Charlotte 49ers’ turnovers costly in loss to Middle Tennessee
A far better performance yielded no better result for Charlotte Saturday afternoon as the 49ers lost to Middle Tennessee 21-13 at Johnny “Red” Floyd Stadium.
After surrendering 73 points in its first visit to Murfreesboro in 2015, Charlotte limited the Blue Raiders to just 144 yards of total offense. However, failure to capitalize on opportunities proved to be the 49ers’ undoing. Charlotte failed to turn either of Middle Tennessee’s turnovers into points.
“I thought our defense really stood up today and put them in some tough spots,” said Charlotte coach Brad Lambert, whose team fell to 3-4 overall, 2-2 in Conference USA. “You look at the stat line and you like what you see, but the bottom line is we’ve got to make a couple more plays in there to give ourselves a chance to win the game.”
Junior running back Benny LeMay outgained Middle Tennessee (4-3, 3-1) by himself, running for 129 yards and a score while adding 58 yards receiving.
Junior transfer Evan Shirrefs, making his first career start at quarterback for Charlotte, threw for 209 yards and a score, but both of his interceptions were converted into touchdowns by the Blue Raiders.
Three who mattered
LeMay: The junior running back posted his second straight 100-yard game with 129 yards on 19 carries, including a 57-yard touchdown.
Brent Stockstill: Despite an injured ankle, Middle Tennessee State’s senior quarterback threw three touchdown passes, accounting for all of the Blue Raiders’ scores.
Ty Lee: A junior wide receiver, Lee was far and away MTSU’s most explosive weapon, catching six passes for 60 yards and two touchdowns.
Observations
▪ Saturday’s game came down to converting on opportunities. Charlotte failed to take advantage of a pair of MTSU turnovers, while the Blue Raiders turned both 49er miscues into touchdowns.
▪ Special teams struggled at times for Charlotte, as the 49ers missed a pair of field goals and failed on a two-point conversion after their opening score.
▪ For the second straight week, the 49ers’ rushing defense held an opponent under 50 yards rushing, limiting the Blue Raiders to 33 yards on 32 carries.
Worth mentioning
▪ The 49ers’ Jeff Gemmell’s second quarter interception thwarted an MTSU drive that started on the Charlotte 13 after a bad punt snap.
▪ The 144 yards of total offense by MTSU was the fewest in a victory under Blue Raiders head coach Rick Stockstill.
Middle Tennessee 21, Charlotte 13
Charlotte | 6 | 0 | 0 | 7 | — | 13 |
Middle Tennessee | 0 | 14 | 0 | 7 | — | 21 |
First Quarter
CHA—LeMay 57 run (pass failed), 13:08
Second Quarter
MTS—Lee 29 pass from Stockstill (Holt kick), 6:23
MTS—Lee 5 pass from Stockstill (Holt kick), 4:24
Fourth Quarter
MTS—Casey 0 pass from Stockstill (Holt kick), 9:29
CHA—Quattlebaum 23 pass from Shirreffs (Cruz kick), 1:27
A—13,102.
CHA | MTS | |
First downs | 19 | 9 |
Rushes-yards | 39-150 | 32-33 |
Passing | 209 | 111 |
Comp-Att-Int | 20-40-2 | 14-20-1 |
Return Yards | 34 | 1 |
Punts-Avg. | 6-37.16 | 9-42.44 |
Fumbles-Lost | 1-0 | 3-1 |
Penalties-Yards | 5-40 | 2-20 |
Time of Possession | 37:13 | 22:47 |
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING—Charlotte, LeMay 19-129, McAllister 8-38, Camp 3-5, Kofa 1-0, Shirreffs 7-(minus 8), (Team) 1-(minus 14). Middle Tennessee, T.Thomas 10-36, West 5-9, Mobley 2-4, Stockstill 10-3, Gordon 1-(minus 1), Lee 1-(minus 3), (Team) 3-(minus 15).
PASSING—Charlotte, Shirreffs 20-40-2-209. Middle Tennessee, Stockstill 14-20-1-111.
RECEIVING—Charlotte, Tucker 6-48, Kofa 4-43, LeMay 3-58, Quattlebaum 3-33, Phillips 2-4, Carriere 1-23, Dollar 1-0. Middle Tennessee, Lee 6-60, T.Thomas 3-10, Casey 2-30, Mobley 1-6, P.Smith 1-3, West 1-2.
MISSED FIELD GOALS—Charlotte, Cruz 48, Cruz 53.
This story was originally published October 20, 2018 at 7:29 PM.