Charlotte 49ers game vs Marshall isn’t on standard TV. Here’s how you can watch it
The Charlotte 49ers are one win from bowl eligibility and welcome Marshall to the Queen City on Saturday for the program’s 100th game. There are 33 seniors or grad transfers on the roster, although it is unclear who will be honored in their final game at Richardson Stadium with the NCAA granting an extra year of eligibility.
WHEN DO THE CHARLOTTE 49ERS PLAY?
Who: Marshall (6-4, 4-2 C-USA) vs. Charlotte (5-5, 3-3 C-USA)
When: 3:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 20
Where: Richardson Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina (15,300 capacity)
Stream: Stadium. The best way to stream is at: https://Twitch.tv/Stadium.
On-air announce crew: Josh Appel, play-by-play; Patrick Russell, analyst.
Radio: Learfield/IMG Network 730 The Game (Matt Swierad, play-by-play; Al Wallace, analyst; Bobby Rosinski, sideline)
Line: Marshall -14.5; O/U: 62
Uniform report: Green pants, green jerseys and green helmets.
WEATHER FORECAST FOR CHARLOTTE, NC
Cloudy skies with variable winds. The temperature will reach 56 degrees during the day and cool to 54 degrees at kickoff.
CHARLOTTE 49ERS FOOTBALL INJURY REPORT
Tackle T.J. Moore (knee) is probable
Guard Panda Aksew is probable
Tackle Jaxon Hughes is doubtful
Wide receiver Victor Tucker (concussion protocol) is out
Defensive tackle Isaac Hampton (Achilles) is out for the season
Tight end Taylor Thompson (ACL) is out for the season
49ERS VS. MARSHALL THUNDERING HERD: WHAT TO WATCH FOR
This game is a must-win for both teams.
The Herd are currently one game behind Western Kentucky for Conference USA’s East Division crown and will play the Hilltoppers in a de-facto playoff game next week with a win over Charlotte.
The 49ers were eliminated from the C-USA championship race with their loss to Louisana Tech last week, but Charlotte would be bowl eligible for the second time in three seasons with a win.
Coach Will Healy’s group is 4-1 at home this season, with their lone loss coming in blowout fashion against Florida Atlantic, a team that Marshall beat by two touchdowns just two weeks ago. Charlotte is a two-touchdown underdog in this one and will need to play its most complete game of the season to beat the Herd.
Statistically, Marshall is better in almost every single category. The main weakness for Charles Hough’s team has been turnovers. Marshall’s turnover ratio is minus-5 and Grant Wells’ has tossed 12 interceptions, including a turnover in eight of the team’s 10 games this season.
Charlotte has forced four interceptions in the past three games and will need to add to that total to pull off the upset. The 49ers are allowing 36.8 points and 484 yards per game in conference play. Opponents have punted just 1.7 times over the past three games.
All of this to say — Charlotte’s defense must play the best game of its season to contain the Herd’s high-octane offense. Marshall is averaging 33.8 points and 473 yards per game.
If the 49ers’ defense is just average, it increases Charlotte’s chance to win dramatically as quarterback Chris Reynolds has kept this team competitive the past two weeks. Reynolds’ career-best passing performance of 448 yards and three total touchdowns was wasted in last week’s loss at Louisiana Tech, where Charlotte surrendered 504 yards and 42 points.
49ers’ safety Jon Alexander returned to the team on Monday following a three-game absence, providing an immediate boost to the secondary. Even with missing multiple games, Alexander is fourth on Charlotte’s defense with 41 tackles and first with two interceptions. While it is unclear what happened internally, defensive end Markees Watts is looking for change from the graduate transfer.
“Just waiting to see what’s changed. How much he’s grown in the past few weeks,” Watts said. “But it’s just a waiting game at this point.”
Watts announced that he will return for one more season. He is 2.5 sacks from breaking Alex Highsmith’s career program record of 20.
Marshall and Charlotte both struggle defending the run, allowing 197 and 202 yards per game, respectively. The Herd’s defensive line has raked in 37 sacks this season, nearly tripling the 49ers’ total of 14. Charlotte’s offensive line will likely be without season-opening starters D’Mitri Emmanuel, TJ Moore and Jaxon Hughes, leaving Reynolds vulnerable in the pocket.
The 49ers will also be operating without Victor Tucker as he has been in concussion protocol for consecutive weeks. But Charlotte’s receivers have been elite this season, with newcomers accounting for 15 of the team’s 21 touchdowns through the air. Keith Pearson Jr. played his best game at Charlotte last week recording six catches for 150 yards and two touchdowns after having just three catches for 21 yards coming into the game.
One unit can’t keep this team competitive, though. We haven’t seen the 49ers put together a complete game in all three phases against an FBS opponent this season, and with two games to play, it’s now or never for Charlotte.
Emotions will be high with 33 seniors and graduate transfers being honored on Saturday. There’s a bit of deja vu in this scenario. In 2019, Charlotte went into Week 12 with a 5-5 record and beat Marshall on senior day, achieving bowl eligibility for the first time.
Charlotte’s best chance to repeat the monumental day starts with getting on the board and jumping out to an early lead. The 49ers have played from behind in their past four games, and Marshall has the firepower to end this one early if Charlotte struggles out of the gate.
CHARLOTTE 49ERS PLAYERS TO WATCH
1. Kicker Jonathan Cruz has been huge at times for the 49ers, and Charlotte will need the senior to be reliable on Saturday. Cruz has connected on 8 of his 12 attempts this season and hasn’t missed from 50-plus. With Charlotte’s best chance to win coming in close games, Cruz may play a major factor in Charlotte’s bowl hopes.
2. Charlotte has been ineffective running the ball for three of the past four weeks. Running back Calvin Camp must change that narrative if Charlotte is to win on Saturday. Camp averages 5.6 yards per carry and is the 49ers’ only back to post a 100-yard game this season. Marshall has allowed a 100-yard rusher in all four losses this season.
3. With this potentially being quarterback Chris Reynolds’ final game in Richardson Stadium, expect No. 3 to leave it all on the field. Healy said that the pressure wasn’t on Chris this season, but it has been anything but that with Reynolds being relied on to keep this team competitive. He is completing a career-high 65.5% of his passes and will break his career-high in passing yards in a season with 291 on Saturday.
MARSHALL PLAYERS TO WATCH
1. Quarterback Grant Wells has been electric at times this season, but that hasn’t come without growing pains for the sophomore. Wells has thrown 13 touchdowns and 12 interceptions this season, including four games with two or more turnovers. He has completed 66% of his passes for 3,090 yards and has rushed for six touchdowns on the year. He is throwing the ball nearly 40 times per game.
2. Running back Rasheen Ali has been one of the best backs in C-USA this season. He is averaging over 5 yards per carry and will likely eclipse the 1,000-yard rushing mark on the year with 61 yards on Saturday. Ali has found the end zone 18 times in 2021 and has 129 more carries than the next highest rusher on Marshall’s roster.
3. Linebacker Eli Neal has been a wrecking ball for Hough’s Herd this season. Neal leads the team with 5.5 sacks and is second with 76 tackles. He recorded three sacks against Navy in Week 1, but his production getting after the quarterback has slipped, recording just 2.5 sacks over the last nine weeks. Going against Charlotte’s injury-depleted offensive line, expect Neal to force Reynolds out of the pocket and speed up his progressions.
CHARLOTTE 49ERS FOOTBALL DEPTH CHART
Any position, whether it’s a starter or a backup, is listed with an —OR— designation.
Offense
QB — Chris Reynolds (James Foster)
RB — Calvin Camp—OR— Shadrick Byrd (ChaVon McEachern)
WR — Cameron Dollar (Keith Pearson Jr)
WR — Elijah Spencer (Tre’ Goode)
WR — Grant DuBose (Jairus Mack)
TE — Ryan Carriere (Jake Clemons—OR—Bryce Kennon)
LT — Chibueze Nwanna (Arabee Muslim)
LG — Panda Askew (Dejan Rasuo)
OC — Hunter Kelly (Jonny King)
RG — Ashton Gist (Dejan Rasuo)
RT — Jaxon Hughes—OR—T.J. Moore
Defense
EDGE — Markees Watts (Kofi Wardlow)
DT — Mikel Horton (Joshua Bailey—OR—Dez Morgan—OR— Siah Sa’o)
DT — Jalar Holley (Bryan Wallace—OR—Miguel Jackson)
EDGE — Michael Kelly (Tyson Clawson)
NICK — Tyler Murray (Derek Boykins)
MLB — Luke Martin (B.J. Turner)
WLB — Justin Whisenhunt (Prince Bemah)
CB — Geovante Howard (Valerian Agbaw—OR—Lance McMillan)
SS — Marcus Robitaille (Matt Martinez)
FS — Solomon Rogers (Comanche Francisco—OR—Lacy Williams)
CB — Trey Creamer (Doug Newsome—OR—Shedrick Ursery)
Specialists
PK — Jonathan Cruz (Max Blistein)
KO — Jonathan Cruz (Max Blistein)
P — Bailey Rice (Ethan Torres)
LS — Cameron Lyons—OR—Colby Garfield
H — Bailey Rice (Chris Reynolds)
KOR — Shadrick Byrd (Calvin Camp—OR—ChaVon McEachern)
PR — Geovante Howard (Victor Tucker—OR—Cameron Dollar)