A brutal no-call on targeting: 3 things to take away from Charlotte’s loss at Illinois

The Charlotte 49ers were on track to notch their second Power Five victory of the season, but a nightmare third quarter saw the hopes of the best start in program history slip away.

Charlotte fell 24-14 on the road against Illinois in a physical game. A battle that was decisively won in the trenches featured big plays, pad-popping hits and a curious no-call that changed the game.

Here are three takeaways from the 49ers’ final non-conference game:

Illinois wasn’t a moral victory for Charlotte

Following a tough loss in what was a winnable game against a Big Ten opponent, Will Healy isn’t making excuses.

“I’ve been a part of a couple of different programs where guys get patted on the back after a loss, and I want them to expect more of themselves than that,” Healy said. “When you feel like you’re capable of winning the game and you don’t get it done, I want to hold ourselves accountable for that.

“Call me crazy, but I fully expected to win the game when we came into it. I believe we had plenty of opportunities to get it done,” Healy said. “Any time we lose a football game around here, it should be disappointing. Am I concerned about this football team? Absolutely not.”

The 49ers were 11-point road underdog and dropped to 3-9 on the road under Healy. They also have no answer stopping the run.

Illinois rushed for 336 yards as a team and Chase Brown led the way with 257 and two scores. Charlotte has been gashed repeatedly on the ground, allowing three games of 280 rushing yards or more. Following the loss, senior linebacker Luke Martin spoke on the 49ers’ defensive woes.

“It starts with the players. It’s not the scheme,” Martin said. “I had a missed tackle (on the game-breaking 80-yard run by Brown). That’s on me. As players, we are capable of making this a really good defense.”

The 49ers must find a way to limit the damage on the ground. In losses to Georgia State and Illinois, the Niners have allowed just 16 completed passes. Opponents are beating Charlotte exclusively with the run game.

Did Illinois get away with targeting?

Leading 14-10 on the first possession of the second half, a questionable no-call on a violent hit to Chavon McEachern’s head made waves on the 49ers’ sideline. On third-and-12 in Illinois territory, Chris Reynolds lofted a deep ball to McEachern. Illini safety Kerby Joseph came across the field and made helmet-to-helmet contact with McEachern, jarring the ball loose and resulting in stitches in the running back’s cheek postgame.

Targeting wasn’t called live and there was no review of the play. The 49ers punted, and instead of first-and-10 deep in Illini territory with an opportunity to extend the lead to two scores, Illinois scored on the ensuing possession and shut Charlotte out the rest of the way.

When asked about the play after the game, Healy declined to comment.

Charlotte enters C-USA play

Through five games, the 49ers wrapped up non-conference play with three home wins and two road losses. Charlotte’s back on the road on Friday with a trip to Miami to take on Florida International, a team it has never beaten.

“We’re about mid-way through the season. Next week is extremely important. There’s seven more (games) that will be just like this one,” Healy said. “We’re moving on fast. FIU on the road is going to be a great test.”

The 49ers (3-2, 1-0 C-USA) are significantly improved from last season’s two-win team. But Healy’s postgame comments were clear - they still aren’t where they want to be.

With seven games remaining, Charlotte has shown that it can compete with teams atop Conference USA. Cleaning up the defensive issues and red zone miscues will make or break the team’s chances of competing for C-USA’s East Division crown.

“Obviously, we are a lot different football team than we were a year ago,” Healy said. “It’s the best football team that I’ve been a part of since we’ve been here for sure. Expecting to (win) and actually getting it done are two different things. The fun part about it is that we have much more room to grow.”

This story was originally published October 2, 2021 at 7:05 PM.