Photo credit: John Raoux, Associated Press
Later this evening, the stands at Jerry Richardson Stadium will be filled to capacity. The familiar aroma of tailgate food and drinks will wash over the parking lots. A sea of green and gold will descend on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Fans, students, and alumni alike will be belting the fight song at full volume as the Forty Niners take the field for the first time in 2024.
Charlotte football is back.
The Forty Niners open up what should be the most difficult non-conference schedule in program history with a perennial mid major power in James Madison. You can read more about what to expect from the Dukes in my latest work for Agent 49 here.
Charlotte’s roster received a massive facelift this offseason. A common theme across the country in this new era of college football. Charlotte has 71 newcomers on their roster, the third most in the country. 44 transfers have made their way to Charlotte, tied for the most in the country with Colorado.
In 2023, the Forty Niners were a fractured mess. Infighting between teammates, coaching changes, and offensive instability limited any chances Charlotte had to succeed (which frankly sounds familiar to the situation befalling the professional football outfit just a few miles south of campus). Saturday night will be the retooled roster’s first chance to coalesce in a meaningful football game, and it will be a tough chance.
Much will need to break right for the Niners to walk of McColl-Richardson Field with a victory against James Madison. Here are the keys to the game for Charlotte.
Control JMU's ground game
This is where it starts and ends for the Niners. The new head coach of JMU, Bob Chesney, loves to “run the bawllllll”. Shoutout Brent Pry.
He came to JMU by way of Holy Cross, where he guided the Crusaders to a top three rushing offense in the FCS last season. Biff Poggi said that the Dukes’ play style is “smash smash smash.” He called JMU “physical in the run game,” and went on to complimentarily say that the Dukes “play like bullies in the run game.”
The Dukes boast a two-headed monster in their backfield of transfer running backs. Ayo Adeyi, a North Texas transfer, and George Pettaway, a North Carolina transfer. That running back duo is a pair of home run hitters in the same backfield that can strike from anywhere on the field. The Niner linebackers better be ready to tackle in space, or Adeyi and Pettaway are going to leave a lot of cleats stuck in the turf on Saturday night.
Thankfully for Charlotte, the James Madison passing game is a question mark. The Dukes have yet to name a starting quarterback. The two options are Dylan Morris, who transferred in from last season’s national runner ups, the Washington Huskies, and Alonza Barrett II, a redshirt sophomore who was last season’s opening day starter. Barrett lost his job halfway through the Dukes’ week one contest in 2023. Jordan McCloud took the reins and never looked back.
A familiar saying goes something like “if you think you have two quarterbacks, you really have none.” A trope that folks who watched the Charlotte 49ers in 2023 could agree with. JMU’s lack of commitment to a QB1 leads me to believe that they may struggle in the passing game. Pass rushers Stone Handy and Dre Butler could make an impact early by getting to whichever Duke lines up under center.
What can Brown do for you?
The stage is set for Max Brown. The redshirt sophomore from the University of Florida has been given the keys to the Charlotte offense, and they’re going to drive as far as he takes them. Brown flashed real promise in limited action in The Swamp. He started the Gators regular season finale in a rivalry game against Florida State and acquitted himself well (check out the Highway 49 podcast’s breakdown of Brown’s game with Chris Reynolds - it’s fantastic). He’s a true dual threat quarterback with wheels that can stretch a defense.
Charlotte has been in the quarterback wilderness since Chris Reynolds graduated, and the offensive output has shown it. The Niners ranked 11th out of 13 American Conference programs in passing yards last season, and if you watched any of the games, that is not a surprise. The fractured system that featured both Trexler Ivey and Jalon Jones has given way to a singular system built around Brown.
The Niners will be acclimating a brand new cast of characters in the skill position room around Brown. Charlotte returns just one player, receiver Jairus Mack, who tallied more than 400 receiving yards last season. Besides Mack, Justin Olson (Middle Tennessee State), O’Mega Blake (South Carolina), and my personal bet to lead the Forty Niners in receiving yards, Terez Traynor (Idaho), will be Brown’s potential receiving options.
On National Signing Day, Biff Poggi referred to Max Brown as an “eraser.” The type of player that elevates the talent around him by “erasing” any mismatch that a defense may hold over their matchup. His receiving core his unheralded, and it’s up to him to elevate them to the standard that Charlotte has missed in the years post-Big Three. Brown has the talent to do it, and his first chance to flaunt that talent is rapidly approaching.
Special teams, special players, special plays
Henry Rutledge is the most explosive player that has donned the green and gold in a few seasons. His playmaking ability on special teams is a real weapon. Rutledge has the ability to tilt field position in Charlotte’s favor every time he touches the ball. And in a game that is projected by Vegas to be close (JMU is 8.5 point favorites at the time of writing), a spark on special teams can go a long way in deciding the outcome.
The Niners’ media guide details Rutledge’s impressive resume. All-Conference recognition from College Football Network, Athlon Sports, Phil Steele, and Hero Sports. He owns the school records for longest punt return, punt return yards in a game and season, and the single-season average in punt and kick return yards.
Enjoy Saturday
This is for the fans.
The vibes have been weird around the program this week. Biff Poggi’s Tuesday press conference created an ominous feeling around the football program. His mysterious comments on the roster’s health have moved the gambling lines in JMU’s favor, making Charlotte a bigger underdog than they were this time last week. If those eight or nine starters don’t actually play, it’s going to be hard for Charlotte to keep up with the Dukes.
However, that doesn’t mean you can’t have a great night. Grab a drink, grab a hot dog, grab some friends, and enjoy watching Charlotte play football. It’s supposed to be a beautiful night in the Queen City, and for my money, there aren’t many better places to watch a ball game than in Jerry Richardson stadium. Whether you’re there, at a bar, or in the comfort of your own home, enjoy it. Football is back. And we’re all better off because of it.
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