Charlotte 49ers need Ben DeLuca, Tyriq Harris to be difference-makers after lost seasons

However things work out this college football season, Ben DeLuca and Tyriq Harris are just happy to be on the field for now.

“It’s been a long time coming,” said Harris, a Charlotte 49ers defensive end who missed last season with a back injury.

Harris could also be speaking for DeLuca, Charlotte’s senior safety, who had to sit for much of the season with a shoulder injury.

Harris and DeLuca — two vital members of Charlotte’s defense — are back knowing they’re preparing for a season that may not be played due to the coronavirus.

There was also nothing ordinary about the season they missed in 2019. The 49ers had a winning record for the first time in program history (7-6) and played in the postseason for the first time (Bahamas Bowl).

Harris missed all of 2019 because of a herniated disk, eventually having surgery in October. Harris, Conference USA’s Football Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 2018-19, was an honorable-mention all-conference selection as a junior and had started 24 consecutive games. He had 2.5 sacks and 5.5 tackles-for-loss during his junior season of 2019.

DeLuca led the nation in forced fumbles (five) as a sophomore in 2017 and was honorable mention All-Conference USA as a junior. But he hurt his shoulder making an open-field tackle in the second game of the ’19 season against Appalachian State and didn’t play again.

“It hurt not being out there,” said DeLuca, who is second on Charlotte’s career tackles list with 265 (he needs 42 to break Jeff Gemmell’s mark of 306). “But I still felt like I was part of that group that was the first bowl team. It felt good to be able to still make an impact. As a teammate to be there, however limited it was, whether on the sidelines, getting them some water or asking somebody to watch film -- however big or small, I still wanted to be there.”

The 49ers have lost five defensive starters from that team. But having Harris replacing All-American Alex Highsmith, and DeLuca return to his spot in the backfield, helps minimize those losses.

“In a time like this, just having two guys that already have had unbelievable experience but are also great people, it’s big for us,” 49ers coach Will Healy said. “You know they have this team’s best interest in their hearts.

“To be able to lose a guy like Alex Highsmith and replace him with a guy like Tyriq Harris is really important for us to take the next step. I think everybody knows what kind of player Ben DeLuca is. He’s extremely intelligent, he understands things. We expect him to be a great player. But more than that, he’s a really good voice and helps our young guys understand what our expectations are.”

Harris, who has a degree in biology, is playing as a graduate student. DeLuca graduated last December with a degree in communications and expects to earn another degree later this year in sociology.

“The biggest thing for me is just being back with my teammates and coaches,” Harris said. “They’re all family to me. It brings tears to my eyes almost, just to be able to come out here and do what I love.”

49ers notes

▪ Healy said redshirt freshman linebacker Prince Bemah had knee surgery earlier this week. It’s not known how long Bemah will be out but the injury isn’t expected to be season ending.

▪ The 49ers will hold their first preseason scrimmage Saturday morning. Spectators won’t be allowed due to the coronavirus.

▪ Conference USA athletics directors and presidents were to meet Wednesday to discuss the fall sports season. The league has already announced that a conference football season will be played, with teams allowed to play up to four nonconference games. That was complicated when C-USA’s Old Dominion announced earlier this week that it had canceled all sports in the fall, including a football game at Charlotte on Nov. 14.

Charlotte has three nonconference games scheduled — Sept. 19 at North Carolina, Sept. 26 at home against Georgia State and Oct. 31 at Duke — with the league opener set for Oct. 3 at Florida Atlantic. Healy said the 49ers would like to add two more nonconference games with the ODU game now off the schedule.

“We want to play 12 games,” Healy said.