Charlotte Falls Short in Florida

49ers lose 21-17 to the Owls in a last-minute Thriller

It was a disappointing result on Saturday for Charlotte as they lost to FAU in a 3rd quarter disaster in Boca Raton, Florida. 

Charlotte went into the second half up 10-0 with a dominant defensive performance. 21 unanswered points followed by FAU and the Niners fell 21-17 in the end with a chance to win it with a touchdown in the final moments of the game. 

WR Cameron Dollar in an interview said, “You go on into the half up 10-0, the defense has laid a goose egg for you. You come out in the 3rd quarter, you get the ball. You've got to capitalize. It bit us in the butt." (David Scott) 

Special teams and offensive line are the continued sorrows of the 49ers as missed field goals and lack of blocking for QB Reynolds left the offense lacking in creating the opportunities to win in the last few seconds of the game. A 75-yard touchdown would be called back for an offensive foul against Charlotte. The offensive line gave up 6 sacks and an injury put the line into not only jeopardy for the game but for the next few weeks with payers missing 

Charlotte’s offense has found a scoring groove, however. Charlotte converted 21 first downs and produced a total of 396 yards. Reynolds broke 4,000 passing yards with his 200+ combined yards with dominating performances by Cameron Dollar and Victor Tucker. Reynolds connected to Dollar for a smooth 39-yard touchdown in the second quarter. 

What could be said for the offensive coaching is finishing in the fourth quarter. Clock management and discipline on the behalf of players and coaching cost Charlotte unanswered points against App State and FAU. This is only the second game under the Carney offense, but there are many questions to be answered. 

The biggest improvement for the defense was the ability to stop the run and pass came up clutch in the 1st half and 4th quarter. Overall, the defense gave Charlotte a chance to win throughout the entire game. The biggest chance to win the game came in the last drive after a 4th and 1 stop by the defense. 

Positives: 

• QB Reynolds came back from injury and had a 314-yard game.

• Wide Receivers came up clutch.

• The defense responded to a poor performance from App State.

Negatives:

• The offensive line gave up 6 sacks

• Game management from coaching a big question.

• Finishing in the last 5 minutes.

If Charlotte can muster themselves in the last quarter, there will be a few Ws in the near future!

Charlotte (0-2) plays North Texas (1-2) on 10/10 at 8 p.m. primetime on ESPN U.