West Virginia transfer Andrew Buie gives Charlotte 49ers coach Brad Lambert rushing options

Charlotte football coach Brad Lambert says West Virginia-transfer Andrew Buie should be an effective complement to junior running back Kalif Phillips as the 49ers prepare for their first season in the NCAA’s Football Bowl Subdivision.

“He’s really a slasher, a big-play guy,” said Lambert of Buie, who rushed for 851 yards in 2012 for the Mountaineers. “It will be interesting to see how he fits in. But I don’t think we can go out and run Kalif 35 times in (FBS) football.”

Phillips rushed for 1,436 yards and 20 touchdowns last season. But with the loss of Alan Barnwell and Maetron Thomas, both of whom were thrown off the team for violating team rules, depth behind Phillips has been a concern to Charlotte coaches.

The 49ers, who return 17 starters from a team that went 5-6 in their second season as a Football Championship Subdivision independent, added two other fifth-year players: linebacker Zeph Grimes (Illinois) and defensive lineman Desmond Floyd (Wake Forest), as well as running back Bradan Smith, a transfer from Hutchinson (Kan.) Community College.

“Those guys have been in big games in (FBS) football,” said Lambert, whose team opens its season Sept. 4 at Georgia State. “They’re going to add leadership and calmness as we move into the season. They’ll be a good resource for the guys.”

Buie, who recently graduated from West Virginia, rushed for 207 yards against Texas in 2012.

“Maybe we use him in the slot or play (Phillips and Buie) at the same time in a two-back set,” Lambert said.

Lambert said the addition of Buie should allow the 49ers to redshirt freshman Akease Rankin (Mooresville High), who recently underwent knee surgery. Lambert expects Rankin to be ready for practice in August.

On the other side of the ball, Grimes, who played at Bamberg-Erhardt (S.C.) High, will help Charlotte’s outside linebacking corps and is “a special-teams terror,” according to Lambert.

▪ Charlotte’s depth at wide receiver is such that Lambert hopes he can redshirt as many as three players.

Junior Austin Duke will be Charlotte’s top receiving threat, but players like redshirt sophomore Uriah LeMay, sophomore T.L. Ford and junior Trent Bostick will all be in the mix. Lambert mentioned Bostick and sophomores Chris Montgomery and Juwan Foggie as redshirt possibilities.

▪ Lambert said he’s happy the 49ers have scheduled Duke for a home-and-home series in 2020 (at Wallace Wade Stadium in Durham) and ’21 (Richardson Stadium).

“It’s exciting an ACC team wants to come to Charlotte,” Lambert said. “It’s going to be a big series for us. We’ve reached out to other (in-state FBS) schools and there’s been some interest. But Duke was really interested in coming and playing, so it worked out well.”

The only other in-state FBS team on the 49ers’ schedule is Appalachian State in 2018 and ’19. Charlotte will play at Clemson in 2019.

Other power-five conferences are well represented on Charlotte’s schedules, with games at Kentucky this season, Louisville (2016), Kansas State (2017) and Tennessee (2018).

The 49ers will also have at least one FCS game per season: Presbyterian this season, Elon in 2016, N.C. A&T in 2017 and Fordham in 2018 scheduled so far.

This story was originally published June 30, 2015 at 4:30 PM with the headline "West Virginia transfer Andrew Buie gives Charlotte 49ers coach Brad Lambert rushing options."