Down the home stretch: 1-9 Charlotte at No. 5 Georgia 

MATT LACZKO | THE CHARLOTTE POST

The Charlotte 49ers (1-9) are massive underdogs to No. 5 Georgia when the teams meet Nov. 22 in Athens, Georgia for a nonconference game. The Bulldogs are in position for a berth in the College Football Playoffs while the 49ers are trying to close strong.

The time has arrived for Charlotte’s toughest test to date.

On Saturday, the 49ers (1-9, 0-7 American) travel to No. 5 Georgia (9-1, 7-1 SEC). The odds don’t favor the 49ers – in fact the spread is the largest that Charlotte has had all season as 44.5-point underdogs when the spread went live. It has varied little from book-to-book, but the majority have the 49ers as six touchdown dogs or worse. 

Charlotte coach Tim Albin understands the task ahead. He understands the reality facing the 49ers, but determined to focus on Charlotte and keep instilling good habits for the future.

“I think this is a great opportunity on a big stage against one of the best teams in America,” Albin said. “It’s something that [the players] are going to remember forever. Me, as a coach, I’ve been in these games before. I’ve never had a chance to play Georgia, but I’ve played in some big arenas. Our guys will respond. I think that it is something that they will be excited about. We have athletes on our roster from Georgia. Our fan base is excited, so that is where it’s at.”

With only one win this season, it has been a bumpy first year for Albin. The 49ers have an injury list that would make a CVS receipt blush, but Albin is using this as a time to lay the foundation and framework to build for next year.

“Be the rock,” Albin said. “Be the foundation for the future. We are going to battle for every inch. We are going to come off the football and trust our technique, trust our training and see where that gets us. I want to embrace it and we are going to coach these guys like we’ve been doing every week. I want this to be a positive experience for our 26 seniors, and I want those guys to keep fighting. The scoreboard has not dictated their effort, and they show tremendous character in what they are going through, so that is going to be our intent.”

Playing Georgia in the modern college athletics landscape provides an interesting opportunity for the 49ers. While the primary focus is on the game at hand, it could also be a good time to spot players that may take a step down from the Power Four level and curate relationships with future 49ers.

“I don’t have a crystal ball,” Albin joked. “That’s an interesting question… but that is probably out of my wheelhouse to comment on. We all know the state of college football. Everybody is looking to make moves and so on, but I’ll likely have other things going on in my mind pre-game.”

For most of Charlotte’s 26 seniors, their college careers are winding down. Albin wants them to have the best experiences possible that they have left in hopes they continue to lay the foundation. 

“I think the big thing is controlling the controllables,” he said, “and come from a positive standpoint. And that is where it gets tough. The scoreboard as far as wins and losses, it’s tough. It’s easy just to yell and scream and have bad body language. If you were out at our practice today, you wouldn’t have been able to guess [Charlotte’s record], so I am very proud of them. Our coaches have tremendous energy, and the players respond to that. They are resilient and as I’ve said, that is going to be the expectation.”

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