By: Jacob Cullum
The Charlotte 49ers have yet to find their stride through the first five games of 2023. With an overall record of 1-4. The 49ers have not won a game since an opening victory against S.C. State 24-3. Having three tough matchups through the first five games has not supplied any favors. The 49ers traveled to the Big Ten in week 2 to take on Maryland as heavy underdogs, falling 38-20. After dropping another high-scoring affair against Sun Belt foe Georgia State, the 49ers faced a rough two-game road stint against the now ranked #25 Florida Gators and a balanced SMU team. The 49ers lost both these games by double digits, losing 22-7 and34-16 respectively. With a bye in the current week and an upcoming matchup with Navy on 10/14 in Charlotte, time will tell if the 49ers can piece together a string of victories.
What has led to the slow start for Charlotte? A glaring statistic must be the number of turnovers from QB’s Trexler Ivey and QB Jalon Jones. Both quarterbacks have had significant playing time in the 2023 season and have only tallied four passing touchdowns, two by Ivey and two by Jones. In fact, the offense has only amassed 12 touchdowns in 5 games and is scoring 18.4 points per game. The offensive line has given up an average of 3 sacks per game. This cannot continue, especially with a quarterback position that seems to be split in two.
Perhaps a sole bright spot in the Charlotte offense is the rushing ability of QB Jalon Jones, who has amassed 317 yards on the ground to go along with 3 scores. Running backs Durell Robinson and Terron Kellman have also provided 300+ yards in total to go along with a score. There seems to be more consistency on the 49ers rushing attack than their passing game.
With a defense that recorded 6 turnovers and 12 sacks, there must be a spark on the offensive side of the field for the 49ers to have a shot at success. LB Nikhai Hill-Green has provided 36 total tackles and fellow LB Demetrius Knight II has recorded 1.5 sacks and an interception. Holding the #25 Florida Gators to only 22 points must be a silver lining in the loss in week 4.
Having a bye week in the beginning of October allows Head Coach Biff Poggi to get his group together for a possible resurgence in the upcoming games. With 4 of their last 7 games being at home, the hope is that the 49ers can turn their season around through resilience and leadership from the defense.
Sitting at 10th in the American Conference, the 49ers have their work cut out for them. Their next matchup will be Charlotte’s Homecoming weekend against Navy on 10/14 at Jerry Richardson Stadium in Charlotte at 2 P.M. EST.
