Tallest task yet awaits the Charlotte 49ers in Chapel Hill

CHARLOTTE ATHLETICS

Charlotte running back Hahsaun Wilson heads downfield in the 49ers' 30-7 loss to James Madison Aug. 31 at Jerry Richardson Stadium. Charlotte (0-1) takes on North Carolina Sept. 7 in Chapel Hill.

Charlotte 49ers football coach Biff Poggi has put James Madison in the rear view mirror.

Full steam ahead to North Carolina seems to be the motto heading into the second week of the season. When asked about what he learned from the film from the 30-7 loss to the Dukes, Poggi didn’t mince words.

“I’m not going to answer any questions about (it),” Poggi said. “I’m looking forward, OK? We had those questions after the game.”

As of Tuesday, Charlotte is a 22-point underdog to the Tar Heels. Charlotte defensive back Ah-Ma’hi Ali feels the 49ers will get things fixed and spring a surprise Saturday in Chapel Hill.

“I’ve never played against UNC,” Ali said, “so, I’m just looking forward to that challenge, and I think we are going to tackle the challenge head on. We are going to shock a lot of people.”

To do that, the 49ers are going to have to contend with one of the best running backs in the nation in Omarion Hampton, who compiled 1,504 rushing yards in 2023. He picked up where he left off in week one against Minnesota with 129 yards on 30 carries.

“(Hampton), just give him the ball every play,” Poggi said. “He is a really special player. He carried it (30) times against Minnesota. He is a horse, and I mean that in a complimentary way. He is strong, fast, explosive and he hunts down contact. We have got to be ready to tackle, because he is the best back that I have seen, and I have watched a lot of film as you can imagine. He is the best back I’ve seen since [Michigan’s] Blake Corum.”

Said Ali: “We respect (Hampton’s) game. But, at the end of the day, he’s a running back. We’ve got to tackle. So, every week, no matter who it is, who’s running the ball, we’ve got to get them down. It doesn’t matter whatever athlete you’ve got, what he did this year or last year, we’ve got to tackle him.”

Poggi offered his condolences to Tar Heels’ quarterback Max Johnson and his family as he recovers from a broken leg sustained last week.

“First of all, I feel really bad for him,” Poggi said. “He is from a great family, and he is a great kid. He will be back, but our thoughts and prayers are with him and his mom and dad for sure. And his brother who is his teammate at Carolina.”

Despite Johnson’s absence, Poggi respects the skill of Conner Harrell, the Tar Heels’ new starter. Harrell started in last season’s Duke’s Mayo Bowl, where he passed for 199 yards and rushed for 25.

Harrell has a reputation as a good running quarterback. Against JMU, Charlotte allowed Dukes quarterback Alonza Barnett III to gain 89 yards on the ground. Poggi knows Harrell is capable as well, but also can hurt teams through the air, too.

“[Harrell] is good,” Poggi said. “He is a winning quarterback, and he can run it, but he can also throw it. Sometimes fans, media and as coaches we like to put people in boxes and say, ‘Well that guy is a runner.’ [Johnson] ran the ball great against Minnesota and [Harrell] will be able to throw the ball and run the ball. It’s always harder when you have a quarterback that can run, because it kind of limits the kinds of things you can do on defense.

“You don’t want everybody’s back to the ball and have somebody break out of the pocket. That is when big plays occur. So, I’m sure we are going to see the short game. I am sure we will see some go balls and I’m sure we are going to see some things he threw against Minnesota. He threw a lot of intermediate routes. I’m confident we’re going to see [Harrell] probably more in a quarterback running game except I think they’ll be fairly judicious with that, because if he goes down, that’s a big problem.”

Tar Heels’ coach Mack Brown isn’t overlooking Charlotte despite being the heavy favorite.

“As far as Charlotte is concerned, Poggi has done a great job where he has been,” Brown said. “He was a head coach at a private (high) school and killed it. He did an unbelievable job [at St. Francis Academy in Baltimore]. Then, he gets hired at Michigan and helps them go to a national championship. So, he knows what he is doing.”

Brown is also acquainted with Charlotte’s coaching staff, which includes former North Carolina assistants and the roster.

“There are a lot of familiar faces with Dre Bly, Tim Cross, Tim Brewster and Ty Greenwood was an analyst for us here,” he said. “They are all on the staff there. Dontae Balfour, Ja’Qurious Conley and Justin Olsen are on the team. Their roster is built with a lot of transfers. They have 56 transfers on the team, 36 of them are new. And, they have 23 Power Four conference [players] in their two-deep. They are much improved on defense and had a lot of guys out against James Madison, I think eight starters that we will expect to see this weekend.”

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