Charlotte 49ers put up big numbers in OT loss to Tulane 

MATT LACZKO | THE CHARLOTTE POST

Charlotte running back Khamani Alexander celebrates after a touchdown run in the 49ers' 38-31 overtime loss to Tulane on Oct. 30, 2026, at Jerry Richardson Stadium.

The trick play was no treat. 

Under two minutes to go, Charlotte was up seven points on fourth-and-4 at the Tulane 42. Instead of trying a 59-yard field goal, the 49ers lined up to punt. Charlotte coach Tim Albin opted for a fake and ran an end around with running back Khamani Alexander that wound up 2 yards short. It set Tulane up with a short field and they took advantage to tie the game at 31 and went on to win 38-31.

“The difference in the game is the fake punt,” Albin said. “That's my call. I made a call on Tuesday. So, we had to check with me. I thought we had it. [Tulane] guy made a good play. I think it's fourth and I don't know seven. We made five, maybe. But to be honest with you, I'd do it again. So, that's the difference in the game. … It's one of those you're the hero or you're the zero that’s how I look at it.”

Charlotte drops to 1-7 on the year and 1-4 in American Conference play. It’s the seventh consecutive season the 49ers will not be bowl eligible. 

Charlotte was up 10 at halftime and came out and forced an opening drive punt by the Green Wave. There were a handful of times where it appeared Charlotte was running a tempo offense, snapping the ball with plenty of time left on the play clock. There were at least three instances when there were double-digit seconds left. 

“We could have been better there on the last drive,” Albin said. “We were to a point where three first downs [and] we’re kneeling. We slowed it down and we jumped up there. We had a penalty. … We could have been better there, but we were certainly talking about it on the headphones and talking to Connor [Harrell] through the communication device in his helmet.”

Albin emphasized that he doesn’t believe in moral victories, but there is clear improvement especially on offense as the 49ers have scored at least 30 points in their last two games. They scored 18 points in the two games prior. 

“We’re here to win the game,” Albin said. ... “We went out tonight and did a lot of good things against a team that I think is way better than their record, so that speaks to our belief. Obviously, you know it’s not all Conner. You have 11 guys that I think that are really starting to click, and it’s why it’s such a heartbreaker. We want to win the game. We don’t want to just score 30 points. We want to win the game.”

The 49ers’ rushing attack has been clicking as well. Henry Rutledge has 120-plus rushing yards in the last two games — the first 49ers rusher to do so in consecutive games since Benny LeMay in 2018 — and was a key factor in the pass game too. Rutledge led Charlotte in receiving against Tulane with 79 yards on four catches to mark the first time in the FBS era for a Charlotte player to eclipse 250 all-purpose yards in a game.

“We’ve got to continue to find ways to get him the ball,” Albin said. “He’s worked his tail off to get here. He’s a senior and he could have bailed. He could have just said, ‘I don’t want to play.’ But, he and Conner, just their whole injury thing and where they are as players right now, it just speaks volumes to who they are as young men and their character. [Rutledge] has gotten better every week. He was better at Temple than the week before against North Texas and he was better tonight than he was against Temple. We’ll take that.”

Tulane finished with 183 yards rushing with tailback Johnnie Daniels going for 99 yards and two touchdowns. While the offense has improved, the defense is still giving up too many yards on the ground. 

“I tip my hat to Tulane,” Albin said. “They were able to run the ball tonight more than what we wanted. So, they did a really good job. So, I want to build off this. I know our team is going to stay together. In a lot of ways, it was probably one of our better games. Against Temple, we came out on top and made a couple plays in the end. That’s the difference in the game tonight. We were in the same situation, and we just didn’t get a couple things done that we needed to get done.” 

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