Why corralling Charlotte 49ers QB Chris Reynolds is key for Appalachian State

Appalachian State couldn’t contain Charlotte quarterback Chris Reynolds last season, but still managed to beat the 49ers in a wild, high-scoring game.

The Mountaineers have the task of trying to stop Reynolds again Saturday when the teams face off in their season opener at Kidd Brewer Stadium (noon, ESPN2).

In 2019, App State beat Charlotte 56-41 in Boone, never quite shaking the 49ers until Darrynton Evans returned an onside kick 45 yards for a touchdown with 3 minutes, 10 seconds remaining.

With Charlotte’s special teams proving to be a liability and Mountaineers quarterback Zac Thomas having an error-free day of his own, it was left to Reynolds — who hadn’t even won the 49ers’ starting job during the preseason — to keep his team in the game.

He did just that, throwing for 296 yards and four touchdowns and running for 35 more. (He actually rushed for 76 yards, including one run of 35 yards, but was sacked four times.)

“He’s a competitor who plays with grit and there’s no play that’s done with him,” said first-year Mountaineers coach Shawn Clark, who was App State’s offensive line coach last season. “Some quarterbacks can’t scramble and keep a play going, but he’s a guy who does a great job of extending plays. That’s the kind of quarterback you want in your program.”

Now a junior, Reynolds’ story is well-known around local college football circles. At 5-foot-11, he didn’t receive a Division I offer coming out of Davie County High (Division II Catawba was the only school to offer him a scholarship). He walked on for former coach Brad Lambert at Charlotte and, after redshirting, won the starting job in 2018. An ankle injury in October forced him to miss the rest of the season.

With Will Healy and a new coaching staff coming in last season, Reynolds had to win the job again — and he didn’t. But when Brett Kean, a transfer from South Florida, was unable to move the 49ers in their season opener against Gardner-Webb, Reynolds came on and never gave the job back.

His first start of the season came the following week against App State.

The 49ers’ 41 points and 526 yards in total offense that day were the most allowed last season by the Mountaineers, who finished 13-1 and were ranked 19th nationally. They had victories against North Carolina and South Carolina, a Sun Belt Conference title and bowl win against UAB.

In addition to Reynolds’ 331 yards in total offense against App State, Benny LeMay rushed for 118 yards and two touchdowns, while Micaleous Elder had seven catches for 119 yards. Victor Tucker added 90 receiving yards, with two crucial fourth-quarter touchdowns.

Saturday’s game, which will be played without fans due to the coronavirus pandemic, will feature two of the Group of 5’s top quarterbacks in Reynolds and Thomas. Reynolds ended up an honorable mention all-Conference USA performer last season and is on this season’s Maxwell Trophy list for college football’s most outstanding player and the Manning Trophy watch list for the nation’s top quarterback.

Thomas, a senior who is the Sun Belt’s preseason offensive player of the year, is also on the Maxwell and Manning lists, as well as the Davey O’Brien Award (also for the nation’s top quarterback).

They had similar statistics last season: Reynolds threw for 2,564 yards, 22 touchdowns and had 3,355 yards in total offense, leading the 49ers to the first winning season (7-6) and bowl game in program history. Thomas threw for 2,718 yards and 28 touchdowns and had 3,158 yards in total offense as the Mountaineers continued to dominate the Sun Belt and appeared in a bowl game for a fifth consecutive season (going 5-0).

Whichever quarterback plays best will go a long way toward deciding Saturday ‘s game. The Mountaineers know they need to somehow corral Reynolds.

“He’s a playmaker,” said App State senior defensive lineman Elijah Diarrassouba. “He’s got a knack for making plays.”

Charlotte at Appalachian State

When: Saturday, noon.

Where: Kidd Brewer Stadium, Boone.

TV: ESPN2.

This story was originally published September 8, 2020 at 6:00 AM.