Following last week’s overtime loss to Memphis, which destroyed Charlotte’s hopes of reaching a bowl game in his first year as head coach, Biff Poggi knew it would be difficult to keep the team together. Charlotte’s performance on Saturday proved him correct. In a 28-7 thrashing of Rice, the 49ers had 158 yards of total offense, a program worst. The previous time these teams faced, Charlotte scored eight touchdowns in a convincing 56-23 away win in the first post-Will Healy game. Saturday night at Richardson Stadium was markedly different. Dean Connors of the Owls outgained Charlotte’s team as a whole, rushing for a career-high 184 yards on 19 carries.
“It’s not like we’re threatening anyone on offense. It’s a real factor, and it has been all season. This is not even close to what I wanted. No one is more disappointed and surprised than me,” Poggi said of Charlotte’s season as a whole. “There’s something that we haven’t mastered yet in the program. It’s a sense of toughness, believing in yourself, and playing for each other. We just aren’t mentally that tough. You see it in games like (Memphis) when we should’ve won. This week, when we were down 13, it was like a morgue on our sideline. I think we took a step back, quite frankly. We got worse today.” After scoring a season-best 38 points just seven days ago, the Charlotte 49ers’ offense came back to earth, reaching the red zone just twice and scoring one touchdown against the Owls’ defense, which surrenders nearly 28 points a game. Rice was in complete control from the game’s opening possession, on which they scored an opening drive touchdown despite missing their starting quarterback, JT Daniels, for the second-consecutive week with a concussion. Charlotte was held scoreless in the first half for the second time this season and didn’t find the endzone until their penultimate drive of the game, when Trexler Ivey scrambled for a 13-yard touchdown to capitalize on linebacker Demetrius Knight’s interception.
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