‘There ain’t no quit’: Grading Charlotte 49ers football in first game of post-Poggi era

Whether it was an audition for an opportunity at the Power Four level or foreshadowing for years to come in green and gold, true freshman quarterback DeShawn Purdie’s breakout performance brought life to the Charlotte 49ers just days after the program parted ways with second-year head coach Biff Poggi.

Charlotte’s offense exploded for 442 total yards on the arm of Purdie, who connected with wideout O’Mega Blake for a hat trick of scores in an electrifying second half Saturday in Boca Raton, beating Florida Atlantic 39-27.

In Charlotte’s first win against the Owls since 2018 — in Brad Lambert’s final game as head coach — the 49ers played senior day spoiler in a game much closer than the scoreboard would suggest.

And it was a party in the locker room, according to interim head coach Tim Brewster.

“They refuse to lose. When we get in that locker room It’s 1999 all over again, we’re partying,” Brewster said after the game. “It says a whole lot about this coaching staff. I don’t know that I’ve ever wanted something more in my life than this victory for these players.”

In what was a back-and-forth game all four quarters, Charlotte’s lone takeaway on the night came when it mattered most, with defensive tackle Katron Evans’ scoop-and-score putting the game on ice following Ja’Qurious Conley’s strip-sack with just over three minutes to play.

It wasn’t always pretty for Charlotte, but it wasn’t because the 49ers were continuing their season-long trend of self-inflicted wounds. Charlotte wasn’t penalized on the game, marking a heavy outlier for a team that was averaging more than eight penalties per game (bottom 10 in the FBS) entering Saturday night’s matchup.

Purdie and Blake put on their best Tom Brady and Randy Moss impression, making up nearly half of Charlotte’s offensive production and all three of the offensive touchdowns in the win.

With Charlotte (4-7, 3-4 AAC) getting back in the win column for the first time in more than a month, here’s how the 49ers graded out in their trip to South Florida.

49ers’ rushing offense

With offensive linemen Jordan Spasojevic-Moko and Jordan Herman hitting the transfer portal following Poggi’s termination, Charlotte had to mix and match up front in the season’s penultimate bout. And despite Purdie’s heroics through the air, Charlotte couldn’t get anything going on the ground to aid the freshman signal-caller.

“We didn’t do a good enough job running the ball,” Brewster said. “We didn’t get any backs in space, but we ran it enough to take the pressure off of the passing game.”

Charlotte totaled just 46 rushing yards on the night, led by Cartevious Norton’s 38 yards on 14 carries — aided by a 21-yard scamper late in the second quarter.

A team average of 1.9 yards per carry won’t cut it against most teams, and Charlotte was lucky to be playing one of the worst teams in the American Athletic Conference in the Owls (2-9, 0-7 AAC), who have now lost 11 consecutive conference games.

Grade: D

49ers’ passing offense

Purdie didn’t look like a true freshman on Saturday night.

The 18-year-old completed 16 of his 30 passes for 396 yards and three touchdowns — all to Blake. Purdie tossed one interception on the game early in the fourth quarter but responded immediately on the next possession with another deep-ball touchdown to put Charlotte ahead for good.

“It felt great with all that responsibility on my shoulders in that moment. The game could’ve went totally different from that moment,” Purdie said. “It comes with the job. I signed up for the job to lead the team in these kinds of moments. My guys came through. Offensive line held up, (Blake) caught the ball. What more can you ask for?”

Purdie averaged an eye-popping 24.8 yards per completion on the game, connecting with Blake five times for 205 yards and three touchdowns, tying the program record for touchdowns in a single game.

“I thank God, first and foremost. I thank (Purdie) as well, man. I can’t do nothing but make plays for this guy,” Blake said of his career day. “(Purdie) shows up week in and week out and do his job.”

While the running game produced just one chunk play, the aerial attack accounted for nine — totaling 360 of Charlotte’s 442 total yards. It was passes of 75, 59, 54 and 47 yards that repetitively gashed the Owls’ secondary, with Purdie’s talent on full display in South Florida with the former three-star prospect completing seven of his 14 passes with 20-plus air yards – the most of his career.

And it wasn’t just Purdie’s raw talent that was evident; it was his ability to read Florida Atlantic’s defense and make changes on the fly. Early in the action, facing a third and two, Purdie called an audible at the line, identifying the Owls’ man-to-man coverage against Blake on the wide side of the field.

“DeShawn changed the play. His synergy with (Blake) is really strong,” Brewster said of the early touchdown. “He could’ve went elsewhere with the ball tonight a couple of different times. The two of those guys really did some great things.”

Purdie added with a smile: “ (I saw) man-to-man. I like (Blake) over anybody. If I see man-to-man, we’re going down the field. I’m going to take advantage – take advantage of everything.”

The result? A 54-yard touchdown to Blake on Charlotte’s first possession, kickstarting a monster day for the duo.

Grade: A+

49ers’ rushing defense

While it wasn’t a 425-yard onslaught this time around, it was a brutal day for Charlotte’s front seven for three quarters.

Florida Atlantic rushed for 279 yards on 5.6 per carry, scoring the most points they’ve produced in a calendar month, propelled by 13 chunk plays making up 334 of their 458 total yards.

The Owls saw four different true tailbacks record rushes of 15 yards or more, led by CJ Campbell Jr.’s 150 yards on 21 carries. It was truly running back by committee, with all four of the Owls’ tailbacks recording 40 or more yards on six or more carries each.

Charlotte’s defense did stand tall on three-straight drives in the fourth quarter, forcing a turnover on downs following Purdie’s lone interception – which proved to be a crucial point in the game, trailing by one point mid-way through the game’s final period.

And when it mattered most, leading by five in the game’s final minutes — much like the recent loss at Memphis — Charlotte’s pressure got home in the clutch. Defensive coordinator Ryan Osborn drew up a double edge saw blitz, with Ja’Qurious Conley flying in off the edge and stripping Owls’ quarterback Tyriq Starks with just over three minutes to play.

Evans, a 335-pound defensive tackle, swooped in and put the finishing touches on the victory, scoring his first collegiate touchdown to put the nail in the coffin.

Grade: D

49ers’ passing defense

Starks had his way with Charlotte’s secondary for much of the evening, with the 49ers selling out to stop the run with the Owls finding repeated success. The Owls’ biggest play of the game came through the air, with Starks connecting with Omari Hayes on a 65-yard deep ball to cut Charlotte’s lead in half in the third quarter.

Starks dealt to nine different receivers on the action, with no player catching more than three passes. Starks completed 12 of his 23 passes for 179 yards and a touchdown, but missed on multiple key opportunities throughout — including a wide-open drop in the endzone by Kahlil Brantley on the game’s first possession.

Cornerback Dontae Balfour played well for Charlotte, recording two pass breakups, including one in the back of the endzone to keep the Owls off the board. And with corner Elijah Culp entering the transfer portal earlier in the week, backup Trevon Booker was inserted into the starting lineup, and Osborn was pleased with the redshirt senior’s three tackles and pass breakup.

The 49ers gave up three chunk plays through the air on third downs, allowing conversions on six of the Owls’ 11 attempts. It was an average day for the secondary, highlighted by Balfour’s deflections and Conley’s late-game sack, proving to be Charlotte’s only sack on the game.

Grade: C

49ers’ special teams

Charlotte has a real weapon at the kicker position.

Stephen Rusnak was a star in Charlotte’s victory in South Florida, connecting on all four of his field goals and bailing out Charlotte’s offense that repeatedly stalled in plus territory in the second and third quarters.

The Michigan State transfer connected from 50, 45, 40, and 20 yards out, breaking the program record for the most field goals in a single game.

“He’s one of the best kickers in the country,” Brewster said of Rusnak.

Kick and punt returns weren’t a factor in the game, and punter Michael O’Shaughnessy pinned the Owls inside the 20 on both of his punts, averaging 43.5 yards per attempt. It was another game where special teams didn’t cost the 49ers, and Rusnak was elite when called upon.

Grade: A+

Overall grade

In a battle of interim head coaches, with Poggi and Tom Herman both being fired earlier in the week, the 49ers showed the most discipline they’ve displayed this season. After repeatedly negating big plays, jumping offsides and committing pre-snap penalties, Charlotte played penalty-free football for four quarters on the road.

“I told the team we needed to win the penalty battle. We need to eliminate self-inflicted wounds — pre-snap penalties. And we did,” Brewster said. “That’s good stuff, because we haven’t been the most disciplined team at times, and I just really feel good about how they responded to my challenge to them.”

On the offensive side, Charlotte had rhythm. Offensive coordinator Mike Miller dialed up the deep ball and Purdie delivered it repeatedly. And even with the running game missing in action, the 49ers didn’t have a single three-and-out, averaged 42 yards per possession, and scored on 70% of their non-victory formation drives.

The defense again wasn’t good for much of the game, but came up big when it mattered most. It wasn’t pretty — other than Purdie’s arm talent — but Charlotte got it done in an emotion-filled week following Poggi’s firing.

And if the 49ers can keep Purdie in Charlotte this offseason, the team has its quarterback of the future.

“It was awesome. Coach Biff believed in me. The train doesn’t stop. He believed in me and expected me to finish. And I’m going to go finish. The team is the same way. We’ve got to finish the season. We signed up for it. There ain’t no quit. We just did our jobs.”

With one game remaining against UAB (3-8, 2-5 AAC), Charlotte will look to send its seniors out with one final home victory.

Grade: B