Charlotte closes out non-conference slate at 3-0 Indiana

CHARLOTTE ATHLETICS

The Charlotte 49ers close their nonconference schedule Saturday at Big 10 opponent Indiana, which is a surprising 3-0.

The odds aren’t in the Charlotte 49ers’ favor against the Indiana Hoosiers.

Charlotte (1-2) will close out their non-conference schedule in Bloomington, Indiana, against the 3-0 Hoosiers. The 49ers are 28-point underdogs according to most sportsbooks, the largest spread they have faced to this point.

Coach Biff Poggi knows this will be a huge test and says the goal is getting better every week.

“Twenty-eight points, that’s a lot of points,” Poggi said. “I just want to see us compete. Play 60 minutes, compete hard and do the things we are working on with efficiency and tenacity, that is what (getting better) looks like. I think we’ve gotten better every week, but this is a really tough test. Big 10 football is a little different.”

With coaching experience in the Big 10 at Michigan, Poggi knows the physicality level of the conference’s programs. It is something the 49ers will have to match if they want to pull off an upset.

“(Big 10) players are bigger, and they are more physical than the average bear,” Poggi said. “So, we’ll have to hold up in the run game and we’ll have to run the ball. We’ve been miserable running the ball, but we are going to have to do those things. We’ve got to tackle the backs. Their backs are big, put together guys. (We have) to eliminate the explosive plays on defense and maybe get a few on offense. But get better, we’ve got to get better.”

Poggi said freshman quarterback Deshawn Purdie was “banged up,” and would not play. Max Brown is still out as well due to the injury he sustained against North Carolina two weeks ago. The 49ers will start Trexler Ivey, the hero in the win against Gardner-Webb.

“Trexler will get the start,” Poggi said. “We have complete confidence in that guy and so that’s where we are. He’s tough, mentally tough. He makes the right decisions, and our team has a tremendous amount of confidence in him and so do the coaches. You never want to see guys get hurt, but I’m really happy for Trexler.”

Although Charlotte came back from a 17-point deficit against Gardner-Webb, Poggi thinks the adversity taught the 49ers valuable lessons.

“Winning is a magic elixir,” he said. “All of a sudden, the bumps don’t quite bump as hard, and all of the complaints aren’t as serious. (Winning) does a lot for your team, a lot for your locker room and a lot for the building. I think it does a lot for our school, our students and our fan base.”

Despite being a heavy underdog, there are no plans of traveling to Indiana with the predisposition that Charlotte is going to lose. Poggi is confident that if they execute at a high level, they can win the game.

“We aren’t going there to lose,” Poggi said. “We’re going up there to try to win the game. As far as getting the first punch in, that is a 15-round fight. You can just never give up. There’s plenty of teams that, like Saturday, where you throw some punches early and if you don’t keep punching, you wind up losing. So, it’s all important.”

Poggi said the key to winning is minimizing mistakes because no one has shut Indiana’s offense down. Clock management will be a key to limiting the Hooisers’ offensive plays and keeping Charlotte’s defense fresh.

“We've told our kids, let's not focus on the scoreboard,” Poggi said. “We'll look at that at the end. Let's focus on what our game plans are, what our musts are, what we need to do better from last week and see if we're accomplishing those things. That's kind of the plan. You'd like not to give them the ball much, but we're not going to. We can't change who we are at this point.”

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