Five takeaways from a soggy Charlotte 49ers’ spring football game
The Charlotte 49ers kicked off the 2021 campaign with a rain-drenched spring game at Jerry Richardson Stadium on Saturday. The forecast — and contact tracing — brought some of the “2020 luck” to the day, but Will Healy’s team did what it always seems to do — made the most of it.
“The fact that we had a noon spring game on April the 24th and it happened on April the 24th is a win in my opinion,” Healy said after the game. “I can’t tell you how much it meant to us that everybody came out and braved the weather.
“There’s been a lot of excitement about getting back out and watching football games here, and we were glad we were able to get it in for our fans and for our players.”
Here are five takeaways from the 49ers’ spring game:
This is Chris Reynolds’ team
Reynolds played the entire 2020 season with a torn labrum in his throwing shoulder, but he has returned to full health for his fourth season at the helm. The redshirt senior engineered a 75-yard scoring drive on his first and only possession of the day, capped off by an 18-yard strike to his roommate, Cameron Dollar. Reynolds called his own number on the second play with a 49-yard carry up the sideline, nearly matching his rushing total from the abbreviated 2020 season.
“He thinks he’s on Hall of Fame status. He goes one series and drops the mic after a touchdown. It’s what you expect him to do,” Healy said. “We’re lucky to have him back again and, obviously, we feel like we’re in really good hands because he’s running the show.”
Transfers making an impact
The 49ers are not short on new faces this season. Multiple Power Five transfers made immediate impacts in the spring game, starting with safety Jon Alexander intercepting James Foster’s first pass. Foster turned the ball over twice on the day with the interception and a fumbled snap in the red zone.
Kofi Wardlow, a defensive end transfer from Notre Dame, made his presence felt with a sack, fumble recovery and multiple quarterback hurries. Wardlow is making a strong case to start with Markees Watts as the defensive end combo.
Options at running back
With the only veteran in the backfield, Calvin Camp, missing the day due to COVID-19 contact tracing, Shadrick Byrd started alongside Reynolds. McKinley Nelson, Chavion Smith and Elijah Turner all had strong showings, with Turner catching the final touchdown of the day to round out the scrimmage. Saturday’s game solidified that this room is wide open, and the 49ers will need one or two backs to step up and shoulder the load.
Defense wins the day
The offense-vs.-defense format with in-game situations mixed in made for an interesting showcase. The defense limited the offense to two touchdowns and forced four turnovers. It was tough sledding for the run defense, but timely turnovers and solid execution in the secondary proved to be too much for the offense.
“I feel like we have one of the best secondaries in this conference,” Alexander, a transfer from Kansas State, said. “Coming from the Big 12, I’ve seen a lot of good dudes. I would compare this defense that we have to some of the best competition from the Big 12. I like the defense, we’ve got a pretty good chance this season.”
Room for Improvement
The 49ers will practice one final time to round out the spring session, and this group has improved in all aspects through 14 practices. But continued growth is necessary to achieve their goals.
“We’ve made a lot of progress. We have a lot of guys who will be the reasons why we win games,” Healy said. “I’m sitting here looking at the Niner News, 2020 overall record, 2-4. That’s what we are, it’s staring me in the face right now. If we’ll work like that this summer, like we have a point to prove and we want to be relevant and get the buzz back about this program, then I think we will have a chance to have some success next year.”
This story was originally published April 24, 2021 at 3:46 PM.