Charlotte 49ers football team falls flat in return to action, loses to Western Kentucky
The Charlotte 49ers looked like a team that hadn’t played in five weeks.
The 49ers, returning to competitive football on Sunday for the first time since Halloween, parlayed mistakes and inconsistent play into a 37-19 Conference USA loss to visiting Western Kentucky.
“Give Western Kentucky credit,” 49ers’ coach Will Healy said after the rare Sunday afternoon college game. “They really got after us. That first half was among the most dominant defensive efforts I’ve ever seen.”
The Hilltoppers (5-6, 4-3) led 17-0 at halftime. They outgained Charlotte (2-4, 2-2) in total yardage 243-34 in the opening 30 minutes. That defensive domination continued until the closing five minutes, when the 49ers scored a pair of touchdowns.
Charlotte’s schedule was interrupted for more than a month by COVID-19-related postponements and cancellations. But the 49ers were reluctant to blame Sunday’s performance on rustiness.
“No, we just didn’t play up to our standards,” said wide receiver Victor Tucker, who became the second player in Charlotte history to pass 2,000 yards in receptions. “Our receivers had a lot of uncharacteristic drops. We can’t blame that on the layoff.”
Senior safety Ben DeLuca, who became the program’s all-time leading tackler with seven stops, added, “We just didn’t perform well. We can’t hide behind that (the layoff).”
One of Charlotte’s bright moments came on Western Kentucky’s opening drive, when the 49ers stopped the Hilltoppers on fourth down at the Charlotte 1.
But by the time the first half had ended, the Hilltoppers got a field goal; scored a touchdown when 49er punter Connor Bowler mishandled a punt; and added a touchdown on a 65-yard drive in the closing two minutes of the second quarter.
Healy said simply being able to play a game after all the disappointments was a success, however.
“We had just gotten our butts kicked, and the first thing I told them (players) afterward was, ‘I’m proud of you,’ ” he said. “Was it a win, just to get out there? Heck, yeah.”
Sunday’s loss ended Charlotte’s slim chance of winning the East Division title and reaching the Conference USA championship game. Marshall and Florida Atlantic remain tied for the East lead.
THE GAME CHANGED WHEN ...
… Western Kentucky responded after Charlotte appeared to gain momentum. The 49ers received the second-half kickoff and scored on a Chris Reynolds-to-Micaleous Elder pass, cutting the deficit to 17-7. But the Hilltoppers regained momentum by making a field goal and scoring a touchdown on their next two possessions for a 27-7 lead.
HELMET STICKERS
Victor Tucker: A junior wide receiver, Tucker had eight catches for 111 yards. He and Austin Duke (2013-16) are the only 49ers with 2,000 or more receiving yards.
Ben DeLuca: The 49ers’ senior safety had seven tackles, giving him a 49ers-record 313 for his career. He entered the game tied for first place all-time with Jeff Gemmell.
Tyrrell Pigrome: Western Kentucky’s quarterback completed 18-of-27 passes for 218 yards, mostly in the opening three quarters. He also rushed for 63 yards.
MAKING SENSE OF THE NUMBERS
71: The distance of Charlotte punter Connor Bowler’s first kick Sunday.
21: Charlotte’s third-down conversion percentage in the game. The 49ers made only 3-of-14 opportunities.
5: The difference in the number of games each team played this season. Western Kentucky managed to avoid COVID-19 problems and has played 11 games. Sunday’s contest was only the sixth for Charlotte.
1.21: Average yardage per play for the 49ers in the first half. Western Kentucky averaged 6.94 in the half.
NEXT UP
Charlotte’s apparent regular-season finale will be at 6:30 p.m. Friday at Marshall. Conference USA has not announced any makeup games for the weekend of Dec. 19. Sunday’s game was the regular-season finale for Western Kentucky.
Steve Lyttle on Twitter: @slyttle
This story was originally published December 6, 2020 at 3:36 PM.