Charlotte strikes out on bowl qualification hopes

CHARLOTTE SPORTS INFORMATION

Charlotte quarterback Deshawn Purdie passed for a career-high 256 yards against South Florida, but it was offset by a pair of interceptions and two fumbles lost in a 59-24 homecoming loss.

There won’t be a bowl game in the Charlotte 49ers’ future.

Charlotte lost their rhythm in the second half of 59-24 homecoming loss to South Florida that dropped the 49ers to 3-7 (2-4 AAC) and eliminated them from bowl eligibility.

“It all starts with me, and it ends with me,” coach Biff Poggi said. “The entire organization looks like it looks because it's the way I chose it to look and so all the blame squarely needs to go on me. You know, these are the kind of games that when as a coach and your team is 3-6, things don’t end well sometimes like that. I'm fully aware of that, but I would say my grade has not been good.”

The 49ers defense has given up over 50 points now on three occasions this season. When asked about possible coaching changes during the offseason, Poggi wouldn’t comment.

Charlotte couldn’t get out of their own way in the second half. Whether it was penalties or turnovers, the 49ers offense couldn’t get a foothold and South Florida picked up where they left off, scoring 45 points after the break, 31 in the third quarter, which is the second most any 49esr team has given up in a quarter. The 49ers allowed 32 points to Middle Tennessee in a quarter in 2015.

“It seemed like every time we scored, [South Florida] had an answer,” Poggi said. “As a team coming off a three-game losing streak, that starts to rattle the nerves. You’d like to be able to score, stop them and get some momentum. We did not do that. They had 550 yards of total offense, and it was just a bad defensive effort. And, when you look at [the season] we have not played great on defense. We have just not played great on defense, and we haven’t set the world on fire on offense either. But I think [on offense] we have played well enough to win games.”

Charlotte quarterback Deshawn Purdie showed flashes of potential with a career-best 256 passing yards, but it was offset by four turnovers. He threw two interceptions and fumbled the ball three times, two of which South Florida recovered. In a season in which Poggi has rotated quarterbacks when they struggled or were injured, he stuck with Purdie.

“We’re going to go with Purdie,” Poggi said. “We think he gives us the best chance to build a program here. I do believe he is a very rare talent. Being a freshman quarterback is a hard job, and I want him to know that we have confidence in him and he’s all in for coming back. He and his pops have a very good relationship with me and [offensive coordinator] Mike Miller, and he has told us recently that he wants to come back, and you can build programs around guys like that. So, I wasn’t going to pull him. We are going to let him prosper and learn when he makes mistakes and try to build this kid up.”

Having a quarterback for the future gives Poggi some assurance moving forward despite not living up to expectations this season.

“[Purdie] is very self-aware,” Poggi said. “He knows when he is not playing well. I sat down on the bench next to him later in the game when he was struggling. He still believes in the team, and he believes in himself. We’ll see what happens in these last two games but we’re not throwing the baby out with the bath water, that’s for sure.”

Poggi and his staff now shift focus to the last two games of the season against Florida Atlantic and Alabama Birmingham.

“I told the kids in the locker room that people remember how you finish,” Poggi said. “The best we can be is 5-7. That is not what we envisioned or hoped for. I thought this team was good enough to be a bowl team, but we’re not going but we still have a chance to win five football games and then we can move forward from there.”

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