49ers head to West Point to face Army Black Knights

MATT LACZKO | THE CHARLOTTE POST

C.J. Stokes led the Charlotte 49ers with 54 rushing yards in a 54-26 loss at South Florida, but fumbled for the third time this season, a mistake they can't afford Saturday at Army.

Charlotte football is on the road at Army.

The 49ers, who lost 54-26 to South Florida a week ago, won’t have it any easier against a unique Army offense that likes to run, run and run some more. While the Black Knights are 2-3 on the season, they still pose a threat to Charlotte, which is giving up an average of 208 yards per game on the ground. 

“Obviously, [Army is] the defending conference champion,” 49ers coach Tim Albin said. “It’s on the road; we got a great opportunity and a big challenge. But with that comes a great opportunity to go up there and play a very good Army team that really should maybe have one loss. They've been in every ball game. 

“The possession piece of this will be big time possession. That’s their thing. They score points. They played a couple of different quarterbacks, but we're not going to have many opportunities with their saddle offense. So, that's going to put pressure on our offense to be efficient, and that's something that we have not been consistent on. It's just what it is.”

Charlotte’s offense was able to sustain drives against South Florida with third string quarterback Zach Wilcke. With Conner Harrell out for the year and backup Grayson Loftis struggling against the Bulls, Wilcke is getting the start.

“I thought [Wilcke] did a really, really good job with a tough environment,” Albin said. “The score was 18-0 when we put him in, and he got some things done, so we’re gonna build on that, but we need to get some consistency at that position.”

Wilcke was 14-for-18 passing for 150 yards and two touchdowns. He did throw an interception, but Albin believes he gives them the best chance for success. 

For the 49ers rushing attack, C.J. Stokes received most of the carries with 13 for 54 yards and a touchdown but coughed up the football for the third time this season. One bright spot was freshman Jariel Cobb, a Reidsville High graduate who carried the ball four times for 47 yards. 

“[Cobb] has good vision, and he is stronger than what you’d think,” Albin said. “He can pass pro[tect]. A lot of guys can get run through when you're young, like him. So, you're going to see him at some point in time. The big thing is … your football team takes on the grit and the personality of the quarterback. I believe that, and I also believe as a long time, 20 plus-years as a running back coach, your football team takes on the personality of the running back and how he finishes runs. And the thing is, you’re the hammer, you’re not the nail. It’s a mindset and I think he brings up some of that to the table.”

Albin said attention to detail is a must against Army and that includes limiting turnovers and mental mistakes as well as making sure the defense is keyed into each player’s responsibility when the Black Knights pass, or it could be a long afternoon.

“Army, obviously they don’t throw the ball as much as what we saw from South Florida,” Albin said. “But when they do, it’s all eyes on deck. You know, all hands on deck, it’s on all eyes on deck. We're gonna have to be eye disciplined and things like that.”

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