CHARLOTTE – Charlotte was less than seven minutes away from its second consecutive American Conference victory Friday night. Instead, a failed fake punt, a last-minute touchdown and a fourth-down incompletion in overtime turned what appeared to be a breakthrough performance into another painful defeat.
Tulane erased a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit and defeated the 49ers 38-31 in overtime at Jerry Richardson Stadium, dropping Charlotte to 1-7 overall and 1-3 in conference play.
The 49ers led 31-21 after Derrick Eley's 1-yard touchdown run with 10:52 remaining. Tulane answered with a field goal before Charlotte regained possession, still holding a seven-point advantage with 6:29 left.
Charlotte moved the ball to its own 39-yard line before facing fourth down with less than two minutes remaining. Rather than punt, head coach Tim Albin called for a fake that came up short, giving Tulane possession with 1:52 remaining.
Albin took responsibility afterward, explaining that the play had been installed earlier in the week and that he believed the opportunity was there.
"But to be honest with you, I'd do it again," Albin said. "Scared money don't make money. We come tonight to play to win the game."
The Green Wave needed just eight plays to cover 61 yards, tying the game on Trace Johnson's 11-yard touchdown pass to Cam Roberts with 10 seconds remaining.
Charlotte nearly produced one final regulation opportunity when Henry Rutledge returned the ensuing kickoff 54 yards to the Tulane 46. Conner Harrell's desperation pass into the end zone was knocked away, sending the game into overtime.
Tulane scored first in the extra period on a 1-yard touchdown run by Daniel Bruno. Charlotte answered by advancing to the Green Wave's 3-yard line, but Harrell's fourth-down pass intended for Jaden Barnes fell incomplete, ending the game.
The finish overshadowed one of Charlotte's strongest offensive performances of the season.
The 49ers accumulated 455 yards, including 216 rushing, and scored 24 points in the second quarter, tying the fourth-highest single-quarter total in program history.
Khamani Alexander opened Charlotte's scoring with a 44-yard touchdown run following Jameel Croft Jr.'s interception. Aiden Bui added a career-long 48-yard field goal after Jonathan Patterson forced and recovered a fumble on the ensuing kickoff.
Tulane briefly reclaimed the lead on a 95-yard kickoff return by T.J. Smith, but Charlotte responded with two touchdown passes from Harrell. A 22-yard connection with Barnes and a 16-yard strike to Eley gave the 49ers a 24-14 halftime advantage.
Rutledge was the centerpiece of Charlotte's offensive production, finishing with 254 all-purpose yards — 121 rushing, 79 receiving and 54 on kickoff returns. His performance tied for the second-highest single-game total in program history and made him the first Charlotte player since Benny LeMay in 2019 to rush for at least 100 yards in consecutive games.
Harrell completed 23 of 36 passes for 239 yards and two touchdowns without an interception. Barnes caught eight passes for 66 yards, while Eley scored twice.
Defensively, Gavin Willis led Charlotte with 12 tackles, and Croft added nine tackles and his first career interception. But the 49ers struggled to contain Tulane's offense late, allowing the Green Wave to finish with 467 yards.
Johnson completed 28 of 36 passes for 284 yards, while Johnnie Daniels rushed for 99 yards and two touchdowns.
For Albin, the result illustrated both the progress Charlotte has made offensively and the narrow margin separating its recent performances. The 49ers entered Friday coming off a 38-31 victory over Temple, but this time found themselves on the opposite end of the same score.
"We don't want to just score 30 points. We want to win the game," Albin said. "I don't care if it's 1-0."
Charlotte has now produced more than 440 yards of offense in consecutive games, but Friday's defeat leaves the 49ers searching for a way to turn that production into more consistent results.
Albin acknowledged that the offense could have managed the clock better on its final meaningful possession, while also pointing to the continued development of Harrell and Rutledge.
"There are a lot of good things in there," Albin said. "I know our team's gonna stay together."
For a Charlotte team that had come within seconds of another conference victory, those improvements offered little consolation Friday night.
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