with two interceptions.

There seems to be little doubt that Reynolds will be the starter for Charlotte’s next game, Sept. 7 at Appalachian State, although Healy still won’t go so far as to say that yet.

“I don’t know,” Healy said “We’ll meet as a staff (Friday) and go over it. We’ll do a lot of prep work and see who knows the offense better and who has a better week of practice. I don’t think the competition is over.”

But Healy can identify with Reynolds. When Healy was a quarterback in college at Richmond, he worked hard in the off-season to win the starting job, but came up short. It took him a long time to get over that.

“I was in his exact same shoes, but I was not mature enough to handle it,” Healy said. “He’s a special teammate and he handled it very well.”

The victory, of course, was Healy’s first as Charlotte’s coach. Always enthusiastic, he celebrated with the team in the locker room by whipping off his shirt and jumping for joy. 49ers defensive end Alex Highsmith said Healy turned the locker room into “Club Charlotte.”

“These guys work really hard,” Healy said. “It’s hard to win football games. I promise you I’ve started 0-1 more than I’ve started 1-0. It should be fun to win; you don’t want to get stagnant. If they enjoyed it as much as I think they did in the locker room, it will make them that much more hungry to do it when we go to Boone.”

This story was originally published August 30, 2019 at 6:51 AM.