Charlotte 49ers 2018 Football Preview

Charlotte 49ers 2018 Football Preview

Opening Statement: In all honesty, the startup of this football program has been nothing if not a train wreck on the field. The 49ers still struggle to turn any momentous corner, and the ability to do so looks far and away on the horizon, barely to be noticed for the speck that it is. Charlotte fell to 1-11 last fall, with their lone win coming against UAB in a one point upset win at home. Charlotte lost 11 games by an average of 20.36 points per contest, and that is just not being competitive. The low point was a 35-31 loss to North Carolina A&T of the FCS MEAC. Nobody can view this track record as a good thing, and the question is how can it get better than this, and quickly?

Breakdown Offense: Charlotte's 14.2 points per game were better than only that of Kent State and UTEP last fall, so the only way to go is up. Charlotte scored 14 points or less 7 times in 2017, so that has to be where improvement can be found first. The passing game was abysmal, as the 49ers passed for only 136.9 yards per game, and they rushed for 166.25 yards per game.

Hassan Klugh returns as the starting QB, but finding someone that could push him should be a priority. He passed for 1524 yards with 10 TDs, but he also chucked 13 INTs on the season while completing just 47.7% of his passes. The fact is that there just is not any real threat to him on the roster. Brooks Barden, the senior backup, was even worse, as he completed just 43.3% of his passing attempts in 4 games played.

Klugh was decent in the run game, as he rushed for 532 yards and a team leading 9 scores. No RB on the team managed to rush for more than 2 scores on the season, including Ben LeMay, who returns as the starter. LeMay rushed for 732 yards on the season, and averaged 5.34 yards per carry. He carried the football just 12.45 times per game, a number that has to come up. Aaron McCallister returns as the primary backup after rushing for 458 yards last fall. After that, the depth falls off the rails.

Mark Quattlebaum is the top returning receiver, but that's not saying a lot. He caught 31 passes for 343 yards and one score. Kofa Workpeh is back as well after catching 25 passes last fall. Trent Bostick, who led the team with 357 yards, is gone. No other returning receiver caught more than 10 passes last fall.

Cameron Clark and Jamar Winston project as the starting Tackles, with Winston moving in from H-Back to the line. Chris Brown and Nate Davis project as the starting Guards, while Darren Drake is the Center. Jalen Allen, Jaelin Fisher, and Trevor Stacy provide rare depth in the interior line, while the depth falls off again at OT.

Breakdown Defense: The defense was about as bad as the offense last season, allowing 32.8 points per game. The gave up 248.8 yards passing and 205.83 yards per game rushing last fall. The 49ers also picked off just 2 passes all season long.

Zach Duncan returns at DE, and should win the starting job after recording 7 TFLs last fall. Tommy Doctor and Michael Holmes could push him, but Duncan should hold onto the job past fall camp. Tyler Fain is back at NT, while Timmy Horne is the DT. Horne recorded 3 TFLs, but this interior line got pushed around a lot last fall.

Juwan Foggie is back and will start at OLB with Tyriq Harris possibly moving out from DE to OLB to start there. They combined for 10 TFLs last season. Foggie finished 3rd on the team with 73 tackles, while Harris recorded 47. Anthony Butler and Jeff Gemmell are slated to start inside. Gemmell led the team with 106 tackles last fall, and Butler finished with 72. Darius Irvin is slated to backup at OLB, while Cam Darley could move from DL to LB to provide support as well.

Quinton Jordan and Robert Cheatem are projected as the starting CBs out of spring ball. They combined for 8 PBUs last fall, with Cheatem playing in 10 games as a freshman. Denzel Irvin, Keshaun Woods, Marquavis Gibbs, and Jacione Fugate are also around to compete for reps.

Ed Rolle and Ben DeLuca are back as the Safeties. DeLuca finished 2nd on the team with 102 tackles, while Rolle finished with 54 and 3 PBUs. JT Starr and AJ McDonald are the backups there.

Breakdown Special Teams: Nigel MacCauley is back as the PK, but hit just 3/10 FG attempts last fall. Andrew Favaro should step up in fall camp to push him out of a job as a RS freshman.

Arthur Hart was a quality punter for the 49ers, but he has moved on. John Brosnahan, a freshman, and Kyle Corbett, a sophomore, will battle to replace him.

Both return jobs are open as we head into the summer.

Final Analysis: The 49ers are a mess, and it is just that simple. There is not a ton of hope heading into the 2018 season that things will get much better than they were a year ago, even with another year of development. It is hard to see where things turn in the right direction right now, and it is apparent to me that new blood may be needed in the coaching staff to find a way to get the engine starter. Brad Lambert has given this program his all as the only coach the school has had, but he does not appear to have the answers, and that is a real problem. Look for another year in the CUSA basement.