Charlotte Command the Field vs. UTEP

Charlotte takes the victory in a strong 38-28 on Saturday in the first home game of the season.

(Source: Charlotte Football)

The 49ers had a strong show against the UTEP Miners as Charlotte wins 38-28. Regardless of the scoreline and a rocky 1st half start, the offense and defense took command against the fellow C-USA team and had a comfortable home opener win. This was FINALLY the first home game of the season after two previous games were canceled due to Covid-19.

The first half ended with a 14-14 tie with the UTEP defense putting some pressure on the Charlotte run and closing those holes to prevent McCalister from getting much yardage. But it was 1st half turnovers on the first drive that saw Charlotte as the defensive power we got to see a glimpse of last season. 

Looking at the numbers, the defense had two interceptions from Tyler Murray and Lance McMillan. The Charlotte secondary has really stepped up their game since last seasons and the defense only continues to show its strength deep and in the trenches, Ben DeLuca had a forced fumble as well forcing the 49ers third turnover of the game. 

Offensively, Reynolds had a decent 14/23 for 185 yards. This should have been more, but dropped passes in the first half saw a rocky start for the 49ers. Dollar and Tucker both caught for touchdowns on Saturday with Dollar’s catch in a scrambled play that Reyolds was able to salvage for the TD.

 We were introduced to True Freshman, Chavon McEachern in the 4th quarter. His first 4 rushes resulted in 27 yards and picking up a long first down to practically seal the game for Charlotte. 

Healy is beginning to find the depth in the team is starting to show and, at least in conference play, the Charlotte bench is going to continue to show its strength in all areas of the game. 

Also this week, Charlotte picked up more 3-star offensive linemen. The 2021 class is looking to be the strongest in the conference and already young talent is going to see the 49ers to be a future powerhouse in C-USA. 

Despite the two easy TDs in the end by UTEP, Charlotte showed their conference strength again as the 49ers cruised into victory on Saturday. This week sees preparation against Duke on Halloween night for the first ACC opponent in program history. 

As it stands, Charlotte is not 2-1 in conference and 2nd in the Eastern division behind Marshall (3-0 in conference). If Charlotte keeps up the current form, the Nov. 21st game against Marshall could be a challenger for the 1st place spot in the east!