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Athlon Sports
Charlotte Football: 2024 49ers Season Preview and Prediction
By Athlon Sports,
23 days ago
Last season, head coach Biff Poggi predicted his team would win the AAC. To put it mildly, they failed in that quest at 3-9. Perhaps approaching this season with a more realistic mindset will benefit the 49ers and get them one step closer to a bowl game. It’s going to take some major improvement in all phases of the game and a big reduction in penalties after 84 last season.
The 49ers struggled to score points in 2023, averaging only 17.5 per game. They narrowly avoided being the lowest-scoring team in the American Athletic Conference, outscoring last-place East Carolina by only two points.
The passing attack was particularly ineffective, with 16 interceptions compared to only seven passing touchdowns. But help has arrived in the form of Florida transfer quarterback Max Brown. Brown completed 19-of-28 passes for 192 yards and an interception in six appearances for the Gators last season, including a start against Florida State. Brown is one of 22 incoming transfers this season.
Running back Cartevious Norton, who spent the previous two seasons at Iowa State, also looks to make an immediate impact. He averaged a shade under four yards per carry last season as a sophomore with the Cyclones. Charlotte’s rushing production was all over the place last season. For instance, the 49ers ran for 223 yards and five touchdowns against Memphis, but just 84 yards the very next week vs. Rice.
Junior wide receiver Jairus Mack returns after catching 25 passes for 453 yards and two touchdowns for Charlotte in 2023.
Ron Lane&solIMAGO
Previewing Charlotte’s Defense for 2024
The 49ers were respectable defensively last season, allowing 374 yards per game and 213 passing yards per game, a number that ranked in the top half of the AAC. They also posted a respectable interception count of 11.
In terms of returning talent, cornerback Dontae Balfour was a third-team All-AAC selection. He tied school records for pass breakups in a season (11) and in a game (four) in his first year with the 49ers after transferring in from North Carolina. Several other defensive backs will play their first season with the 49ers this season, including former Louisville safety Derrick Edwards, who arrives with three years of ACC experience.
Longtime high school coach Biff Poggi took over the Charlotte program in 2023, after serving as Jim Harbaugh’s associate head coach at Michigan.
Tommy Gilligan&solUSA TODAY Sports
Previewing Charlotte’s Specialists for 2024
Speedy kick returner Henry Rutledge is a threat every time he touches the ball. He was one of only four players in the American to return a punt for a touchdown last season and led the AAC with an average of 11.9 yards per punt return. Kicker Hunter Patrick, now on his third college team after graduating summa cum laude from Coastal Carolina, could see his first college action in 2024.
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