‘A totally new team’: Charlotte 49ers set to kick off football season Saturday night
The offense for the Charlotte 49ers’ football team has been built around running the ball.
That’s the intention once again, but quarterback Max Brown could provide another dimension to the Niners’ new-look offense. Brown, an athletic 6-foot-3 redshirt sophomore who grew up playing baseball in Oklahoma, continues to impress with his arm strength, on top of his footwork and leadership throughout training camp.
“Max, he’s like a point guard,” head coach Biff Poggi said following Thursday’s practice. “A big, burly point guard. He’s almost 230 pounds, and he can sling it. He was a draft pick in baseball. He makes really good decisions.
“Now, he won’t be perfect, but we are — unlike last year — a threat to throw the football.”
Charlotte football kicks off its 2024 campaign against the James Madison Dukes at 8 p.m. Saturday and had its final open practice Thursday morning.
Poggi encourages fans to come out
The second-year head coach highlighted the dynamic nature of college athletics.
While Charlotte went 3-9 a year ago and is now expected to miss roughly half of its starters Saturday, Poggi remains confident in this group. No team will look exactly the same every year, and the new faces the Niners brought in — combined with some of the standout returners — still have plenty of potential.
“Come and watch our team,” Poggi said. “It’s a totally different team than last year. And I think the fans ought to be expecting that in college sports, the way it is — we’re talking football — the teams are going to be different every year. It’s not going to be the kind of thing where you bring back 70 guys and you have a freshman class of 30, it ain’t gonna be like that.
“This is a totally new team. I think it’s an exciting team, and we’re ready to play.”
‘Supporting your team no matter what’
Poggi said he heard the opener is already sold out.
Charlotte is planning a “Gold Rush” theme — those alternate gold uniforms are now in the College Football 25 video game — for its season kickoff that will be nationally televised on ESPNU. Not only did Poggi encourage fans to come out, but he indicated the importance of sticking by this team.
“I love our student section — I absolutely love ‘em. They’re just maniacs,” Poggi said. ”They bring a lot of juice, and I hope the crowd brings a lot of juice. You’ve got to stay for four quarters. You’ve gotta support us when we’re doing well, and you’ve especially got to support us when we’re not doing well.
“That’s part of being a fan. Being a fan is not being a know-it-all, cynic criticizer. Being a fan is supporting your team no matter what.”
