What is it about Florida International that has Charlotte 49ers worried this week?
It didn’t take long for Charlotte 49ers defensive tackle Tyler Fain to understand what makes Florida International quarterback James Morgan so special.
“We watched a little bit of film of him, maybe 20 or 25 plays, this morning,” Fain said Tuesday. “This one pass, maybe 40 or 50 yards, the corner(back) had the receiver’s arm trapped down toward the hip. And (Morgan) made just a great back-shoulder throw. The receiver reaches up and makes the catch.”
Morgan is the primary player Fain’s 49ers (4-6, 3-3 Conference USA) will need to stop Saturday when FIU (7-3, 5-1) comes to Richardson Stadium for an East Division matchup.
Morgan, a grad transfer from Bowling Green, leads C-USA in pass efficiency (163.7) and touchdown passes (24).
“He’s probably their strength,” 49ers coach Brad Lambert said. “He doesn’t get sacked, and he get put in good third-down situations. He’s athletic when he gets outside and he’s playing really efficiently now.”
The 49ers’ defense, which remains ranked No. 1 in the league in rushing defense (88.5 yards per game), allows 218.1 yards per game passing. Charlotte has 18 sacks, 3.0 of them by Fain, a senior from Chesapeake, Va.
Four Panthers receivers have more than 20 receptions: C.J. Worton (29), Maurice Alexander (25), Bryce Singleton (23) and Austin Maloney (22). Each of them average at least 19.0 yards per catch.
“We’re going to have to make (Morgan) uncomfortable in the pocket,” Fain said. “And putting a cap on those deep balls will really help us out.”
Scouting the Panthers
▪ FIU is a half-game behind Middle Tennessee (7-3, 6-1) in the East Division. The Panthers can win the division title by beating Charlotte and Marshall next week because they own the tiebreaker against the Blue Raiders. Middle Tennessee, which plays at Kentucky on Saturday, wraps up its regular season next week at home against Ala.-Birmingham.
▪ The Panthers, coached by former Miami and North Carolina coach Butch Davis, are second in the league in scoring offense (34.8).
▪ Linebacker Sage Lewis leads the league in tackles (10.6 per game). The Panthers also have C-USA’s top punter in Stone Wilson (46.0).
49ers notes
▪ In basketball, senior guard Jon Davis, who hit a game-winning 3-pointer against Oklahoma State on Saturday, was named Conference USA’s men’s basketball player of the week. Davis averaged 29.0 points in games against Chattanooga (31 points) and the Cowboys (27).
▪ Charlotte’s men’s soccer team will face Georgia State in a first-round NCAA tournament game Thursday at TransAmerica Field. The 49ers, who lost the C-USA tournament championship game Sunday against Kentucky, have made the tournament seven of the past eight seasons and 13 times overall.
The 49ers (14-4-1) made the field as an at-large team. The Panthers (11-6-2) won the Sun Belt tournament championship for an automatic berth. The winner will play at 12th-seed Virginia Tech (10-6-3) on Saturday.
▪ 49ers guard Jazmin Harris was named C-USA’s co-freshman women’s basketball player of the week, averaging 14.5 points in season-opening victories against UNC Asheville and Wofford.
This story was originally published November 13, 2018 at 5:54 PM.