2019 Charlotte 49ers football team

2019 Charlotte 49ers football
Bahamas Bowl, L 9–31 vs. Buffalo
Conference	Conference USA
Division	East Division
Record	7–6 (5–3 C-USA)
Head coach	Will Healy (1st season)
Offensive coordinator	Alex Atkins (1st season)
Offensive scheme	Spread Option
Co-defensive coordinator	Brandon Cooper (1st season)
Co-defensive coordinator	Marcus West (1st season)
Base defense	4-2-5
Home stadium	Jerry Richardson Stadium
Seasons ← 2018 2020 →

2019 Conference USA football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
East Division
Florida Atlantic xy$		7	–	1					11	–	3
Marshall		6	–	2					8	–	5
Western Kentucky		6	–	2					9	–	4
Charlotte		5	–	3					7	–	6
Middle Tennessee		3	–	5					4	–	8
FIU		3	–	5					6	–	7
Old Dominion		0	–	8					1	–	11
West Division
UAB xy		6	–	2					9	–	5
Louisiana Tech x		6	–	2					10	–	3
Southern Miss		5	–	3					7	–	6
North Texas		3	–	5					4	–	8
UTSA		3	–	5					4	–	8
Rice		3	–	5					3	–	9
UTEP		0	–	8					1	–	11
Championship: Florida Atlantic 49, UAB 6
$ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant

The 2019 Charlotte 49ers football team represented the University of North Carolina at Charlotte in the 2019 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The 49ers played their home games at Jerry Richardson Stadium in Charlotte, NC, and competed in the East Division of Conference USA (C–USA). They were led by first-year head coach Will Healy.^[1]

Coaching staff

Following the loss of the final home game of the 2018 season to FIU and elimination from bowl game contention, first-year athletic director Mike Hill released head coach Brad Lambert from his contract. Lambert finished the season and his Charlotte 49ers career with a road victory against FAU the following Saturday.^[2] On December 5, 2018 Austin Peay third-year head coach Will Healy was introduced as the Charlotte 49ers second head football coach.^[1]

On December 21 Austin Peay's defensive coordinator Brandon Cooper was named co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach.^[3] Also coming over on the same date from Austin Peay was Max Thurmond who would take over the same positions of special teams coordinator and linebackers coach.^[3] Virginia State offensive coordinator Mark Carrey was named quarterbacks coach.^[3] Southern Miss cornerbacks coach Eddie Hicks would take the same position on Healy's new staff.^[3] Carter Crutchfield would also follow Healy from Austin Peay to continue as his recruiting coordinator and director of operations.^[3] Rounding out the first round of staff hires would be Chris Laskowski, who maintained the same position he had under Healy at Austin Peay of strength and conditioning coach.^[3]

On December 23 Tulane assistant head coach, offensive coordinator and offensive line coach Alex Atkins was named offensive coordinator and offensive line coach.^[3] On January 8, 2019 Minnesota Defensive line coach Marcus West was reported as taking the same position with the 49ers and also joining Cooper as co-defensive coordinators. In addition Healy named West, who had previously been on Healy's staff at Austin Peay, to assistant head coach.^[4] On the same date Troy running backs coach Sean Dawkins was named running backs coach and run game coordinator.^[5]

On January 28, Western Kentucky running backs coach Montario Hardesty joined the staff to coach wide receivers.^[6] On February 21 Clemson graduate assistant Zachary Alley joined the staff to coach nickelbacks.^[7] On March 1 Oregon graduate assistant Cody Woodiel was hired to coach tight ends, completing Healy's first coaching staff at Charlotte.^[8]

Alley would depart from the staff shortly after his hire to join the Boise State staff as inside linebackers coach.^[9]

On June 24 Asheville's Christ School's head football coach Tommy Langford accepted the nicklebacks assistant coaching position.^[10]

Name	Position	Seasons at Charlotte	Alma mater
Will Healy	Head coach	1	Richmond (2008)
Marcus West	Assistant head coach/co-defensive coordinator/defensive line	1	Memphis (2005)
Alex Atkins	Offensive coordinator/offensive line	1	UT Martin (2007)
Brandon Cooper	Co-defensive coordinator/safeties	1	UT Martin (2007)
Mark Carney	Quarterbacks coach	1	Fordham (2004)
Sean Dawkins	Running backs coach/run game coordinator	1	Troy (2007)
Montario Hardesty	Wide receivers coach	1	Tennessee (2010)
Eddie Hicks	Cornerbacks coach	1	So Miss (2010)
Tommy Langford	Nicklebacks coach	1	Minn. State (2015)
Max Thurmond	Linebackers/special teams coach	1	Jacksonville St. (2001)
Cody Woodiel	Tight ends coach	1	Troy (2012)
Reference:[11]

Recruiting

Position key

Halfback	HB		Center	C		Cornerback	CB		Defensive back	DB
Defensive end	DE		Defensive lineman	DL		Defensive tackle	DT		End	E
Fullback	FB		Guard	G		Halfback	HB		Kicker	K
Kickoff returner	KR		Offensive tackle	OT		Offensive lineman	OL		Linebacker	LB
Long snapper	LS		Punter	P		Punt returner	PR		Quarterback	QB
Running back	RB		Safety	S		Tight end	TE		Wide receiver	WR

Recruiting class

The following recruits have signed letters of intent or verbally committed to the Charlotte 49ers football program for the 2019 recruiting year.

US college sports recruiting information for 2019 recruits
Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	40‡	Commit date
Peter Agabe LB	Milledgeville, GA	ASA College Miami, FL	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	225 lb (102 kg)	-	Nov 18, 2018
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:
Prince Bemah LB	Gastonia, NC	Hunter Huss	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	218 lb (99 kg)	-	Feb 6, 2019
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A
Trey Bly CB	Charlotte, NC	Myers Park	5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)	145 lb (66 kg)	-	Jul 20, 2018
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Jamel Brown S	Las Vegas, NV	Desert Pines	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	192 lb (87 kg)	-	Jan 21, 2019
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:
Micaleous Elder WR	Murfreesboro, TN	Blackman	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)	165 lb (75 kg)	-	Feb 6, 2019
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:
Tre Goode ATH	Jamestown, NC	Lucy Ragsdale	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	-	Aug 19, 2018
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:
Noah Henderson WR	Nashville, TN	Ed White	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	-	Feb 6, 2019
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:
Jaxon Hughes DE	Greensboro, NC	Northern Guilford	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	250 lb (110 kg)	-	Dec 19, 2018
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals: N/A   247Sports:
Yontez Jarrell OL	Jacksonville, FL	Ed White	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	265 lb (120 kg)	-	Dec 19, 2018
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:
Michael Kelly DE	Graham, NC	Graham High School	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	225 lb (102 kg)	-	Aug 9, 2018
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:
Quinton Patten WR	Blythewood, SC	Blythewood	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	-	Dec 19, 2018
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:
Rhett Read TE	Buffalo, TX	Blinn College	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	240 lb (110 kg)	-	Dec 19, 2018
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:
Solomon Rogers DB	Rolesville, NC	Rolesville	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	-	Dec 19, 2018
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals: N/A   247Sports:
Jaylon Sharpe LB	Charlotte, NC	Rocky River	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	225 lb (102 kg)	-	Nov 10, 2018
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Bryson Whitehead DB	Cornelius, NC	Hough	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	-	Dec 14, 2018
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:
Jaylan Williams TE	Acworth, GA	Allatoona	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	220 lb (100 kg)	-	Feb 6, 2019
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals: N/A   247Sports:
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 133   Rivals: N/A  247Sports: 133  ESPN: N/A
‡ Refers to 40 yard dash Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height, weight and 40 time. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "Charlotte Football Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved March 18, 2019. "2019 Charlotte Football Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved March 18, 2019. "ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved March 18, 2019. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved March 18, 2019. "2019 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved March 18, 2019.

Key Transfers

Player	Position	Previous	Home Town	High School	Class	Height	Weight
Brelin Faison-Walden	Linebacker	Penn State	Greensboro, NC	Grimsley HS	SR	6'-1"	200 lbs
Brett Kean	Quarterback	S. Florida	Lakewood, OH	St. Edward HS	GR	6'-1"	221 lbs
Marquill Osborne	Cornerback	Tennessee	Cornelius, NC	Hough HS	SR	5'-11"	190 lbs
Christian Roberson	Tight end	Miss. State	Powder Springs, GA	McEachern HS	SR	6'-6"	230 lbs

Players

Roster

2019 Charlotte 49ers football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class WR 1 Micaleous Elder Fr WR 2 Cameron Bent RFr QB 3 Chris Reynolds RSo WR 4 Cameron Dollar RSo RB 5 Arron McAllister RJr WR 6 Tre’ Goode Fr QB 7 Brett Kean RSr QB 8 Willie Taylor  Fr WR 9 Victor Tucker RSo QB 10 Daniel Ratliff RFr QB 11 Preston Brown  Fr QB 12 Willie Green RSo RB 13 Terrick Smalls Jr. RFr WR 14 Joe Thompson RJr WR 15 Justin Jeffrey RFr QB 16 Evan Shirreffs  RSr QB 17 Ford Werness RFr QB 19 Kyle Holcomb  Fr WR 20 Kendric Blake  Fr WR 21 Rico Arnold   So RB 23 Jamel Brown  Fr RB 24 Malachi Rennix  Fr WR 25 Noah Henderson Fr RB 26 Caleb Parker RFr RB 29 Calvin Camp RSo RB 30 Ishod Finger RFr RB 32 Benny LeMay (C) Sr TE 38 Jaylen Williams  Fr OL 53 Jalen Allen RSr OL 54 Dominic Taylor Sr OL 55 Michael Adams RSo OL 57 Brady Alls  Fr OL 62 Austin Lee RJr OL 63 Jacob Webb RSo OL 68 Jaelin Fisher RJr OL 69 Dejan Rasuo RFr OL 70 D'Mitri Emmanuel RSo OL 71 Cameron Clark (C) RSr OL 72 Gage Welborn RFr OL 73 Yontez Jarrell  Fr OL 75 Jonathan Timmons RJr OL 77 Malik Harkness RFr TE 80 Christian Roberson RSr WR 81 Tyler Ringwood RJr WR 82 Zach Gemmell RSo WR 83 Chris Wiggins RFr TE 84 Rhett Read Jr TE 85 Ryan Carriere RJr TE 86 Moss Saccomanno RSo TE 88 Jacob Hunt So WR 89 Quinton Patten  Fr	Defense Pos. # Name Class DB 1 Jacione Fugate RJr LB 2 Brelin Faison-Walden Jr LB 3 Darius Irvin RSr LB 4 Lance McMillian RFr LB 5 Alex Highsmith (C) RSr DB 6 Marquill Osborne Sr LB 7 Anthony Butler Sr DB 8 Nafees Lyon RSr DE 10 Tyriq Harris  (C) RSr DB 12 Christian Haynes RSr DB 15 Marquavis Gibbs Sr LB 17 Luke Martin Jr LB 18 Prince Bemah   Fr DB 20 D.J. Anderson RSr DB 22 Henry Segura RSo DB 23 Matt Martinez RFr DB 24 Soloman Rogers Fr DB 27 Bryson Whitehead  Fr DB 28 Ben DeLuca  (C)  Sr DB 29 Jonnie Pitman RFr DB 31 Trey Bly  Fr DB 31 Kendric Ivey So LB 33 Jaylon Sharpe Fr LB 34 Jeff Gemmell (C) RSr DB 35 Lacy Williams  Fr DB 36 Robert Cheatem RJr LB 39 George Maya RSo LB 40 Markees Watts So LB 42 Tiaseer Rambert  Fr DB 43 Ryan Braithwaite RSo DE 44 Jaxon Hughes  Fr LB 45 Javonte Misenheimer RSo LB 46 Dillon Overholt RFr DL 48 Michael Kelly Fr LB 50 John Thierfelder RSo LB 51 Peter Agabe Fr LB 52 Matthew Longley RJr LB 56 Will Graham RJr DL 58 Johnny Ray RJr LB 59 B.J. Turner RFr DL 60 Bryan Wallace RFr DL 74 Tim Baten RSo DE 86 Antonie Shaw RSo DL 87 Isaiah Harris RSr DL 90 Tommy Doctor RSr DE 91 Corey Mobley RJr DL 92 Desmond Stewart Jr DE 93 Emmanuel White RSo DE 94 Isaiah Belk RFr DE 96 Jaison Williams Sr DE 97 Damon Weldon Jr. RFr DL 98 Timmy Horne RJr DE 99 Taylor Chandler RFr	Special teams Pos. # Name Class K 11 Jonathan Cruz So K 18 Jackson Vansickle RSr P 19 Connor Bowler RSo LS 35 Josh Tilque RFr K 37 Max Bilstein  Fr P/K 39 Kyle Corbett RJr K 41 Christian Kaplan  Fr LS 47 Jack Wellenhofer RJr LS 61 Doug McLaughlin  Fr K 95 Andrew Favaro RSo	Head coach Will Healy (Richmond) Coordinators/assistant coaches Marcus West (Memphis) Assistant head coach/co-defensive coordinator/defensive line Alex Atkins (UT Martin) Offensive coordinator/offensive line Brandon Cooper (UT Martin) Co-defensive coordinator/safeties Mark Carney (Fordham) Quarterbacks Sean Dawkins (Troy) Run Game Coordinator/running backs Montario Hardesty (Tennessee) Receivers Eddie Hicks (Southern Miss) Cornerbacks Tommy Langford (Minnesota State) Nicklebacks Max Thurmond (Jacksonville State) Linebackers/special teams Cody Woodiel (Troy) Tight ends [11] Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt Roster Last update: August 26, 2019

Depth chart

Awards and honors

Preseason

Awards Watch List	Player	Position	Year
Bednarik Award[12]	Alex Highsmith	DE	RSR
Doak Walker Award[13]	Benny LeMay	RB	SR
Rimington Trophy[14]	Jaelin Fisher	C	RJR
Groza Award[15]	Jonathan Cruz	K	SO
Wuerffel Trophy[16]	Tyriq Harris	DE	RSR
Allstate AFCA Good Works Team[16]	Tyriq Harris	DE	RSR

Preseason All-CUSA Team	Player	Position	Year
Preseason Conference USA Special Teams Player of the Year[17]	Jonathan Cruz	K	SO
Preseason All-Conference USA First Team[17]	Jonathan Cruz	K	SO
Preseason All-Conference USA First Team[17]	Alex Highsmith	DE	RSR
Preseason All-Conference USA First Team[17]	Benny LeMay	RB	SR

In season

Awards Watch List	Player	Position	Year
Campbell Trophy[18]	Tyriq Harris	DE	RSR
Burlsworth Trophy[19]	Alex Highsmith	DE	RSR

Award	Player	Position	Year	Game
Conference USA Offensive Player of the Week[20]	Chris Reynolds	QB	RSO	North Texas
Conference USA Offensive Player of the Week[21]	Victor Tucker	WR	SO	Marshall
Conference USA Defensive Player of the Week[22]	Alex Highsmith	DE	RSR	Old Dominion

Wearing Jersey #49	Position	Game
Christian Haynes	Defensive back	Gardner-Webb
B. J. Turner	Linebacker	Appalachian State
Peter Agabe	Linebacker	Massachusetts
Jaelin Fisher	Offensive lineman	Clemson
Gage Welborn	Offensive lineman	Florida Atlantic
Ryan Carriere	Tight end	Florida International
Dillon Overholt	Linebacker	Western Kentucky
Taylor Chandler	Defensive end	North Texas
Markees Watts	Defensive end	Middle Tennessee
Jalen Allen	Offensive lineman	UTEP
Isaiah Harris	Tight end	Marshall
		Old Dominion
Cameron Clark	Offensive lineman	Buffalo (Bahamas Bowl)

Postseason

2019 All-American Football Team

Selection	Player	Position	Year	Authority
Third Team	Alex Highsmith	DE	RSR	PFF[23]
Second Team	Alex Highsmith	DE	RSR	SI[24]
Third Team	Alex Highsmith	DE	RSR	AP[25]

Conference Award	Player	Position	Year
C-USA All-Academic Team[26]	Connor Bowler	P	RSO
C-USA All-Conference First Team[27]	Benny LeMay	RB	SR
C-USA All-Conference First Team[27]	Cameron Clark	OL	RSR
C-USA All-Conference First Team[27]	Alex Highsmith	DE	RSR
C-USA All-Freshman Team[28]	Dejan Rasuo	OL	FR
C-USA All-Freshman Team[28]	Lance McMillan	DB	FR

All Conference Honorable Mentions:^[27]

Offense: QB – Chris Reynolds, R-So. • WR – Victor Tucker, R-So.

Defense: DE – Markees Watts, So. • LB – Jeff Gemmell, R-Sr. • DB – Nafees Lyon, R-Sr.

2020 East–West Shrine Bowl:^[29]

Participants: RB - Benny LeMay (Shrine Game MVP^[30]) • OL - Cameron Clark • DE - Alex Highsmith

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
August 29	7:30 pm	Gardner–Webb*	Jerry Richardson Stadium Charlotte, NC	ESPN+	W 49–28	16,119
September 7	3:30 pm	at Appalachian State*	Kidd Brewer Stadium Boone, NC	ESPN+	L 41–56	29,182
September 14	6:00 pm	UMass*	Jerry Richardson Stadium Charlotte, NC	ESPN3	W 52–17	12,812
September 21	7:30 p.m.	at No. 1 Clemson*	Memorial Stadium Clemson, SC	ACCN	L 10–52	81,500
September 28	3:30 pm	Florida Atlantic	Jerry Richardson Stadium Charlotte, NC	NFLN	L 27–45	12,334
October 12	7:00 p.m.	at FIU	Riccardo Silva Stadium Miami, FL	ESPN+	L 23–48	16,834
October 19	4:00 p.m.	at Western Kentucky	Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium Bowling Green, KY	ESPN+	L 14–30	15,816
October 26	3:30 pm	North Texas	Jerry Richardson Stadium Charlotte, NC	ESPN+	W 39–38	8,245
November 2	3:30 pm	Middle Tennessee	Jerry Richardson Stadium Charlotte, NC	ESPN3	W 34–20	13,879
November 9	3:00 p.m.	at UTEP	Sun Bowl El Paso, TX	ESPN+	W 28–21	15,683
November 23	3:30 pm	Marshall	Jerry Richardson Stadium Charlotte, NC	Stadium, Facebook Live	W 24–13	10,526
November 30	2:00 p.m.	at Old Dominion	S.B. Ballard Stadium Norfolk, VA (Oyster Bowl)	ESPN+	W 38–22	16,369
December 20	2:00 p.m.	vs. Buffalo*	Thomas Robinson Stadium Nassau, Bahamas (Bahamas Bowl)	ESPN	L 9–31	13,547
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll and CFP Rankings after November 5 released prior to game All times are in Eastern time

^[31][32][33]

Television

Charlotte 49ers home games and conference road games will be broadcast through Conference USA's television partners ESPN, CBS Sports, Stadium, NFL Network, and Facebook Watch.^[34][35] Additional games will be available locally in the Charlotte TV market on WCCB.^[36]

Radio

Radio coverage for all games is broadcast by IMG College through the Charlotte 49ers Radio Network flagship station WZGV ESPN Radio 730 AM The Game, and the TuneIn Charlotte 49ers IMG Sports Network app. The radio announcers are "Voice of the 49ers" Matt Swierad with play-by-play alongside NFL veteran Al Wallace providing color commentary and Bobby Rosinski and Walker Mehl with sideline reports. Swierad also hosts the "Niners Live" Coaches Show each Monday during the season at 7:00 pm from Cabarrus Brewing Company.^[37]

Preseason media poll

Conference USA released their preseason media poll on July 16, 2019, with the 49ers predicted to finish in last place in the East Division.^[38]

East Division
Predicted finish	Team
1	Marshall
2	FIU
3	Florida Atlantic
4	Middle Tennessee
5	Western Kentucky
6	Old Dominion
7	Charlotte

Game summaries

Gardner–Webb Runnin' Bulldogs

Gardner–Webb vs Charlotte

1 2 3 4 Total Runnin' Bulldogs 0 14 7 7 28 • 49ers 7 28 7 7 49 Date: August 29 Location: Jerry Richardson Stadium Charlotte, NC Game start: 7:30 pm EDT Elapsed time: 3:12 Game attendance: 16,119 Game weather: 82°F, Clear, 3 mph N Referee: Patrick Foy TV announcers (ESPN+): Bobby Rosinski, Reggie Walker, Libby Clark Sources:[39][40][41][42][43]

Scoring summary 1 1:22 CHAR Benny LEMAY 1 Yd Run (Jonathan CRUZ Kick) CHAR 7-0 2 8:59 CHAR Chris REYNOLDS 3 Yd Run (Jonathan CRUZ Kick) CHAR 14-0 2 8:45 GWU Devron HARPER 99 Yd Kickoff Return (Josh WALSTON Kick) CHAR 14-7 2 6:00 CHAR Aaron MCALLISTER 3 Yd pass from Chris REYNOLDS (Jonathan CRUZ Kick) CHAR 21-7 2 3:44 CHAR Solomon ROGERS 16 Yd Return of Blocked Punt (Jonathan CRUZ Kick) CHAR 28-7 2 0:50 GWU Jayln CAGLE 5 Yd Run (Josh WALSTON Kick) CHAR 28-14 2 0:40 CHAR Benny LEMAY 65 Yd Run (Jonathan CRUZ Kick) CHAR 35-14 3 6:30 GWU Jayln CAGLE 3 Yd Run (Austin MCKAY Kick) CHAR 35-21 3 4:26 CHAR Chris REYNOLDS 1 Yd Run (Jonathan CRUZ Kick) CHAR 42-21 4 14:15 CHAR Micaleous ELDER 31 Yd pass from Brett KEAN (Jonathan CRUZ Kick) CHAR 49-21 4 4:19 GWU Dexter BROWN 35 Yd Run (Josh WALSTON Kick) CHAR 49-28

Healy made his debut as head coach of the 49ers on August 29 against another former Austin Peay head coach in Gardner–Webb's Carroll McCray. The 49ers recorded a 49-28 victory in Will Healy's first game as their head coach.

Top performers included Charlotte quarterback Chris Reynolds who passed for 136 yards, a touchdown, and an interception. Charlotte's Benny LeMay had 16 carries for 120 yards and 2 touchdowns. Charlotte's Cameron Dollar had 5 receptions for 58 yards.

Game notes:

• This game marked the highest scoring total in Charlotte's FBS era.
• Ben DeLuca's 3rd quarter fumble recovery moved him into the all-time lead for the 49ers with six fumble recoveries.
• Alex Highsmith's two sacks moved him into second place on the 49ers sack list with eight career sacks behind Larry Ogunjobi's thirteen career sacks.
• 5 team sacks tied the program's single-game record.

Appalachian State Mountaineers

Charlotte vs Appalachian State

1 2 3 4 Total 49ers 6 7 15 13 41 • Mountaineers 14 14 14 14 56 Date: September 7 Location: Kidd Brewer Stadium Boone, NC Game start: 3:30 pm EDT Elapsed time: 3:50 Game attendance: 29,182 Game weather: 73°F, Partly Cloudy, 3 mph NW Referee: Jeremy Parker TV announcers (ESPN+): Harrison Battle, Pierre Banks Sources:[44][45][46][47][48][49]

Scoring summary 1 14:43 APP Darrynton Evans 87 Yd Run (Chandler STATON Kick) APP 7-0 1 7:50 CHAR Benny LEMAY 3 Yd Run (Jonathan CRUZ PAT failed) APP 7-6 1 2:46 APP Thomas HENNIGAN 5 Yd pass from Zac THOMAS (Chandler STATON Kick) APP 14-6 2 13:16 CHAR Benny LEMAY 58 Yd Run (Jonathan CRUZ Kick) APP 14-13 2 1:14 APP Jalen VIRGIL 10 Yd pass from Zac THOMAS (Chandler STATON Kick) APP 21-13 2 0:39 APP D'Marco JACKSON 16 Yd Return of Blocked Punt (Chandler STATON Kick) APP 28-13 3 12:10 CHAR Cameron DOLLAR 24 Yd pass from Chris REYNOLDS (Jonathan CRUZ Kick) APP 28-20 3 8:05 APP Darrynton EVANS 3 Yd Run (Chandler STATON Kick) APP 35-20 3 3:00 APP Jalen VIRGIL 73 Yd pass from Zac THOMAS (Chandler STATON Kick) APP 42-20 3 1:00 CHAR Benny LEMAY 5 Yd pass from Chris REYNOLDS (Chris REYNOLDS Pass to Victor TUCKER for Two-Point Conversion) APP 42-28 4 8:20 CHAR Victor TUCKER 23 Yd pass from Chris REYNOLDS (Two-Point Pass Conversion Failed) APP 42-34 4 7:14 APP Darrynton EVANS 68 Yd Run (Chandler STATON Kick) APP 49-34 4 3:17 CHAR Victor TUCKER 27 Yd pass from Chris REYNOLDS (Jonathan CRUZ Kick) APP 49-41 4 3:10 APP Darrynton EVANS 45 Yd Kickoff Return (Chandler STATON Kick) APP 56-41

This was the 49ers' first visit to Boone, NC. After not scoring a touchdown in the previous matchup between these squads the 49ers would manage to keep the game within a two-score margin for the entire high-scoring contest. Charlotte would manage to control the clock and have the overall yardage lead but could never crack Appalachian States' score lead throughout the game

Top performers included Charlotte quarterback Chris Reynolds who passed for 296 yards, 4 touchdowns, and an interception. App. St.'s Darrynton Evans had 19 carries for 234 yards and 3 touchdowns. Appalachian's Jalen Virgil had 3 receptions for 86 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Game notes:

• Charlotte put up over 500 yards (526) of total offense for the second time in the season.
• Chris Reynolds would set both a new school FBS single-game passing yardage (296 yards) and touchdown (4) record in this game.
• First time Charlotte has scored 6 touchdowns against an FBS opponent on the road.
• First time Charlotte has scored 4 passing touchdowns against an FBS opponent.
• Charlotte is the first opponent to score more than 19 points in a game against App. St. in Boone since 2017.
• Charlotte's 41 points are the most points scored against App. St. in Boone since Miami beat them at home 45-10 in 2016.

Massachusetts Minutemen

UMass vs Charlotte

1 2 3 4 Total Minutemen 0 10 0 7 17 • 49ers 21 10 14 7 52 Date: September 14 Location: Jerry Richardson Stadium Charlotte, NC Game start: 6:00 pm EDT Elapsed time: 3:00 Game attendance: 12,812 Game weather: 84°F, Mostly Cloudy, 3 mph N TV announcers (ESPN3): Bobby Rosinski, Reggie Walker, Libby Clark Sources:[50][51][52][53][54][55]

Scoring summary 1 13:22 CHAR Cameron DOLLAR 46 Yd pass from Chris REYNOLDS (Jonathan CRUZ Kick) CHAR 7-0 1 4:25 CHAR Ishod FINGER 1 Yd Run (Jonathan CRUZ Kick) CHAR 14-0 1 4:11 CHAR Henry SEGURA 49 Yd Interception Return (Jonathan CRUZ Kick) CHAR 21-7 2 13:57 CHAR Tyler RINGWOOD 5 Yd pass from Chris REYNOLDS (Jonathan CRUZ Kick) CHAR 28-0 2 10:36 MASS Cooper GARCIA 26 Yd Field Goal CHAR 28-3 2 0:17 MASS Jermaine JOHNSON Jr. 3 Yd pass from Andrew BRITO (Cooper GARCIA Kick) CHAR 28-10 2 0:00 CHAR Jonathan CRUZ 53 Yd Field Goal CHAR 31-10 3 10:14 CHAR Ishod FINGER 3 Yd Run (Jonathan CRUZ Kick) CHAR 38-10 3 1:18 CHAR Tyler RINGWOOD 41 Yd pass from Brett KEAN (Jonathan CRUZ Kick) CHAR 45-10 4 12:26 MASS Isaiah RODGERS 42 Yd Punt Return (Cooper GARCIA Kick) CHAR 45-17 4 12:07 CHAR Aaron MCALLISTER 69 Yd Run (Jonathan CRUZ Kick) CHAR 52-17

Charlotte gained some revenge for last year's first quarter four touchdown lapse when they scored three touchdowns unanswered in the first quarter and a fourth early in the second. Charlotte would dominate the rest of the game in similar fashion to gain the program's first home out of conference FBS victory, and only the second FBS out of conference win.

Top performances were dominated by Charlotte and included quarterback Chris Reynolds who passed for 155 yards and 2 touchdowns. Running back Benny LeMay had 16 carries for 113 yards. Receiver Tyler Ringwood had 2 receptions for 46 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Game notes:

• 52 points are the most the 49ers have scored against an FBS opponent.
• This is the first time the 49ers have scored more than 40 points in 3 consecutive games.
• 35 points is Charlotte's largest margin of victory in an FBS game to date.
• 5 team sacks matched the program record for sacks in a game for the 2nd time this season.

#1 Clemson Tigers

Charlotte vs Clemson

1 2 3 4 Total 49ers 0 3 7 0 10 • Tigers 17 21 7 7 52 Date: September 21 Location: Clemson Memorial Stadium Clemson, SC Game start: 7:30 pm EDT Elapsed time: 3:03 Game attendance: 81,500 Game weather: 84°F, Clear, 3 mph S Referee: Jeff Macongghy TV announcers (ACCN): Dave O'Brien, Tim Hasselbeck, Katie George Sources:[56][57][58][59][60][61]

Scoring summary 1 13:35 CLEM Tee Higgins 58 Yd pass from Trevor Lawrence (B.T. POTTER Kick) CLEM 7-0 1 10:24 CLEM K'Von WALLACE 66 Yd Interception Return (B.T. POTTER Kick) CLEM 14-0 1 5:03 CLEM B.T. POTTER 22 Yd Field Goal CLEM 17-0 2 14:56 CLEM Cornell POWELL 2 Yd pass from Trevor LAWRENCE (B.T. POTTER Kick) CLEM 24-0 2 8:31 CLEM Travis Etienne 2 Yd Run (B.T. POTTER Kick) CLEM 31-0 2 4:27 CHAR Jonathan CRUZ 24 Yd Field Goal CLEM 31-3 2 1:24 CLEM Lyn-J DIXON 1 Yd Run (B.T. POTTER Kick) CLEM 38-3 3 9:51 CLEM Joe NGATA 37 Yd pass from Chase Brice (Steven SAWICKI Kick) CLEM 45-3 3 4:53 CHAR Chris REYNOLDS 8 Yd Run (Jonathan CRUZ Kick) CLEM 45-10 4 6:12 CLEM Michel DUKES 24 Yd Run (Steven SAWICKI Kick) CLEM 52-10

Charlotte visited "Death Valley" for the first time to meet the defending National Champions. The Tigers went up early and never looked back, cruising to a 52 to 10 home victory.

Top performances were dominated by Clemson and included quarterback Trevor Lawrence who passed for 94 yards and 2 touchdowns. Running back Travis Etienne had 11 carries for 61 yards and a touchdown. Receiver Joe Ngata had 3 receptions for 62 yards and a touchdown.

Game notes:

• First time Charlotte has faced a defending national champion.
• First time Charlotte has faced a #1 ranked opponent.
• Alex Highsmith's sack in this game (5th on the season) has tied the previous season sack record held by Larry Ogunjobi.
• Highsmith is 2 sacks (11 career) away from tying Ogunjobi's career sacks at 13.
• Aaron McAllister became the 5th 49er to rush for over 1000 yards in his career.
• Game scenes for the upcoming Disney movie "Safety" were filmed during halftime.^[62]

Florida Atlantic Owls

Florida Atlantic vs Charlotte

1 2 3 4 Total • Owls 14 10 14 7 45 49ers 7 7 7 6 27 Date: September 28 Location: Jerry Richardson Stadium Charlotte, NC Game start: 3:30 pm EDT Elapsed time: 3:27 Game attendance: 12,334 Game weather: 91°F, Clear, 1 mph N Referee: Joe Lehring TV announcers (NFLN): Dan Hellie, Max Starks, Molly Sullivan Sources:[63][64][65][66][67][68]

Scoring summary 1 13:01 FAU Larry MCCAMMON III 3 Yd Run (Vladimir RIVAS PAT failed) FAU 6-0 1 6:10 FAU Malcolm DAVIDSON 3 Yd Run (Chris ROBISON Pass to John MITCHELL for Two-Point Conversion) FAU 14-0 1 3:29 CHAR Victor TUCKER 24 Yd pass from Chris REYNOLDS (Jonathan CRUZ Kick) FAU 14-7 2 13:26 FAU Vladimir RIVAS 31 Yd Field Goal FAU 17-7 2 3:26 CHAR Jacob HUNT 1 Yd pass from Chris REYNOLDS (Jonathan CRUZ Kick) FAU 17-14 2 0:25 FAU Tavaris HARRISON 18 Yd pass from Chris ROBISON (Vladimir RIVAS Kick) FAU 24-14 3 8:39 CHAR Aaron MCALLISTER 16 Yd pass from Chris REYNOLDS (Jonathan CRUZ Kick) FAU 24-21 3 6:25 FAU Malcolm DAVIDSON 4 Yd Run (Vladimir RIVAS Kick) FAU 31-21 3 2:12 FAU John RAINE 2 Yd pass from Chris ROBISON (Vladimir RIVAS Kick) FAU 38-21 4 7:34 FAU James CHARLES 1 Yd Run (Vladimir RIVAS Kick) FAU 45-21 4 0:13 CHAR Ishod FINGER 5 Yd Run (Jonathan CRUZ PAT failed) FAU 45-27

Charlotte and Florida Atlantic both opened conference play in a rematch of the previous season finale. Florida Atlantic would get revenge for losing a chance at a bowl game the previous season by holding off two Niners rally attempts and stretching the lead out in the second half to comfortably win the game.

Top performers included FAU quarterback Chris Robison who passed for 312 yards, 2 touchdowns, and an interception. Florida Atlantic's Malcolm Davidson had 13 carries for 83 yards and 2 touchdowns. Charlotte's Victor Tucker had 6 receptions for 115 yards and a touchdown.

Game notes:

• Chris Reynolds's tied Haasan Klugh's single Conference USA game passing touchdowns record at 3.
• Alex Highsmith's sack in this game (6th on the season) broke the previous single-season sack record held by Larry Ogunjobi.
• Highsmith is 1 sack (12 career) away from tying Ogunjobi's career sacks record at 13.

FIU Panthers

Charlotte vs FIU

1 2 3 4 Total 49ers 10 7 6 0 23 • Panthers 7 21 13 7 48 Date: October 12 Location: Riccardo Silva Stadium Miami, FL Game start: 7:05 pm EDT Elapsed time: 3:05 Game attendance: 16,834 Game weather: 81°F, Cloudy, 13 mph ENE Referee: Billy Williams TV announcers (ESPN+): A. J. Ricketts, Kenny Kelly Sources:[69][70][71][72][73][74]

Scoring summary 1 10:56 CHAR Jonathan CRUZ 31 Yd Field Goal CHAR 3-0 1 4:03 FIU Shemar THORNTON 6 Yd pass from James MORGAN (José Borregales Kick) FIU 7-3 1 1:10 CHAR Aaron MCALLISTER 8 Yd Run (Jonathan CRUZ Kick) CHAR 10-7 2 13:29 FIU Kaylan WIGGINS 4 Yd Run (José BORREGALES Kick) FIU 14-10 2 8:18 FIU Napoleon MAXWELL 13 Yd Run (José BORREGALES Kick) FIU 21-10 2 2:56 CHAR Benny LEMAY 43 Yd pass from Chris REYNOLDS (Jonathan CRUZ Kick) FIU 21-17 2 0:25 FIU Anthony JONES 5 Yd pass from James MORGAN (José BORREGALES Kick) FIU 28-17 3 11:34 FIU Anthony JONES 5 Yd Run (José BORREGALES PAT failed) FIU 34-17 3 5:21 CHAR Benny LEMAY 12 Yd Run (Jonathan CRUZ PAT failed) FIU 34-23 3 3:07 FIU Anthony JONES 41 Yd Run (José BORREGALES Kick) FIU 41-23 4 9:58 FIU Anthony JONES 13 Yd Run (José BORREGALES Kick) FIU 48-23

Charlotte would lose control of the game early in the second quarter. Florida International broke the game open with 21 points to finish the half and followed up in the third quarter with two more touchdowns to put the game well out of the 49ers' reach.

Top performers included FIU quarterback James Morgan who passed for 160 yards and 2 touchdowns. The Panthers' Anthony Jones had 16 carries for 117 yards and 3 touchdowns. Charlotte's Benny LeMay had 4 receptions for 90 yards and a touchdown to add to his rushing stats of 21 carries for 144 yards and an additional touchdown.

Game notes:

• Benny LeMay put up a career high 234 yards from scrimmage.
• LeMay had his 4th 100 yard rushing game of the season.

 

WKU Hilltoppers

Charlotte vs WKU

1 2 3 4 Total 49ers 7 7 0 0 14 • Hilltoppers 7 10 13 0 30 Date: October 19 Location: Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium Bowling Green, KT Game start: 3:05 pm CDT Elapsed time: 2:58 Game attendance: 15,816 Game weather: 66°F, Cloudy, 7 mph S Referee: Joe Lehring TV announcers (ESPN+): Graham Doty, Brandon Doughty Sources:[75][76][77][78][79][80]

Scoring summary 1 7:12 CHAR Ishod FINGER 4 Yd Run (Jonathan CRUZ Kick) CHAR 7-0 1 0:52 WKU Jahcour PEARSON 30 Yd pass from Ty STOREY (Cory MUNSON Kick) TIED 7-7 2 12:45 WKU Lucky JACKSON 69 Yd pass from Ty STOREY (Cory MUNSON Kick) WKU 14-7 2 9:00 CHAR Benny LEMAY 47 Yd pass from Chris REYNOLDS (Jonathan CRUZ Kick) TIED 14-14 2 4:08 WKU Cory MUNSON 45 Yd Field Goal WKU 17-14 3 10:45 WKU Cory MUNSON 32 Yd Field Goal WKU 20-14 3 5:41 WKU Cory MUNSON 48 Yd Field Goal WKU 23-14 3 0:08 WKU Ty STOREY 8 Yd pass from Lucky JACKSON (Cory MUNSON Kick) WKU 30-4

The Hilltoppers would be Charlotte's third homecoming game in a row and their fourth straight loss. Though the game was competitive in the first half Charlotte couldn't find the endzones or the uprights in the second half.

Top performances were dominated by the Hilltoppers. Quarterback Ty Storey threw for 283 yards and two touchdowns. Rusher Geaj Walker had 21 carries for 70 yards. Receiver Lucky Jackson had five receptions for 141 yards and a touchdown.

Game notes:

• Alex Highsmith's two sacks in this game moved him into first place in career sacks (13.5 career). Breaking Larry Ogunjobi's previous career sacks record.
• Highsmith now owns all the program sack records for the 49ers. Single game (2), single season (7.5) and career (13.5).
• Victor Tucker became the 6th player in program history to reach 1,000 yards receiving.

North Texas Mean Green

North Texas vs Charlotte

1 2 3 4 Total Mean Green 14 7 14 3 38 • 49ers 0 7 14 18 39 Date: October 26 Location: Jerry Richardson Stadium Charlotte, NC Game start: 3:35 pm EDT Elapsed time: 3:30 Game attendance: 8,245 Game weather: 76°F, Overcast, 3 mph SE Referee: Justin Elliott TV announcers (ESPN+): Bobby Rosinski, Reggie Walker, Libby Clark Sources:[81][82][83][84][85][86]

Scoring summary 1 4:48 UNT Jaelon Darden 64 Yd pass from Mason FINE (Ethan MOONEY Kick) UNT 7-0 1 1:03 UNT Jyaire SHORTER 40 Yd pass from Mason FINE (Ethan MOONEY Kick) UNT 14-0 2 10:13 CHAR Benny LEMAY 1 Yd Run (Jonathan CRUZ Kick) UNT 14-7 2 0:15 UNT Jyaire SHORTER 57 Yd pass from Mason FINE (Ethan MOONEY Kick) UNT 21-7 3 8:47 CHAR Tyler RINGWOOD 52 Yd pass from Chris REYNOLDS (Jonathan CRUZ Kick) UNT 21-14 3 6:07 UNT Jyaire SHORTER 14 Yd pass from Mason FINE (Ethan MOONEY Kick) UNT 28-14 3 3:12 CHAR Chris REYNOLDS 29 Yd Run (Jonathan CRUZ Kick) UNT 28-21 3 0:31 UNT Michael LAWRENCE 34 Yd pass from Mason FINE (Ethan MOONEY Kick) UNT 35-21 4 11:41 CHAR Benny LEMAY 31 Yd pass from Chris REYNOLDS (Two-Point Pass Conversion Failed) UNT 35-27 4 3:34 CHAR Benny LEMAY 5 Yd Run (Two-Point Run Conversion Failed) UNT 35-33 4 1:12 UNT Ethan MOONEY 51 Yd Field Goal UNT 38-33 4 0:18 CHAR Victor TUCKER 34 Yd pass from Chris REYNOLDS (Two-Point Run Conversion Failed) CHAR 39-38

In this first ever meeting of conference foes the Mean Green took an early lead and held it throughout the game; but an offensive flurry for the 49ers in the fourth quarter, combined with the defense shutting down North Texas's high power offense in the same time period, resulted in the Niners gaining their first conference victory of the year.

Top performers of the game included North Texas's Mason Fine, who threw for 394 yards and 5 touchdowns. Charlotte's Benny LeMay rushed for 155 yards on 30 carries for 2 touchdowns. The Mean Green's Jyaire Shorter had 3 receptions for 111 yards and 3 touchdowns.

Game notes:

• First game between these conference foes from opposite divisions.
• Will Healy's first C-USA victory.
• Charlotte set a new program record for total offense against an FBS opponent with 589 yards.
• Chris Reynolds's 432 total yards of offense (336 passing, 96 rushing) broke the single game record for total yardage previously set by Matt Johnson (415 vs Gardner-Webb in 2013).
• Reynolds was named C-USA Offensive Player of the Week.^[20]

Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders

Middle Tennessee vs Charlotte

1 2 3 4 Total Blue Raiders 7 0 6 7 20 • 49ers 14 10 10 0 34 Date: November 2 Location: Jerry Richardson Stadium Charlotte, NC Game start: 3:35 pm EST Elapsed time: 2:55 Game attendance: 13,879 Game weather: 60°F, Clear, 3 mph N Referee: Chris Bynum TV announcers (ESPN3): Bobby Rosinski, Reggie Walker, Libby Clark Sources:[87][88][89][90][91][92]

Scoring summary 1 11:27 MTSU Zack DOBSON 19 Yd pass from Asher O'HARA (Crews HOLT Kick) MTSU 7-0 1 8:54 CHAR Aaron MCALLISTER 2 Yd Run (Jonathan CRUZ Kick) TIED 7-7 1 5:34 CHAR Chris REYNOLDS 19 Yd Run (Jonathan CRUZ Kick) CHAR 14-7 2 13:56 CHAR Aaron MCALLISTER 5 Yd Run (Jonathan CRUZ Kick) CHAR 21-7 2 0:00 CHAR Jonathan CRUZ 38 Yd Field Goal CHAR 24-7 3 8:35 CHAR Christian ROBERSON 1 Yd pass from Chris REYNOLDS (Jonathan CRUZ Kick) CHAR 31-7 3 2:05 CHAR Jonathan CRUZ 49 Yd Field Goal CHAR 34-7 3 0:12 MTSU Asher O'HARA 7 Yd Run (Two-Point Pass Conversion Failed) CHAR 34-13 4 8:46 MTSU Jimmy MARSHALL 10 Yd pass from Asher O'HARA (Crews HOLT Kick) CHAR 34-20

Middle Tennessee would get the first points, but Charlotte's defense wouldn't let them score again until the fourth quarter. By then it was too late, as the 49ers had a steady stream of scores in the first quarter and stretched the lead out enough to make the late Blue Raiders' rally fall far short.

Charlotte dominated the top performances with Chris Reynolds throwing for 192 yards and a touchdown while also adding a rushing touchdown behind 103 yards on the ground. Charlotte's Aaron McAllister would step in for the injured Benny LeMay with 24 carriers for 104 yards and 2 touchdowns. Charlotte's Cameron Dollar had 3 receptions for 80 yards.

Game notes:

• Charlotte's first win in five tries against this C-USA East Division foe in the series. Charlotte has now defeated all C-USA East Division teams at least once save for Florida International.
• First time Charlotte has won back-to-back FBS and conference home games.
• Senior linebacker Jeff Gemmell would record 7 tackles in the game, making him the 49ers' all-time leading tackler with 269 tackles so far on his career, beating out the previous record of 267 tackles held by Karrington King.^[93]

UTEP Miners

Charlotte vs UTEP

1 2 3 4 Total • 49ers 0 7 14 7 28 Miners 14 7 0 0 21 Date: November 9 Location: Sun Bowl Stadium El Paso, TX Game start: 1:00 pm MST Elapsed time: 3:15 Game attendance: 15,683 Game weather: 70°F, Mostly Sunny, 0 mph Referee: Billy Williams TV announcers (ESPN+): Andy Morgan, Trevor Vitteto Sources:[94][95][96][97][98][99]

Scoring summary 1 9:21 UTEP Kai LOCKSLEY 19 Yd Run (Gavin BAECHLE Kick) UTEP 7-0 1 1:52 UTEP Justin GARRETT 15 Yd pass from Kai LOCKSLEY (Gavin BAECHLE Kick) UTEP 14-0 2 10:57 CHAR Tyler RINGWOOD 16 Yd pass from Chris REYNOLDS (Jonathan CRUZ Kick) UTEP 14-7 2 0:42 UTEP Treyvon HUGHES 3 Yd Run (Gavin BAECHLE Kick) UTEP 21-7 3 11:50 CHAR Jonathan CRUZ 45 Yd Field Goal UTEP 21-10 3 4:48 CHAR Ishod FINGER 3 Yd Run (Chris REYNOLDS Pass to Christian ROBERSON for Two-Point Conversion) UTEP 21-18 3 0:44 CHAR Jonathan CRUZ 34 Yd Field Goal TIED 21-21 4 7:06 CHAR Jacob HUNT 19 Yd pass from Chris REYNOLDS (Jonathan CRUZ Kick) CHAR 28-21

The Miners, looking for their first FBS and conference win of the season, would strike quickly by going up two touchdowns in the first quarter and taking a two score lead into the half. The 49ers would reverse the action in the second half, holding the Miners scoreless while coming from behind to take their first road victory of the year.

Chris Reynolds would have another outstanding performance, setting a new FBS school single game record with 354 passing yards which resulted in 2 touchdowns and an interception. With Benny LeMay still injured Reynolds would also add 18 carries for 91 yards on the ground to be the 49ers' top rusher. The Miners' QB Kai Locksley would be their top rusher today as well, having 15 carries for 84 yards and a touchdown. Charlotte's Cameron Dollar would grab 9 receptions for 157 yards.

Game Notes:

• First game between these conference foes from opposite divisions.
• First Charlotte 49ers game in the Mountain Time Zone.
• First time Charlotte has won 3 FBS and conference games in a row.
• First road victory for the program on the season.
• Chris Reynolds set a new school single game FBS passing record of 354 yards, only 4 yards shy of the all-time single game passing yards record held by Matt Johnson.
• Reynolds' 354 passing yards and 91 rushing yards would set a new single game total offensive yardage record of 445 total yards, setting a new mark over his own previously set record of 432 total yards set two weeks earlier against North Texas.
• Reynolds also crossed the 2000 yards mark for the season and 3000 yards mark on his career.

Marshall Thundering Herd

Marshall vs Charlotte

1 2 3 4 Total Thundering Herd 7 3 3 0 13 • 49ers 0 7 3 14 24 Date: November 23 Location: Jerry Richardson Stadium Charlotte, NC Game start: 3:30 pm EST Elapsed time: 3:18 Game attendance: 10,526 Game weather: 51°F, Rainy, 2 mph N Referee: Chris Bynum TV announcers (Stadium, Facebook Live): Chris Hassel, A. J. Hawk, Kristen Balboni Sources:[100][101][102][103][104][105]

Scoring summary 1 3:02 MARSH Joseph EARLY 16 Yd Punt Return (Justin ROHRWASSER Kick) MARSH 7-0 2 11:11 MARSH Justin ROHRWASSER 31 Yd Field Goal MARSH 10-0 2 4:25 CHAR Chris REYNOLDS 15 Yd Run (Jonathan CRUZ Kick) MARSH 10-7 3 9:25 CHAR Jonathan CRUZ 23 Yd Field Goal TIED 10-10 3 4:02 MARSH Justin ROHRWASSER 31 Yd Field Goal MARSH 13-10 4 10:47 CHAR Victor TUCKER 5 Yd Run (Jonathan CRUZ Kick) CHAR 17-13 4 0:48 CHAR Victor TUCKER 25 Yd pass from Chris REYNOLDS (Jonathan CRUZ Kick) CHAR 24-13

In a heavy rain the Thundering Herd, looking to secure home field for the C-USA Championship, would take an early lead; but the 49ers' defense would keep Marshall's offense from reaching the end zone for the entire game. Behind Quarterback Chris Reynolds the 49ers would stage a second half comeback victory to secure the program's first winning season and first bowl game qualification.

The 49ers' Chris Reynolds would dominate the passing and rushing stats in the game, getting a touchdown by both methods. He passed for 166 yards, a touchdown, and 2 interceptions. He rushed for 145 yards on 25 carries and another touchdown. Charlotte's Victor Tucker would make 5 receptions for 121 yards and a touchdown, plus rush for another touchdown.

Game notes:

• The 49ers became bowl eligible for the first time.
• First time the program had 4 victories in a row.
• Tied the number of conference victories in a season at 4.
• Set a new school record for home wins at 5.
• Tied school record with 3rd straight home win.
• Chris Reynolds would move into 2nd place for program career passing yards with 3373 career yards.
• Benny LeMay, returning from injury, would record his 13th career game with 100 yards or more.
• LeMay would also become the 2nd 49er to rush for 3000 yards (3082 yards) in his career, only behind Kalif Phillips (4020 yards).
• Cam Clark would tie the consecutive games played mark with his 47th game.
• Victor Tucker was named Conference USA Offensive Player of the Week.^[21]

Old Dominion Monarchs (Khedive Shriners Oyster Bowl)

Charlotte vs Old Dominion

1 2 3 4 Total • 49ers 14 10 14 0 38 Monarchs 7 0 7 8 22 Date: November 30 Location: S.B. Ballard Stadium Norfolk, VA Game start: 2:00 pm EST Elapsed time: 3:21 Game attendance: 16,369 Game weather: 47°F, Cloudy, 4 mph NW Referee: Joe Lehring TV announcers (ESPN+): Ted Alexander, Andy Mashaw, Doug Ripley Sources:[106][107][108][109][110]

Scoring summary 1 9:18 CHAR Victor TUCKER 58 Yd pass from Chris REYNOLDS (Jonathan CRUZ Kick) CHAR 7-0 1 6:07 ODU Blake WATSON 9 Yd Run (Nick RICE Kick) TIED 7-7 1 4:19 CHAR Benny LEMAY 16 Yd Run (Jonathan CRUZ Kick) CHAR 14-7 2 13:00 CHAR Aaron MCALLISTER 9 Yd Run (Jonathan CRUZ Kick) CHAR 21-7 2 7:37 CHAR Jonathan CRUZ 36 Yd Field Goal CHAR 24-7 3 7:15 ODU Lala DAVIS 8 Yd Run (Nick RICE Kick) CHAR 24-14 3 2:45 CHAR Tyler RINGWOOD 15 Yd pass from Chris REYNOLDS (Jonathan CRUZ Kick) CHAR 31-14 3 1:29 CHAR Benny LEMAY 10 Yd Run (Jackson VANSICKLE Kick) CHAR 38-14 4 3:29 ODU Kesean STRONG 22 Yd Run (Stone Smartt Pass to Darius SAVEDGE for Two-Point Conversion) CHAR 38-22

Charlotte would come into Norfolk looking to secure their first winning season in program history and a spot in a bowl game. Charlotte would cruise to a relatively easy win over the struggling Monarchs and prepare for their first ever game past the month of November.

Charlotte dominated the top performances of the game with Chris Reynolds passing for 166 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Benny LeMay would rush on 18 carries for 105 yards and two touchdowns. Victor Tucker had 3 receptions for 118 yards and a touchdown.

Game notes:

• Charlotte's first Oyster Bowl.
• First winning season in program history.
• First five game winning streak in program history.
• Set a new conference victory total with 5 wins.
• Benny LeMay secured his 2nd 1000 yard rushing season of his career.
• Chris Reynolds tied the season passing touchdown mark set by Matt Johnson at 21 touchdowns.
• Victor Tucker became the 49ers all-time leader in FBS reception yards.
• Alex Highsmith set 2 single game records with 4.5 sacks and 5 tackles for loss.
• Highsmith was named Oyster Bowl MVP.
• Highsmith was named C-USA Defensive Player of the Week.^[22]
• Jeff Gemmell, the 49ers' all-time leader in tackles, became the first 49er with 300 career tackles.
• Cam Clark became the first 49er to play in a record setting 48 games.

Buffalo Bulls (Makers Wanted Bahamas Bowl)

Buffalo vs Charlotte

1 2 3 4 Total • Bulls 7 10 7 7 31 49ers 0 0 6 3 9 Date: December 20 Location: Thomas Robinson Stadium Nassau, Bahamas Game start: 2:00 pm EST Elapsed time: 3:14 Game attendance: 13,547 Game weather: 77°F, Mostly Cloudy, 26 mph ENE Referee: Wayne Winkler TV announcers (ESPN): Steve Levy, Greg McElroy, Dianna Russini Sources:[111][112][113][114][115][116][117][118]

Scoring summary 1 9:12 BUFF Antonio NUNN 12 Yd pass from Kyle Vantrease (Alex MCNULTY Kick) BUFF 7-0 2 3:33 BUFF Kyle VANTREASE 1 Yd Run (Alex MCNULTY Kick) BUFF 14-0 2 1:25 BUFF Alex MCNULTY 31 Yd Field Goal BUFF 17-0 3 5:22 BUFF Jaret Patterson 6 Yd Run (Alex MCNULTY Kick) BUFF 24-0 3 2:20 CHAR Victor TUCKER 51 Yd pass from Chris REYNOLDS (Two-Point Pass Conversion Failed) BUFF 24-6 4 10:50 CHAR Jonathan CRUZ 32 Yd Field Goal BUFF 24-9 4 1:43 BUFF Jaret PATTERSON 10 Yd Run (Alex MCNULTY Kick) BUFF 31-9

High winds encouraged both teams to keep things on the ground early but it was the Bulls that were able to score first and most often behind their powerful dual threat running game. The 49ers would have two costly drive stalling first half penalties and two costly turnovers at key moments of the game. The 49ers would finally score in the second half, but the game was out of reach as the Bulls took home their first bowl trophy in their fourth bowl appearance.

Top performers of the game included Charlotte quarterback Chris Reynolds, who threw for 198 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Buffalo rusher Jaret Patterson would have 32 carries for 173 yards and 2 touchdowns. Bulls' receiver Antonio Nunn had 5 receptions for 53 yards and a touchdown.

Game notes:

• First Bowl game in program history.
• First international game in program history.
• First time the team played a 13th game in a season.
• First December game in program history.
• Chris Reynolds touchdown pass to Victor Tucker was his 22nd of the season and broke the single season passing touchdown record held by Matt Johnson from the 2013 Inaugural Season.
• All-time 49ers' leading tackler Jeff Gemmell would finish his career with 306 tackles.
• Alex Highsmith finished his career with a school record 20 sacks.
• Cam Clark became the first 49er to play in his 49th game, and appropriately wore the #49 jersey in his final game.

Attendance

Season	Games	Sellouts	W–L (%)	Attendance	Average	Best
2019	6	1	5-1 (.833)	73,924	12,321	16,119

Players drafted into the NFL

Round	Pick	Player	Position	NFL club
3	102	Alex Highsmith	DE	Pittsburgh Steelers
4	129	Cameron Clark	OT	New York Jets

References