49ers lose 38-9 in first home loss of the season
Second-half struggles have seemed to be an issue for the 49ers this season. The FAU owls pitched a shutout in the second half against Charlotte as the 49ers entered the halftime break with a slight lead. It was not the result the 49ers were hoping for and Head Coach Will Healy knows this.
“We got embarrassed on our home field and they kicked our rear end,” Healy said. “The second half, they made great adjustments.”
The 49ers went into the locker room with a 9-7 lead after a field goal and a touchdown towards the end of the half on a shot from Chris Reynolds to Grant DuBose. It was not a pretty half of football from either team and Healy feels at times there were a lot of “self-inflicted wounds.”
Photo credit@CharlotteFTBL on Twitter
The 49ers have not been great in the third quarter most of the season, but in this game, it really showed. They gave up the most points in this quarter and appeared as if the Owls made the right adjustments on both sides of the ball and Charlotte could not find an answer.
Healy was apologetic for the team’s performance following the game. “I am sorry to our fans,” said Healy. “Our students showed out in big numbers again.”
This is the second game this season in which the 49ers were held to zero points in the second half and will have to change things up if they want to find success in their latter part of the season.
Looking ahead
As we look ahead to the remaining five games on the schedule for the 49ers, they will likely get their toughest remaining test this upcoming week on the road against Western Kentucky. WKU comes in with a losing record, yet their losses came against tough opponents like Army, Michigan State, Indiana, and UTSA. UTSA is currently leading C-USA, and WKU was able to fight their way to only a one-possession loss.
It will be a tough test, but a test that Healy always looks forward to and hopes his team can respond to the adversity. The game against WKU will be held on Oct. 30 at 4pm and broadcasted on ESPN+. It’s worth noting that the Hilltoppers have opened as 15 point favorites in Vegas.