Charlotte/LA Tech FB preview

The Charlotte football team during a football game against Middle Tennessee on Saturday, Nov. 12, 2022.

 Photo courtesy of Charlotte Athletics

The Charlotte football team will host the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs on Nov. 19 at Jerry Richardson stadium for Charlotte's senior day.  

Charlotte has an overall record of 2-9, while Louisiana Tech sits at 3-7.

Biff Poggi was announced as Charlotte's third football head coach on Nov. 15. Interim head coach, Pete Rossomando, will finish his tenure as head coach on Nov. 19.   

Rossomando said he is looking forward to the game this Saturday.  

"It should be a great game. We played pretty well last week with a couple of exceptions," said Rossomando.

This will be the final game for the 49ers as a member of Conference USA (C-USA). The team will jump to the American Athletic Conference in the 2023 season.

Scouting the 49ers  

Running Back Shadrick Byrd leads Charlotte with 1,401 all-purpose yards, the fifth-most in school history. He has ten career touchdowns and 1,154 career rushing yards. Byrd leads the 49ers with 568 rushing yards and four touchdowns this season.  

Quarterback Chris Reynolds has 84 career touchdown passes and 9,998 career passing yards. He's passed over 300 yards with at least four touchdowns twice this season. Reynolds ranks No. 18 in the FBS with 22 passing touchdowns. 

The 49ers will need a stellar performance from their sixth-year quarterback if they hope to finish the season strong.   

The 49ers have gotten production from true freshmen defensive standouts, Reid Williford and Maguire Neal.

Linebacker Reid Williford has 19 tackles, 0.5 tackles for loss, one blocked punt, and he made his first career start against the University of Maryland on Sept. 10. 

Defensive back Maguire Neal has 20 tackles with 2.5 tackles for loss, and he made his first start at the season opener against Florida Atlantic University.  

Scouting the Bulldogs  

Quarterback Parker McNeil leads the Bulldogs in passing with 1,908 yards and 18 touchdowns this season.   

Linebacker Hugh Davis leads the Bulldog defense with 65 tackles and ranks third on the team with 1.5 sacks. 

Wide Receiver Smoke Harris has racked up 51 receptions, 537 yards receiving and four touchdowns. He is the only Bulldog to score a touchdown in every season dating back to 2018. Harris has also recorded a reception in 30 consecutive games, which is the 18th longest streak in the country.  

Wide Receiver Tre Harris leads Tech with 49 receptions, 852 receiving yards and nine receiving touchdowns. Harris was added to the 2022 Biletnikoff Award Watch List on Nov. 9, becoming the first Bulldog receiver to be selected since Adrian Hardy in 2019.   

Keys to winning  

The defense has struggled mightily this season but has shown sparks of improvement in the last three games. 

Rossomando said the defense had turned a new page in the last couple of weeks.  

"We've always had confidence in our defensive line. I think the confidence in our guys was high last week; they played well on defense. They gave us a chance to win the game," said Rossomando.    

Charlotte allowed a season-low 23 points and 370 yards of offense in a 56-23 win against Rice on Oct. 29. 

Two games later, the 49ers allowed their fewest yards, 306, in a 24-14 loss against Middle Tennessee University.  

The 49ers will need a strong defense on Saturday if they hope to win.  

Looking to gameday  

The Charlotte 49ers will face the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs at Jerry Richardson Stadium on Nov. 19. Kickoff is at 3:30 pm, and you can watch it live on ESPN3.