Charlotte 49ers are 3-3. What midseason grades do they deserve? Here’s a report card.
The Charlotte 49ers are halfway through their football season and one thing has become certain: This team is way better than the 2017 49ers who didn’t win for the first and only time until their eighth game. The question for Charlotte (3-3, 2-1 Conference USA): How much better are these 49ers and how far can they go?
There are several reasons for Charlotte’s improvement. Start with new coordinators on offense (Shane Montgomery) and defense (Glenn Spencer), who have brought in systems that better fit the 49ers’ personnel. Veterans like junior running back Benny LeMay and senior linebacker Juwan Foggie have developed into all-conference caliber performers. Then there are newcomers like redshirt freshman receiver Victor Tucker who have provided an unexpected lift. And the quarterback position — more on that later — seems to be in good hands after years of uncertainty.
There’s a long way to go for Charlotte, which sits a half-game out of first place in C-USA’s East Division and, if it at least equals the first-half performance over the second part of the season, could reach the six victories necessary to be bowl eligible for the first time in program history.
That’s a tough ask. Four of Charlotte’s final six games are on the road (beginning Saturday against Middle Tennessee State) and they’re winless away from Richardson Stadium this season.
Here’s a look at how the 49ers have done so far, position by position:
Quarterback
Until he was injured last week against Western Kentucky, redshirt freshman Chris Reynolds had been having a steady, if unspectacular, season in Montgomery’s pro-style offense. Reynolds (who’s out for the season after ankle surgery) had completed 64.9 percent of his passes for 1,173 yards and six touchdowns and thrown just two interceptions. Junior grad transfer Evan Shirreffs stepped in against the Hilltoppers and was instantly productive, leading Charlotte to four touchdowns and into field-goal range in six possessions. Shirreffs gets the start against Middle Tennessee. How, and if, he builds on his performance against WKU is the 49ers’ biggest story for the rest of the season.
Grade: Incomplete
Running back
LeMay, a physical, bruising runner, averages 89.2 yards per game, second in the league behind only Florida Atlantic’s Devin Singletary (104.5). The threat of LeMay popping off a long gain has forced opposing defenses to stack the box, allowing Reynolds and Shirreffs more time to throw. LeMay is also a threat catching the ball (12 catches for 167 yards) and he’s third in C-USA in all-purpose yards (117.0 per game). Coach Brad Lambert and Montgomery also like to give LeMay as much rest as possible, and Aaron McAllister, Calvin Camp and Ishod Finger all had a decent amount of playing time against WKU. The running game’s success has allowed Charlotte to lead C-USA in time of possession (36:52 per game).
Grade: B+
Receiver
Nowhere on this team is there as much of a changing of the guard than at this position. Although seniors Workpeh Kofa and Mark Quattlebaum still start, Tucker (at the third spot) and, recently, true freshman Rico Arnold give the 49ers the downfield threats they’ve lacked since the Austin Duke and Trent Bostick days. Despite missing most of one game with a shoulder injury, Tucker has 36 catches for 466 yards and two touchdowns. He catches everything and is a threat to score after he does. Arnold has 12 catches for 187 yards and one TD, with 10 of those receptions coming in the last three games (including six against Ala.-Birmingham).
Grade: B
Offensive line
With starting right tackle Nate Davis suspended for the first four games, the line has taken a while to mesh. Run blocking has been solid, but pass protection has been an issue. The 49ers struggle against a strong pass rush and have allowed 18 sacks (3.0 per game), which ranks 11th in C-USA.
Grade: C+
Defensive line
Under Spencer, the 49ers have switched to a 4-3 defense, which theoretically should provide more pressure on the quarterback. That hasn’t been completely the case, as Charlotte has just 10 sacks (although that nearly matches the 11 from last season). No player has more than 1.5 sacks, although end Alex Highsmith’s 6.5 tackles-for-loss is tied for 10th in C-USA. The run defense has generally been stout, allowing a league-best 92.7 yards per game (although much of that is attributable to the minus-9 yards allowed against Football Championship Subdivision opponent Fordham).
Grade: B-
Linebackers
Foggie is having a breakout season, with four interceptions (tied for the C-USA lead), 31 tackles and a sack. Middle linebacker Jeff Gemmell is among the C-USA leaders in tackles with 42. With Anthony Butler on the other side, this group has provided a solid cushion between the line and secondary and has lived up to expectations.
Grade: B+
Secondary
When the defensive line doesn’t get pressure, that can create problems in the defensive backfield. Strong safety Marquavis Gibbs has the only interception among the secondary and has taken over the starting strong safety spot from Ed Rolle. Nafees Lyon has also supplanted D.J. Anderson at one of the cornerback spots. Free safety Ben DeLuca, who led the nation with five forced fumbles in 2017, has one this season.
Grade: C
Special teams
Freshman kicker Jonathan Cruz has been excellent, making 10-of-13 field-goal attempts with a long of 54 (longest in C-USA), but the rest of the 49ers’ special teams have been questionable at best. Kyle Corbett has handled most of the punting duties and averages a serviceable 38.8 yards per punt. Neither McAllister (kickoffs) or Quattlebaum (punts) have been much of a return threat. Return coverage is a legit concern: Massachusetts returned a kickoff for a touchdown and Appalachian State brought back a punt for a score.
Grade: B-
Coaching
Lambert needed to make off-season changes to his staff (specifically Montgomery and Spencer) and so far they appear to have been astute hires. Moving away from 2017 quarterback starter Hasaan Klugh was necessary and the emphasis on becoming tougher running the ball and stopping the run are also paying dividends. But Lambert’s failure to get the team ready to play each week (see: UMass and UAB) and sometimes over-thinking things (special packages for Klugh, going for two after an early TD against WKU) have been head-scratching. Still, some new life — for the time being, at least — has been breathed back into what was a moribund program. And Lambert deserves credit for that.
Grade: C+