Charlotte 49ers’ road woes continue under coach Will Healy with loss to Louisiana Tech

Playing for pride turned into playing spoiler for Skip Holtz’s Louisiana Tech team as the Bulldogs ran away from Charlotte in the second half of a 42-32 victory.

Louisiana Tech (3-7, 2-4 C-USA) snapped a five-game losing streak with the win, and Marcus Williams Jr. played the best game of his career against the 49ers’ struggling defense, scoring four touchdowns in the win, matching his season total through 10 weeks.

It doesn’t matter what team Williams Jr. plays for, he’s going to run for 100 yards against Charlotte. He ran for 117 and a score with Appalachian State in the 2020 season opener and 129 and four scores against Charlotte on Saturday.

Aaron Allen made his second start of the season at quarterback with Austin Kendall missing his second consecutive game for the Bulldogs. Allen didn’t look like a backup in the win, completing 21-of-27 passes for 324 yards, two touchdowns and an interception.

Just a seven-point game at halftime, Louisiana Tech scored on its first four drives of the second half to pull away, totaling 504 yards of offense.

Charlotte quarterback Chris Reynolds came alive in the second half, posting his career-best performance with 448 yards and three touchdowns. Charlotte’s offensive surge kept the score competitive, but the defense was outmatched.

The 49ers dropped to 1-4 on the road this season and the struggles away from Richardson Stadium under coach Will Healy continued, dropping to 4-12 overall in his tenure.

Charlotte’s opening drive looked promising by converting two third downs and driving into the Bulldogs’ red zone, but Reynolds’ pass to the end zone was intercepted by Khalil Ladler. Ladler was later ejected for a targeting call following a hit on Victor Tucker.

Louisiana Tech looked to leading receiver Smoke Harris early and often on the ensuing drive, recording three catches for 46 yards and a crucial fourth-down conversion. The Bulldogs drove 98 yards in 16 plays to score the afternoon’s first points as Marcus Williams Jr. scored his first touchdown of the day from 2 yards out.

Two consecutive red-zone drives culminated in no points for the 49ers as Reynolds’ fourth-down attempt from the Bulldogs’ 1-yard line sailed over Grant DuBose’s head. Charlotte lost two offensive linemen on the drive with Jaxon Hughes and Panda Askew exiting with injury. Pairing with D’Mitri Emmanuel and TJ Moore missing the game, the 49ers’ line depth was tested.

Allen started the game completing six of his first seven attempts. Following the 49ers’ turnover, he was picked off by Shedrick Ursery, giving Charlotte the ball in Bulldogs’ territory. Ursery’s first career interception turned into the 49ers’ first points of the game, as Shadrick Byrd pushed through the pile from 1 yard out to knot the score at seven.

Williams Jr. scored his third touchdown of the day on the opening drive of the third quarter to put the Bulldogs up 21-7. Charlotte failed to score a red-zone touchdown yet again on its first drive of the second half, settling for a 27-yard field goal from Jonathon Cruz to cut the Bulldogs’ lead to 11.

Charlotte’s defense was porous in the second half. There were opportunities to get off the field and give the offense a chance to cut the lead, but stops were few and far between.

The teams traded scores back and forth, and Reynolds did almost everything right in the second half to keep Charlotte alive. Following the only stop Charlotte’s defense could manage in the second half, the 49ers had a shot to make it a one-score game with five minutes to play.

Healy elected to go for it on fourth down instead of kicking a 37-yard field goal, leaving Jonathan Cruz on the sideline. There was a miscommunication between Reynolds and his target, resulting in an errant throw that effectively ended the game.

Charlotte has two more opportunities to secure a sixth win to become bowl eligible. The 49ers will host Marshall on senior day and the program’s 100th game next Saturday, Nov. 20.

First down

Wide receiver Keith Pearson Jr. had three catches for 21 yards on the season for Charlotte. He exploded for six catches for 150 yards and two touchdowns in the loss. Expect the Presbyterian transfer to see many more targets in the slot.

Offsides

The 49ers had eight failed red-zone attempts coming into the Week 11 matchup. An interception and a turnover on downs inside the Bulldogs’ 20 on their first two possessions put the 49ers in a hole early, one they were unable to dig themselves out of.

Riverboat Healy is willing and ready to gamble on fourth down. He could have taken the points and sent Cruz out for an 18-yard field goal in the first quarter but elected to keep Reynolds and the offense on the field and test his luck. Charlotte was unable to convert, but the Bulldogs were forced to start consecutive drives inside their own 5-yard line.

The two scoreless red-zone trips proved to be the difference in the game.

Touchdown

Saturday’s performance was Louisiana Tech’s most complete offensive performance of the season. Third downs had been a struggle throughout 2021 for the Bulldogs, with them completing just 39% of their attempts.

That was not the case Saturday as they completed six of their nine third-down attempts and their lone fourth-down attempt. Holtz’s offense was electric with three of its six touchdown drives coming in two minutes or less.

ICYMI

With quarterbacks Austin Kendall and JD Head out with injuries, Louisiana Tech resorted to itsr third-string quarterback Aaron Allen against Charlotte. Allen has seen spot starts through his three seasons in Ruston, and the Bulldogs’ last victory was with Allen at the helm against North Texas on Sept. 25.

Key numbers

4 touchdowns through 10 weeks for Williams Jr. He had three in the win.

448 passing yards for Reynolds, the most in his career.

548 yards of total offense for Charlotte in the loss.