Charlotte Dominates in Texas

The 49ers claim their first victory against North Texas

(Source: Charlotte Football)

Charlotte glided into victory in a late-night 49-21 blow-out against North Texas! This is the first win of the season for the 49ers as they progress to 1-2 (1-1 C-USA).

The 49ers put up an astonishing 599 yards against the Mean Green with an outstanding performance by QB Chris Reynolds who threw for 290 yards and 2 passing touchdowns. Much to the surprise of everyone was the “Charlotte Special” touchdown play caught by Reynolds for the first score of the game. 

Charlotte’s offense thrived once again on the explosive deep-ball plays resulting in multiple touchdowns. Aaron McCalister’s 79-yard touchdown pass from Reynolds gave Charlotte their second score with McCallister finishing the night with 140 total yards.

This was definitely a show put on by the offense, but the Red Zone defense again from Charlotte and the 3rd and shortstops from the 49ers proved vital against he dangerous North Texas offense. The 3rd and 4th down scenarios and plays from the offense have proven vital over the past two games showing the strength of our offense is still there from last season. 

One of the biggest concerns for the 49ers defense is the lack of sacks so far over three games. The 49ers have had only one sack against oppositions QBs, but the pressure put in the trenches has shut down the run against many of our opponents. There has still been no QB rusher to fill in the spot left by Alex Highsmith, but the defensive line has come in clutch with stopping offenses to create many chances from the pocket. 

Special teams also were ranked second in the nation this weekend for efficiency. This has been a huge improvement from last season's Special teams as this was one of the weakest points in the 49ers team. Kicker Jonathon Cruz has now recorded 13 for 13 on touchbacks through kick-off this season.

This is a game that Charlotte needed to win to show how we can run our offense. While a 49-21 victory is a great achievement, it will be Saturday’s game against FIU which can determine just how good this 49er team is in C-USA. 

This will be a huge boost for our offense to keep the ball rolling, but the dependence on explosive plays will only limit us in the future. The defense is not slowing down and will only carry on their work from the North Texas game as they will face a strong rushing offense in FIU on October 17th.