5 takeaways from Charlotte 49ers’ C-USA victory against Western Kentucky

The Charlotte 49ers’ 40-14 victory Saturday against Western Kentucky at Richardson Stadium might have been surprising in how emphatic it was, but not in how the 49ers went about dismantling the Hilltoppers. A strong running game and an opportunistic defense allowed Charlotte (3-3, 2-1 Conference USA) to move into a second-place tie in the league’s East Division, a half-game behind leader Florida Atlantic.

Here are five takeaways from the Western Kentucky game for the 49ers, who travel to face one of the team they’re tied with - Middle Tennessee (3-3, 2-1) - this Saturday:

A better start

Poor starts in consecutive losses against Massachusetts and Ala.-Birmingham doomed Charlotte. That changed against WKU, when 49ers linebacker Juwan Foggie intercepted a pass on the Hilltoppers’ first possession. Then Charlotte’s Benny LeMay scored on a 35-yard run on the 49ers’ first play. Although WKU would take a brief 7-6 lead later in the first quarter (Charlotte missed a two-point conversion after LeMay’s score), Charlotte held the upper hand the rest of the way.

Shirreffs’ impact

The game’s turning point came on the fifth play of the third quarter, when 49ers starting quarterback Chris Reynolds - who was playing a solid game - hurt his ankle with Charlotte leading 9-7. Coach Brad Lambert elected to insert third-string quarterback Evan Shirreffs into the game instead of backup Hasaan Klugh (who fumbled his only snap of the first half). Shirreffs, a grad transfer from Miami who has been injured for much of the season, responded, leading the 49ers to five scores (four touchdowns, one field goal) in six drives. Shirreffs completed 5-of-7 passes for 118 yards and a touchdown and scored one himself).

An update on Reynolds’ injury isn’t expected until Monday. Lambert said that if Reynolds is healthy for the Middle Tennessee game, he’ll be the starter.

Running it, stopping it

The 49ers wanted to run the ball effectively. Check. The 49ers wanted to stop WKU’s running game. Check.

Led by LeMay’s 121 yards on 17 carries and two touchdowns, the 49ers rolled up 211 yards on the ground. Four players had at least four carries - LeMay, Calvin Camp (12 for 38 yards), Ishod Finger (eight for 29), Aaron McAllister (four for 20, one touchdown). Starting with the offensive line, Charlotte overpowered WKU. Defensively, the 49ers held the Hilltoppers to 42 yards on the ground and continue to lead C-USA in that statistic at 92.7 yards per game. The 49ers held WKU to 4 yards and no first downs in the pivotal third quarter.

Breakout players

Foggie and redshirt freshman Victor Tucker continued to have breakout seasons on Saturday. Foggie had eight tackles, two interceptions and a sack. Foggie has four interceptions, which ties for the C-USA lead and has already tied Charlotte’s single-season record held by Terrance Winchester in 2015. Tucker had nine catches for 91 yards and never seems to drop the ball when he is targeted. He has 36 catches for 466 yards, both top-10 rankings in Conference USA. And that’s with him missing most of the UAB game with a shoulder injury.

Why go for 2?

Lambert’s explanation for going for a two-point conversion on the 49ers’ first touchdown was only that he “wanted eight points.” It was a curious decision, coming so early in the game. Fortunately for the 49ers, the potential two points from that play - which failed when Reynolds threw an incompletion - weren’t needed later in the game.

This story was originally published October 14, 2018 at 5:31 PM.