‘We’re gonna shock a lot of people’: Charlotte 49ers embracing football matchup at UNC
Charlotte 49ers head coach Biff Poggi had a blunt response to the first question at Tuesday’s news conference.
“No questions about (the 30-7 loss to James Madison),” he said. “I’m looking forward. We had those questions after the game.”
Poggi wanted to make it clear that he — and the entire Niners football program — is striving to look ahead. He described Tuesday’s practice as “upbeat, resolute, intense and spirited.”
But a tall task remains: A date with the University of North Carolina this weekend.
Charlotte, a program in its 12th year of existence and 10th at the FBS level, travels to Chapel Hill for a matchup at 3:30 p.m. Saturday inside Kenan Stadium. It will mark the first meeting between Tar Heels and Niners.
“Our kids are very spirited today,” Poggi said. “They have sloughed off the JMU situation. We talked today about learning, about learning from it. And we talked about it actually being a gift — a blessing from God, in a way — because this is the benefit of a tough preseason.
“A tough preseason exposes you, and now you know the things you have to work on. Wouldn’t it be terrible to play a cupcake preseason, not get exposed, get into the league — which is really your goal — get exposed in the league and not have the opportunity to work on it?”
‘We’re gonna shock a lot of people’
Wide receiver Justin Olson, a Huntersville native and North Meck alum, began his collegiate career at UNC.
Olson said he knows it’ll be emotional returning to Chapel Hill — the Tar Heels used the visiting locker room when he was there, as their facilities were being renovated at the time. He also added that he hasn’t kept in contact with many people at UNC since he initially departed for Middle Tennessee following the 2022 season, and that’ll it’ll be nice to see some old faces again.
“No animosity, it’s all love,” Olson said. “They gave me an opportunity. I got my degree and moved on.”
Olson, who made The Charlotte Observer’s 2018 All-Mecklenburg County football team, has been relishing his time as a graduate student working with quarterback Max Brown. He said he sees Brown’s Oklahoma plates every time he enters the parking lot as the signal caller is always there watching film, along with mentioning that the two “religiously” attend yoga together during the offseason.
Overall, Charlotte knows it has plenty of mistakes to correct, and the team has been going over plenty of film. It knows the first half of Saturday night’s opener resembles much more of the kind of program it’s striving to be, and there’s been a lot for it to build on.
“I’ve never played against UNC, so I’m looking forward to that challenge,” said Al-Ma’hi Ali, a junior defensive back from Philadelphia. “And I think we’re gonna tackle that challenge head-on. We’re gonna shock a lot of people.”
