Charlotte 49ers (0-2) head to App State without No. 2 back 

MATT LACZKO | THE CHARLOTTE POST

With second-leading rusher Chance Williams off the team for the remainder of 2026, the Charlotte 49ers are looking for support behind top rusher Khamani Alexander starting Saturday at Appalachian State.

The Charlotte 49ers will be without running back Chance Williams the rest of the season.

Williams, who rushed nine times for 74 yards last week against No. 9 Ole Miss, is no longer on the team and Charlotte (0-2) coach Tim Albin did not provide details.

“Chance is no longer on the football team,” Albin said. 

That was it. 

A follow up question produced a similar response.

“I’m sticking with what I said,” he said.

Williams’ absence leaves a hole at the position given that he was second on the team in rushing yards behind Appalachian State transfer Khamani Alexander. However, Albin said he is confident more backs will step up.

“We have a very capable room,” Albin said. “You’ve seen the guys. We played four tailbacks Saturday. …We don't have a tailback in that room where it’s going to be ‘OK, you’re starting and you’re playing the whole game.’ It’s by committee, basically.”

Quarterback Conner Harrell played last week for the first time since going down early last season with a knee injury. He was productive, going 5-for-6 through the air for 50 yards. Albin was pleased with Harrell but is sticking with Cole Gonzales as the starter.

“Cole is our starter and we are going to see where it goes,” Albin said. “Cole is the starter, he has earned it and he is going to be better this week than he was last week. He was better in the second week than he was the first. That’s our goal.” 

Albin said there were positives to build on from the Ole Miss loss, and he wants to continue to build on them moving forward.

“The run game helped, and I think that was something that we didn’t have last year,” Albin said.  “This year we’ve shown that we can do it, and we just got to get it all put together. The run and the pass, avoid the big mistake. It’s not all Cole’s fault, but that’s the position, so the running game can help.”

Appalachian State is 2-0 with wins against Maine and East Carolina. Albin recognizes the challenge facing his team come Saturday.

“They have a really good football team,” he said. “They’re better on the O-line this year than they were a year ago. … They are coached well. … They went into a hostile environment, a sold-out show at East Carolina and got it done on the road. I experienced that last year, and it is not an easy place to do that and they got it done. … I told the team we’re trying to build a program like App State and East Carolina, that is what we are striving to do.” 

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