Charlotte vs. Ole Miss: three takeaways from 41-9 loss

MATT LACZKO | THE CHARLOTTE POST

After an upset loss to The Citadel in their season opener, the Charlotte 49ers made enough improvements to beat a 47.5 point spread against Ole Miss. No. 9 Mississippi beat Charlotte 41-9.

Charlotte walked into Vaught-Hemingway Stadium with nothing to lose.

After a week one loss to The Citadel, it would have been easy to not show any fight against No. 9 Ole Miss, but they did. Charlotte lost 41-9 but covered the massive 47.5-point spread and outscored the Rebels 6-0 in the third quarter. So, there are plenty of things to still clean up, but certainly positives to glean from this game — which subsequently made the 49ers’ program $1.8 million as well.

Here are three takeaways:

1. Charlotte answered the call at halftime

Down 27-0, after just failing to put points on the board before halftime due to an interception, it would have been easy to be discouraged and lose fight. The 49ers didn’t do that. Coach Tim Albin said he challenged the team and the message was well received.

“Get your pad level down and let’s go out there and get a running game,” Albin said he told the 49ers. “We got after it in the run game. I think we ran the ball four times and got down inside the redzone. Obviously, you have to get touchdowns, everybody knows that. I want to address it at the presser on Tuesday, what that looks like. But I am happy with our guys’ ability to go out there offensively and get something done on the ground.”

The 49ers outgained Ole Miss 116 yards to 60 in the third quarter and forced a three-and-out on the Rebels’ first drive after intermission. Charlotte running back Chance Williams set the tone, ripping off a 59-yard run in the quarter. 

2. Defense was better but still a long way to go

In week one against The Citadel — in the second half specifically — a turnstile seemed to have more resistance than the 49ers defense. That can’t be said for the way they came out against the Rebels. 

Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss picked Charlotte apart for 225 passing yards and two touchdowns. A large reason was soft coverage concepts to avoid getting beat over the top, especially by Rebels star receiver Deuce Alexander, who was still able to haul in eight receptions for 76 yards.

However, Chambliss is can also hurt defenses on the ground. In week one he had 61 yards on the ground and a touchdown, but Charlotte held him to 2 yards on three attempts. The 49ers can build on that. However, Ole Miss running back Kewan Lacy had his way in the first half on his way to 87 yards and two touchdowns. 

There were improvements but Albin knows there are still more to be made. 

“I think the biggest thing from the first to second week, we were leaving our feet was a big thing in the first game,” he said. “We missed some tonight. I think I think as we were leaving our feet a little early, particularly at the corner position. But everybody in the country makes an improvement on tackling from the first game to the second game. I want to have another. I’m going to have another jump going into week three.”

3. Depth was utilized 

Yes, the game was out of hand late, and as a result you started to see more players utilized for the 49ers. However, even in early parts of the game Albin was inserting guys that didn’t get much run if any against The Citadel in week one. 

Charlotte used five running backs: Chance Williams, Khamani Alexander, D’Mariun Perteet, Henry Rutledge and Jariel Cobb. 

Rutledge had a fair share of snaps in the middle two quarters, Perteet came in late and had a 20-yard rush. The 49ers outgained Ole Miss on the ground and the depth at running back could have played a factor. 

After the game was out of reach, Charlotte quarterback Conner Harrell completed 5-for-6 passes for 50 yards in cleanup duty. Albin was thrilled that Harrell was able to get back on the field after missing most of last year with a knee injury.

“I am almost in tears, to be honest with you,” Albin said. “That kid has battled the injury that he had. He’s worked his tail off like nobody’s business. I’m very, very happy for him to get to this point. There was a point in early spring that they thought it might be mid-October. It’s mid-September, so he’s a month ahead of schedule from what they said, so I couldn’t be happier for him, and because he’s got some game experience. We’ll see how it goes as we move forward.”

Where does Charlotte go from here?

Geographically the 49ers’ next opponent, Appalachian State, is in Boone. The Mountaineers are 2-0 with wins over Maine in the opener and another in-state rival, East Carolina, in week two. 

Charlotte lost to the Mountaineers 34-11 last season but the leading receiver in that game for App State was Jaden Barnes, who transferred to Charlotte and will need to make an impact. 
Charlotte looked completely different in week two and there was plenty to glean from Ole Miss. Now the question becomes how the 49ers clean up mistakes to win games. 

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