Charlotte 49ers have high hopes for 2016 after a tough season

A look back at the Charlotte 49ers’ recently completed football season, with glimpses into the future sprinkled in:

Overview

The 49ers (2-10) lost their final 10 games and went 0-8 in their first season in Conference USA. But coach Brad Lambert said there’s cause for optimism heading into 2016: Three of those conference losses were by 10 or fewer points, including an overtime loss to Texas-San Antonio and a three-point defeat against Old Dominion. And in its season opener, UNC Charlotte beat bowl-bound Georgia State.

“I thought we had a chance to win five or six games,” said Lambert, whose program completed just its third season. “A penalty here, a penalty there, a dropped pass. Those are the things that make a difference.”

The 49ers offense was plagued by turnovers, and the defense had a penchant for giving up big plays. The 49ers turned the ball over 35 times this season – an average of nearly three a game – and the team’s turnover margin was -1.08, the worst in Conference USA.

Defense

The defense showed improvement under first-year coordinator Matt Wallerstedt. After allowing 479.3 yards per game in 2014, the 49ers brought that number down to 419.0 this season. The team set program records for sacks (21) and tackles for loss (85). Nose tackle Larry Ogunjobi tied for the Conference USA lead with 14.5 tackles for loss. Defensive back Terrance Winchester’s four interceptions also tied for the league lead.

“We were better defensively than we’ve been in previous years,” Lambert said. “We were flying around a lot. One area we’ve got to improve on is we gave up too many long runs. We’ve got to control the run game better. But we got put in some bad spots by our offense. The offense has to have fewer turnovers.”

Nine starters return, with safety Branden Dozier and linebacker Caleb Clayton-Molby the only losses.

Offense

Watching Charlotte’s quarterback situation unfold in the spring will be fascinating. The addition of transfer Kevin Olsen sets up a four-way battle for the starting spot, with seniors Matt Johnson and Lee McNeill and sophomore Brooks Barden. There is the potential for six quarterbacks to be in the mix, with sophomore Hasaan Klugh and freshman Joe Thompson also in the lineup. Although Thompson is expected to redshirt next season.

Lambert said he wants to settle on a starter as soon as possible. At the beginning of the 2015 season, Lambert chose to use a three-player rotation featuring Barden, Johnson and McNeill. That didn’t work very well, with the three combining for 23 interceptions. The quarterback uncertainty showed up in the red zone, where the 49ers scored just 67.6 percent of the time, ranking them 12th in the 13-team Conference USA.

“I’d like to get that nailed down,” Lambert said of finding a starter. “Last season we wanted to bring Matt in for critical situations or in the red zone. He’s been so valuable to us over the years and made big plays. But we went back and forth with Brooks and Lee for our starter and nobody won that job. We want to find out who that guy is.”

Charlotte will return nine starters on offense, including second-team all-conference running back Kalif Phillips (961 yards) and receiver Austin Duke. Phillips was on track for his second 1,000-yard season before a knee injury limited him during the final three games. Duke’s numbers (53 catches for 534 yards, five touchdowns) were down from 2014, but he played with a nagging back injury for much of the season.

Special teams

Kicker Blake Brewer, who was consistently excellent in 2013 and 2014 seasons, struggled at times this season, making just 14-of-27 field goals (the lowest percentage in the conference). He drilled three field goals against Georgia State and hit a career-long 56-yarder against Florida International, but his misses seemed to come at inopportune times. Brewer missed three in the first half against Rice, including a 27 yard field goal.

“We’ve got to get Blake back on track,” Lambert said. “I have a lot of confidence in him and want to have a lot of confidence in him, but you can’t miss three field goals in a half. He’s extremely hard on himself and takes responsibility for his actions. He wants to make them all. But sometimes Blake takes for granted that he’s going to make them and his focus isn’t where he needs to be. That’s going to be my emphasis with him.”

Recruiting

Next season will be the final go-round for Charlotte’s original recruits, which include fifth-year stalwarts such as Johnson, Duke, Ogunjobi and offensive tackle Jamal Covington.

The 49ers already have verbal commitments from nine high school seniors – including Rivals.com two-star recruits Ryan Carriere (tight end), Robert Cheathem (receiver), Benny LeMay (running back), Johnny Ray (defensive end) and Thompson, as well as Olsen and defensive end Jamar Winston, a junior college transfer.

“I really like where we are with our roster balance,” Lambert said. “We didn’t want to be where we’d lose 35 scholarship players in one season. We’ll be more in the 24- or 25-player range and we’ll bring in more in February and with our mid-year transfers. That’s been a point of emphasis.”

Schedule

The team’s 2016 non-conference schedule is equal parts daunting and manageable. It opens at Louisville on Sept. 3 and includes a game at Temple, which played in this season’s AAC championship game. The 49ers will also face Eastern Michigan (1-11 this season) and Elon.

Lambert’s goal?

“I want to win the (Conference USA) East and go to a bowl game,” he said.

This story was originally published December 18, 2015 at 1:34 PM with the headline "Charlotte 49ers have high hopes for 2016 after a tough season."