A true freshman saved the Charlotte 49ers’ football season. He ‘is a dude.’
Elijah Spencer was blown away the first time he stepped onto the field under the lights at Richardson Stadium.
Saturday night, he electrified a sold-out crowd reeling in the game-tying and game-winning touchdowns to force and effectively end overtime, securing a much-needed win for the 49ers.
The former three-star prospect never lost a game in high school, playing for the Dutch Fork Silver Foxes in Irmo, South Carolina. Following consecutive blowout losses, it was gut-check time for Will Healy’s group. Charlotte’s homecoming game featured a crowd of 16,050 with the 49ers’ bowl and Conference USA championship hopes on the line.
It wasn’t quite Friday night lights for Spencer, but Saturday night was all right.
“Coming out of halftime, that’s when the stadium started getting dark. It reminded me of Friday night lights,” Spencer said. “When I step on the field, I’m just laser-focused. It’s weird, but I just blank out. Once I blank out I know that no one can stop me. That’s the greatest feeling. To be able to come clutch like that, that was great.”
The true freshman delivered when it mattered most. Coming into Charlotte’s ninth game of the season, Spencer had posted just 12 catches, though three of which were touchdowns. But he recorded season highs across the board against Rice, catching six of his seven targets for 77 yards and two touchdowns in the comeback victory.
It helped to have Chris Reynolds back in the lineup, and the offense found life late in the game when Charlotte (5-4) shifted gears, switching to an up-tempo look.
“Everybody on the perimeter is more comfortable in that two-minute situation,” Spencer said about the tempo. “You know the ball is coming regardless, so you’ve got to make the play. Every time we’re in that situation, we’re going to come through.”
Spencer caught two passes in Owls’ territory on the final drive of regulation, the most important being the game-tying score. Facing first-and-goal from the Owls’ 8-yard line, Reynolds scrambled left, leaving the pocket where he had been sacked four times on the night, and found Spencer in the back of the end zone to tie the score with 1:14 to play.
The 49ers’ defense then held, allowing Reynolds and the offense to win in overtime.
On the first play of the overtime period, Reynolds pulled the run-pass-option and elected to pass, finding Spencer on the slant pattern across the middle. Spencer did the rest, breaking a tackle and streaking 25 yards for the go-ahead touchdown.
That score capped off an impressive comeback.
Rice had a 16-play, 9-minute scoring drive to put the Owls up 10 with 6 minutes to play in regulation, sending plenty of Charlotte fans to the exits. Those fans who stayed witnessed a thriller.
“It reminded me of the North Texas game in 2019,” Charlotte coach Will Healy said. “We lost a couple in a row and wondered how the guys would respond down 10 points in the fourth quarter with six and a half minutes to go. Down like that we knew we had to play perfectly.”
Victor Tucker caught the touchdown to beat North Texas two seasons ago, but his heroics were unavailable as he played just a handful of reps in the first quarter against Rice before exiting with an injury.
Without Tucker for much of the game, it was the young core of Spencer, Jairus Mack and Grant DuBose that stepped up.
“What would we have done a year ago if Victor Tucker went down in a game?” Healy said. “Elijah Spencer is a dude. I have been saying that for the longest time. I’m going to be his agent when he finishes.”
Spencer turned 18 in July. He will be with the 49ers for at least two more years and has the chance to rewrite the program’s record books as his targets increase. Reynolds was impressed, and it sounds like that connection will have another year together with Reynolds potentially returning for a sixth season.
“I’m going to be 23 years old next week,” Reynolds said, prefacing a birthday celebration if Charlotte can secure a win over Louisiana Tech on Nov. 13. “This man is 18 years old playing prime-time football and making plays at that level in overtime. I mean, come on, that’s special.”
Healy said he wasn’t sure if the 49ers would have landed Spencer if in-person recruiting visits were allowed during the time of his commitment. Spencer had offers from Coastal Carolina, Georgia Southern and Kent State, but signed with the 49ers in December of 2020, a part of the program’s 10th recruiting class.
Wide receiver depth was a question for Charlotte heading into the season following three departures to the transfer portal. But with the emergence of DuBose and Tucker’s consistency, there’s a dream team of receivers in University City.
“I want to make history here,” Spencer told The Observer at Charlotte’s media day in August. This team can be the first at a lot of things. It’s amazing out here. I’m excited to play here under the lights.”
The sun set in the Queen City at 6:24 p.m. Saturday. Spencer came alive when the lights came on, catching all four of his targets in the second half for 66 yards and two season-saving scores.
This story was originally published November 7, 2021 at 5:46 PM.