Big 3rd quarter gives Florida Atlantic victory against Charlotte 49ers

The Charlotte 49ers fell apart in the third quarter then came up just short against Florida Atlantic on Saturday in a 21-17 Conference USA loss against the Owls at FAU Stadium in Boca Raton, Fla.

Charlotte (0-2, 0-1 C-USA) led 10-0 at halftime, but the Owls (1-0, 1-0) outscored the 49ers 21-0 in the third period. That was all FAU needed to win its season opener against a 49ers team that was playing for just the second time.

“You get to halftime and you’re only up 10-0 and you felt like you were dominating,” said 49ers coach Will Healy. “It should have been 24-0 or 21-0 at halftime. We left some points on the board. We missed some opportunities.”

The 49ers had a chance to win it late after their defense stopped an FAU drive on fourth down at the Charlotte 17. With 1 minute 54 seconds left, the 49ers drove nearly the length of the field, but a 12-yard pass from quarterback Chris Reynolds to Victor Tucker to the Owls 9 wasn’t enough as time ran out.

It was Charlotte’s first game since Sept. 12, when it lost its season opener against Appalachian State. The 49ers had since had games postponed or canceled against North Carolina and Georgia State due to coronavirus concerns. Saturday’s game was the first of the season for the Owls, who had their first two games against Georgia Southern and South Florida called off.

Owls quarterback Nick Tronti, a transfer from Indiana who originally committed to Charlotte out of high school, had 192 yards in total offense (94 passing, 98 rushing, including a touchdown). Charlotte’s Reynolds completed 24 of 32 passes for 314 yards and a touchdown.

The 49ers defense dominated the first half, holding the Owls (who averaged a league-high 448.6 yards and 36.4 points per game last season) to 72 yards and nothing on the scoreboard. Charlotte allowed FAU just eight plays on three possessions (including two three-and-outs) in the second quarter.

The 49ers drove to the Owls 17 on their first possession, but had to settle for a 43-yard field goal by Jonathan Cruz after Chris Reynolds was sacked on a third-and-10 by linebacker Leighton McCarthy.

Charlotte got the ball right back after defensive end Romeo McKnight brought down FAU’s LaJohntay Wester on a fourth-and-3. After picking up 12 yards on his own on first down, Reynolds found Cameron Dollar over the middle for a 39-yard touchdown strike. That made it 10-0 with 1 minute, 36 seconds left in the first quarter.

The Owls got their offense untracked in the third quarter. After Charlotte’s Cruz missed a 48-yard field-goal attempt, Tronti went 49 yards for a touchdown, making it 10-7 with 8:16 left in the quarter. FAU then went ahead 14-10 when Tronti hit tight end Logan Peterson on a 25-yard touchdown pass with 2:57 remaining in the third.

On their next possession, the 49ers had what appeared to be a 75-yard touchdown pass from Reynolds to Aaron McAllister wiped out when Tucker (who had nine catches for 118 yards) lined up as an ineligible player downfield.

Later in the series, Reynolds fumbled at the 49ers 16. On the next play, Tronti hit T.J. Chase (a grad transfer from Clemson) from 16 yards. That made it 21-10 — with all FAU’s points coming in the third quarter.

“I mean, it was devastating,” Healy said of the penalty that nullified McAllister’s touchdown. “We go score a touchdown, and that would have put us up. Instead they get a fumble and score. It’s a big play in the football game.”

Rather than fold, the 49ers got back in it on their next possession when Tre Harbison scored on a 1-yard run. 49ers coach Will Healy, his team facing a fourth-and-4 from the 6, elected to go for a first down rather than send Cruz back out. Reynolds hit Tucker for 5 yards, good enough for a first down, and Harbison scored after that, making it 21-17 early in the fourth quarter.

The Owls ended with 315 total yards; Charlotte had 396.

Although the 49ers were without standout defensive end Markees Watts (lower body injury), Romeo McKnight, a transfer from Illinois State who was one of the top pass rushers in the NCAA’s Football Championship Subdivision last season, made his presence felt with 10 tackles, including two for a loss.

But the game ended in frustration for Charlotte.

“You go into the half up 10-0, the defense has laid a goose egg for you,” said Dollar, who had five catches for 96 yards and a touchdown. “You come out in the third quarter, you get the ball. You’ve got to capitalize. It bit us in the butt.”

Charlotte plays at North Texas next Saturday in a Conference USA game, while FAU is at Southern Mississippi.

This story was originally published October 3, 2020 at 7:40 PM.