Here are the highs and lows of the first half of Charlotte 49ers’ football season

Some good. Some bad. Some in between.

The Charlotte 49ers begin the second half of their football season with a road game Saturday against Western Kentucky.

The first half? Well, if the 49ers were panning for gold early on under first-year coach Will Healy, they found some. But they busted just as often. Charlotte won two of its first three games but is now mired in a three-game losing streak.

Now, the 49ers (2-4, 0-2 Conferences USA) face a tough test from the East Division-leading Hilltoppers, (4-2, 3-0).

First, here’s a look at how the opening half of the 2019 season has gone:

Offensive MVP

Senior tailback Benny LeMay is having an C-USA player-of-the-year kind of season. He’s one of those backs who, while not being very big (5-foot-9, 218 pounds) has a rare blend of power and speed, as well as an eye for finding holes that makes him difficult to defend. He’s ranked first in the league in all-purpose yards (129.0), rushing yards (622) and rushing yards per game (103.7) and is also second or third in yards per carry (6.48), rushing touchdowns (five) and total TDs (seven). He’s already got runs of 65, 58 and 48 yards this season.

Defensive MVP

Five years ago, Alex Highsmith was a walk-on at Charlotte who was hoping to make the team. Now he’s an All-American candidate at defensive end who already has six sacks this season. That’s a single-season program record and ranks second in the conference and sixth nationally. As the 49ers’ defense has struggled with injuries and in adjusting to Healy’s 4-2-5 defense, Highsmith has been a constant.

Breakout player

Sophomore receiver Cameron Dollar used to be known as the guy who once scored seven touchdowns in a game in high school. He’s taken the next step with the 49ers, fillling the gap created when Rico Arnold — last season’s No. 2 receiver behind Victor Tucker — went down with an ankle injury. Dollar has 16 receptions (many of them coming on tough over-the-middle routes) and leads the 49ers with a 44.8-yard average per game in receiving yards.

Best play

There were several moments in the 49ers’ game against Appalachian State where it appeared the Mountaineers were poised to blow Charlotte out. One of them came late in the fourth quarter after App State had taken a 49-34 lead. But Charlotte stayed in it when quarterback Chris Reynolds spotted receiver Victor Tucker against one-on-one coverage in the end zone. Tucker rose over the Mountaineers defender and snared the ball for a 27-yard scoring catch (his second in the quarter), and the 49ers were back to within eight points with 3 minutes, 17 seconds left. Appalachian put the game away by scoring on Charlotte’s ensuing onside kick, but the 49ers had put a scare into the Mountaineers.

Worst play

The 49ers were struggling to find a foothold against Florida International, falling behind 21-10 in the second quarter. But they got back in the game when LeMay scored on a 43-yard pass with 5:22 left in the half. Things looked bright for Charlotte on the Panthers’ next possession when defensive end Markees Watts sacked and knocked the ball loose from FIU quarterback James Morgan. As a few 49ers appeared to celebrate, the ball rolled out of the pile and FIU’s D’Vonte Watts picked it up and ran 34 yards, setting up a touchdown. Instead of Charlotte potentially going into halftime with a lead, the Panthers were up 28-17 and would eventually win 48-23.

“What if” play

On Clemson’s first offensive play, Tigers running back Travis Etienne was tackled hard for a short gain and appeared to fumble. Charlotte cornerback Marquill Osborne scooped the ball up and headed toward the end zone. But the whistle had blown when officials deemed that Etienne’s forward progress had been halted before losing the ball. Make no mistake: That call had no bearing on the eventual outcome (a 52-10 Clemson victory), but for a minute or two, the 49ers would have been able to look at the scoreboard and see they were leading the No. 1 team in the country.

Key factor

Healy has said he doesn’t want to use injuries as an excuse. So we’ll do it for him. When a new defense is installed and at least four starters or key players are hurt for significant stretches of time, it’s going to have an impact.

The 49ers have been without strong safety Ben DeLuca (shoulder) and defensive end Tyriq Harris (back) for most, if not all, of the season. True freshman linebacker Prince Bemah, who showed promise early, is out for the season with a knee injury. And middle linebacker Jeff Gemmell has missed time with a bad ankle. That’s given the 49ers a chance to develop some depth — Watts and free safety Jacione Fugate come to mind — but there’s been a cost.

Key stat

For all the defensive problems (the 49ers are allowing 41.0 points and 412.0 total yards per game), there’s been a positive. Led by Highsmith and Watts (3.5), the 49ers have responded to the new defensive system’s focus on getting to the quarterback with 19 sacks. That’s already one more than Charlotte had in all of 2018 and is second in the league behind Alabama-Birmingham’s 20.

This story was originally published October 18, 2019 at 9:50 AM.