Charlotte Fall to Duke in Durham

A late-night Halloween showdown against Duke finishes 53-19 as Charlotte struggles against the Blue Devils

The first game of the home-and-home series with the Duke saw an easy win for the Blue Devils on Halloween night. It was not too much of a contest as Duke scored a long-running touchdown in the second play of the game. 

The highlighted players of the game were definitely Duke’s running backs Mataeo Durant and Deon Jackson with a combined 205 yards rushed. Charlotte was unable to stop the rushing game as the defensive line struggled to close the gaps made by Duke, leaving plenty of room for Durant and Jackson to slip by. 

For the 49ers, Chris Reynolds passed for 171 yards and 1 touchdown. The offensive line gave little time and coverage for Reynolds as the Charlotte QB would be sacked FIVE times by the Duke defense. Duke, having gone into the game 1-5, is known for having one of the better defensive lines in the ACC.

Charlotte WR, Micaleous Elder was the top receiver for the 49ers with 6 receptions for 86 yards and ran in 1 touchdown. The "crafty" Victor Tucker also took 2 carries in rushing attempts for 43 yards with a highlight 41-yard run. The Duke defense quieted the Charlotte offense for the most part and did not give much time causing two turnover fumbles from both Charlotte QBs 

On the defensive side of the ball, Ben Deluca tied the program record for career tackles after his strong 6 tackle game. DeLuca was definitely the defensive player of the game for Charlotte with his commanding presence on the field. Markees Watts got the only sack for the 49ers and Nafees Lyon got the only interception of the game against the turnover-prone Duke offense. 

Charlotte did produce another strong 4th down defense as the 4th and short plays by offenses have struggled to convert against the 49ers this season. On the other side of the ball, the 49ers went 3/4 on 4th down making clutch yardage for the conversions.

Special teams struggled in the first half with a blocked punt from a collapsing line. In the second half, two beautiful on-side kicks that should have gone Charlotte's way were called back for interference and early hit calls against the 49ers.

In review, this was not a great performance against Duke and was a performance to forget. What is exciting is the chance for the Charlotte program to play teams from the ACC and other Power Five schools as it does give us coverage and a decent payday as well. These are the games that give our players experience and a lot is to be learned after playing against a strong out of conference opponent, especially with legendary veteran coaching like David Cutcliffe. 

It is obvious to see why Healy has had a strong focus on offensive linemen in program recruiting. The lack of coverage and protection for the Charlotte QBs has been a major concern for a few seasons now and Healy is definitely trying to fill this gap. 

Looking ahead, Charlotte takes on C-USA opponent Middle Tennessee away. This should not be a challenging game for the 49ers, but nothing is certain going into the weekend as the away team. Charlotte is in 3rd in the C-USA East as 2-1 in-conference.