How to watch, and what to look for, when Charlotte 49ers face FAU today in opener
College football is back, and the Charlotte 49ers kick off their 10th season with a key conference matchup Saturday night against Florida Atlantic in Week 0. The 49ers have lost three consecutive contests against the Owls but look to break the trend under head coach Will Healy.
WHEN DO THE CHARLOTTE 49ERS PLAY?
Who: Charlotte (0-0, 0-0 C-USA) vs. Florida Atlantic (0-0, 0-0 C-USA)
When: 7 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 27
Where: FAU Stadium, Boca Raton, Florida (29,571 capacity)
Stream: CBS Sports Network
On-air announce crew: Chris Hassel, play-by-play; Robert Turbin, analyst
Radio: Learfield/IMG Network 730 The Game (Matt Swierad, play-by-play; Al Wallace, analyst; Bobby Rosinski, sideline)
Line: Florida Atlantic (-7); over-under: 59.5
WEATHER FORECAST FOR BOCA RATON, FLA
Cloudy skies with variable winds. The temperature will be 84 degrees at kickoff.
CHARLOTTE 49ERS FOOTBALL INJURY REPORT
Safety Marcus Robitaille (leg) is out
Defensive tackle Miguel Jackson (knee) is questionable
Defensive tackle Isiah Potts (knee) is out
49ERS VS. FLORIDA ATLANTIC OWLS: WHAT TO WATCH FOR
It’s been a long offseason as both the 49ers and Owls failed to meet expectations a season ago, and both teams are itching to get 2022 underway.
Coach Willie Taggart’s group, especially the defense, is locked in and ready to put the talking to bed on Saturday night. Healy and the Niners know the challenge of facing a strong team out of the gate and haven’t forgotten about the 38-9 loss to FAU that derailed their 2021 season.
“They got after us, especially in the second half,” Healy said about the blowout loss against FAU from 2021. “I’ve watched that film so many different times and gone back to the helpless feeling of that fourth quarter, and that’s been motivating. Playing FAU to start the season on the road as a heavy underdog is a great challenge and has our full attention. We’ll figure out how good of a team we are Saturday at 7:00 PM.”
While the receivers and defensive backs have made headlines during the week, this game is going to be won in the trenches. The Owls have one of the most talented defensive linemen in the nation with Evan Anderson, all of 6-foot-3, 340 pounds, lining up at nose guard. The matchup to watch will be Anderson against the 49ers’ interior offensive line, featuring center Ashton Gist and guards Panda Askew and Jon Jacobs.
The Owls have been reported to run a 3-3-5 stack under new defensive coordinator Todd Orlando, with plenty of single-high safety looks in training camp. On the opposite side, Charlotte’s defensive end combo of Markees Watts and Central Michigan transfer Amir Siddiq must put pressure on Owls’ quarterback N’Kosi Perry to keep the 49ers competitive.
While this game doesn’t define the outlook of the season, it is the first test the 49ers have under new defensive coordinator Greg Brown. And it’s a big one. Charlotte named just two official starters on the defensive side of the ball in its first 2-deep depth chart. After allowing upwards of 450 yards and 35 points per game a season ago, the pressure is on this group to contain Perry and the dangerous one-two combo of Larry McCammon and Johnny Ford.
Perry is also returning for his sixth season of college football, and after joining the Owls in August of 2021, he just completed his first offseason with the program. Both Perry and Reynolds are featured on the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm award watch list.
The offensive attacks on both sides will be precise, and this one is going to come down to the turnover battle and a key special teams play.
Shadrick Byrd will be key for the 49ers, both in the running game and at kick returner. Byrd is a preseason first-team C-USA nominee as a kick returner and must get involved early and often by giving the 49ers favorable field position.
There’s going to be plenty of talent on both sidelines, and you can expect the tempers to flare early and often. The Owls scored 31 unanswered in the second half to blow Charlotte out in front of their home crowd a season ago, making it easy to state that second-half adjustments will be key.
CHARLOTTE 49ERS PLAYERS TO WATCH
1. Charlotte’s defense starts with Markees Watts. In his first season as a team captain, Watts is looking to build on a 61 tackle and six sack 2021 season. Opposite Watts is Central Michigan transfer Amir Siddiq, who was the talent to free up Watts from the repetitive double teams that he saw a season ago. Watts has never recorded a sack in three contests against the Owls, but he did recover two fumbles in the Week 8 matchup last year. Getting after Perry and speeding up his clock will be key to the 49ers getting off the field on third down.
2. Wide receiver Grant DuBose has had a productive offseason and is going to pose a size matchup for the Owls, as Florida Atlantic doesn’t have a single cornerback over 6-foot on the roster. DuBose, standing at 6-foot-2, 209 pounds, DuBose has been a terror for the 49ers’ defensive backs during training camp and is looking to build on the 892 yards and six touchdowns from a season ago.
3. Center Ashton Gist starts the season with the tall task of containing Florida Atlantic’s Evan Anderson. Gist is entering his third season with Charlotte and is moving back to his natural position at center, where he was ranked as the No. 1 JUCO center in 2020. Standing at 6-foot-1, 290 pounds, Gist lacks two inches and 50 pounds in the matchup. However, he’s known for getting in his opponents’ head with consistent trash talking. It will be one of the best matchups on the field.
FLORIDA ATLANTIC PLAYERS TO WATCH
1. Cornerback Romain “Smoke” Mungin is known for his athleticism, ball skills and playing with a chip on his shoulder. At 5-foot-9, Mungin will be at a significant height disadvantage against the 49ers wideouts. He recorded 40 tackles, five pass deflections, and two interceptions last season, with his best game of eight tackles, two pass deflections and an interception coming against Texas El Paso.
2. Quarterback N’Kosi Perry is slated for a huge season for the Owls. Perry completed 60.9% of his passes for 2,771 yards, 20 touchdowns and seven interceptions a season ago. Perry was near-perfect through the air the last time these teams played, completing nine of his 11 passes for 225 yards and three scores. He did put the ball on the ground three times, losing a fumble in the first half.
3. Wide receiver Jahmal Edrine stated that his goal this season is to be the best receiver in the nation. His first matchup is against the Charlotte secondary which allowed 9.66 yards per attempt and 14.98 yards per completion a season ago, both ranking second to last in the FBS. If Perry has time in the pocket, Edrine’s 6-foot-3, 210-pound frame could pose major problems for the 49ers.
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 — Shadrick Byrd—OR—Calvin Camp—OR—ChaVon McEachern
WR — Victor Tucker (Nolan Groulx)
WR — Elijah Spencer (Tre Blount—OR—Quinton Patten)
WR — Grant DuBose (Jairus Mack)
TE — Taylor Thompson—OR—Eugene Minter Jr. —OR—Jake Clemons—OR—Bryce Kennon
LT — Jaxon Hughes (Knox Boyd)
LG — Panda Askew (Trevor Timmons)
OC — Ashton Gist (Jonny King)
RG — Jon Jacobs (Arabee Muslim)
RT — T.J. Moore (Matt Rosso)
Defense
EDGE — Markees Watts (Mike Kelly—OR—Kofi Wardlow)
DT — Miguel Jackson—OR—Dez Moregan—OR—Isaac Hampton
DT — Jalar Holley—OR—Isaac Washington
EDGE — Amir Siddiq (Tyson Clawson—OR—Darion Smith)
NICK — Derek Boykins—OR—B.J. Turner
MLB — Chase Monroe—OR—Reid Williford
WLB — Cam Burden—OR—Prince Bemah
CB — Valerian Agbaw—OR—Bryson Whitehead
SS — Tank Robinson—OR—Steven Parker—OR—Comanche Francisco
FS — Wayne Jones—OR—Solomon Rogers—OR—Shyhiem Scotland
CB — Geovante Howard—OR—Jordan Anderson—OR—Doug Newsome
Specialists
PK — Aiden Laros—OR—Braeden McAlister—OR—Antonio Zita
P — Bailey Rice
LS — Cameron Lyons
H — Bailey Rice
KR — Shadrick Byrd
PR — Victor Tucker (1/49)