As Charlotte readies to face South Carolina, pair of players return to Williams-Brice
For most in the Charlotte 49ers’ locker room, Saturday night’s matchup with South Carolina will feature the biggest environment in which they’ve played, with more than 60,000 fans expected under the lights at Williams-Brice Stadium. But for Elijah Spencer and Derek Boykins, this is a homecoming.
Charlotte got into the win column against Georgia State last Saturday, highlighted by Chris Reynolds’ heroics, the Big 3 receivers’ best game to date, and timely takeaways by a struggling defensive unit.
Artificial crowd noise drowned out the voice of head coach Will Healy, which typically echoes throughout Richardson Stadium, as Charlotte completed its first day of full practice following their lone win of the season. If Charlotte, a 22.5-point underdog against the Gamecocks, is to close its non-conference schedule with a victory, it’s going to take their most physical performance to date.
“The morale is totally different this week because we found a way to win a big game on the road against a great football team, but the mission and the work that goes into having success each week doesn’t change,” Healy said. “We’re starting to gain a little bit of confidence in how we’re playing football because we’re becoming a tougher football team, and so the practices are going to stay the same way. The first half of the season we’ve had to get my physical and tackle a little bit more for us to get where we want to go.”
HOMETOWN SPENCER
Spencer, a sophomore wideout from Irmo, South Carolina, returns to Williams-Brice where he won all but one of his high school state titles with legendary high school coach Tom Knotts and the Dutch Fork Silver Foxes.
Spencer grew up just 25 minutes from South Carolina’s campus, but was overlooked by the Gamecocks’ recruiting staff before committing to Charlotte as a three-star prospect.
“It’s mano a mano. When we line up, it’s fair game,” Spencer said. “I know each play will be a fight, so I’m just ready to go out there and ball.”
After winning Conference USA’s Freshman of the Year award in 2021, when Spencer caught 28 passes for 381 yards and six touchdowns, the 6-foot-1 wideout has avoided a sophomore slump and has taken a clear step in 2022. Through four games, Spencer is averaging 19.9 yards per catch and leads the team with 319 receiving yards, including three consecutive performances of 95-yards or more. But he’s not one for celebration.
“A celebration? I’m not too fond of celebrations. Coach Knotts would get mad at me,” Spencer said. “It doesn’t matter who the quarterback is, I know I’m confident out there in my play. Any time the ball comes my way I’m ready. I’ve always had that mindset.”
Charlotte’s offense must score at will to keep competitive, and you can expect Spencer to see many targets against a struggling South Carolina defense.
BACK WHERE IT STARTED
On the opposite side of the ball is Boykins, who committed to the Gamecocks under former head coach Will Muschamp out of high school. Boykins enrolled at South Carolina in Jan. of 2019 and impressed through spring practice before battling injuries that derailed his spot in the rotation.
Late in 2019, Boykins entered his name into the transfer portal. The first person to recruit Boykins to Charlotte will be on the opposite sideline Saturday night.
Montario Hardesty, who now serves as the Gamecocks’ running back coach following two seasons coaching the 49ers’ receivers, recruited Boykins out of Central Cabarrus high school. At the time, Hardesty was with his alma mater, Tennessee, as an offensive quality control coach. Although Boykins ultimately chose South Carolina out of high school, the connection that was built ultimately landed him in Charlotte just a year later.
“When he found out I was transferring he called me and told me to come check out what they had going on at Charlotte. We already had that connection,” Boykins said of Hardesty in 2020. “I believe everything coach Hardesty says. He was a big reason that I came to Charlotte.”
Boykins, coming off his best collegiate performance of seven tackles against Georgia State, has been dealing with an ankle injury since Charlotte’s matchup with Maryland in Week 2. But he’ll be ready on Saturday.
“I’m probably going to cry. I won’t lie to you, I’m going to be juiced up,” Boykins said on the Highway 49 Podcast. “I don’t even have words for that. It’s going to be a great environment. It’s going to be a great game, I’m just ready to play football.”
Healy weighed in on the junior linebacker ahead of the reunion.
“We’re really fortunate to have Derek here. I want him to have an experience here that he couldn’t have there,” Healy said. “Obviously he knows he can compete at that level and have success at that level, and we’re glad he’s with us.”