CHARLOTTE – After a surprising blowout win on the road at Rice last weekend, the Charlotte 49ers were hoping to build momentum going into their last three games of the season. The visiting Western Kentucky Hilltoppers had other ideas, and quarterback Austin Reed’s six-touchdown performance ensured that the Charlotte hope was short-lived as the visitors walked out of Charlotte’s Richardson Stadium with a 59-7 win on Saturday afternoon. 

Photo Credit: Ed Conway

Charlotte tried to get their offense moving in the second half, going seventy-five yards in ten plays, resulting in an acrobatic grab by Elijah Spencer in the end zone to get the 49ers on the board for the first time on the afternoon. WKU immediately responded, scoring in four plays, with Reed finding his sixth different touchdown target, Michael Mathison, to extend the lead again. The Hilltoppers added a field goal in the fourth quarter and put an exclamation point on the game with a forty-two-yard Anthony Brackenridge pick-six.

Western Kentucky’s quarterback Austin Reed finished with 409 yards and six touchdowns on the day. Backup quarterback Darius Ocean added a late score to make up the final margin.

Next Week

Charlotte (2-8, 1-5 CUSA) is on the road at Middle Tennessee next Saturday before returning home for the final game of the 49ers’ season on November 19th against Louisiana Tech. Western Kentucky hosts Rice in their home finale before hitting the road for the final two weeks of the season.

BIRMINGHAM, AL – Charlotte pushed host UAB to the limit, taking a 20-19 lead early in the fourth quarter, but the Blazers (4-2; C-USA: 2-1) scored the final two touchdowns to claim a 34-20 Conference USA victory Saturday.

"We can't shoot ourselves in the foot," said head coach Will Healy, alluding to three 49ers' turnovers. "I know it's frustrating for our team, frustrating for our fans, and frustrating for our staff. We're getting better on (the defensive) side of the ball. We gave up a couple big plays and weren't great on third down but we had some major stops in the red zone – a  kind of bend but don't break mentality. Us eliminating three and outs on offense was so important. We needed to keep our defense off the field to make sure we had some gas left in the fourth quarter.  Credit to (UAB) being able to put the thing away."

Charlotte's Geo Howard intercepted UAB on the second play of the game to help Charlotte (1-6; C-USA: 0-3) to a 14-7 lead after the first quarter. 

Chris Reynolds was 8-of-11 in the first quarter for 127 yards, including a season-best 60-yard TD pass to Elijah Spencer.  It was Spencer's 10th career TD – the seventh player in 49ers history to reach double figures and marked the 21st straight game in which Reynolds has played and thrown a TD pass.

Reynolds connected with Spencer again for a 28-yard pass on second-and-19 to set up a two-yard TD run by Shadrick Byrd to send the 49ers ahead 14-7.

In the second quarter, the 49ers defense held strong on a pair of goal-to-go possessions.  On a first-and-goal from the five, Charlotte held the line and Tank Robinson added a 10-yard TFL that gave Charlotte the ball on downs.  Another Blazer drive late in the quarter gave UAB a first-and-goal from the two.  Again, the defense stepped up and forced a 20-yard field goal that made it 14-10 heading into the half.

A pair of second-half turnovers led to nine Blazer points as UAB took a 19-14 lead with 2:15 left in the third quarter.

After a Reynolds interception to open the second half, UAB drove to the 12 but settled for a 29-yard field goal to cut the lead to one, 14-13. A fumble on a promising drive at the UAB 27 led to the Blazers' second TD of the game.  A stop on the two-point conversion left the Blazers with that five-point lead, 19-14.

On Charlotte's ensuing possession, Reynolds hit Henry Rutledge for 19 yards, Grant DuBose for 18, and Taylor Thompson for 24 to set the 49ers up at the one-yard line. Shadrick Byrd cashed in for his second TD of the game to put Charlotte ahead, 20-19 early in the fourth quarter.

UAB retook the lead, 27-20, on its next possession and added a breakaway run in the closing minutes to ice the game, 34-20.

"What stings is all I want them to do is have a great experience here and ultimately winning is part of that experience," Healy said. "You're seeing strides.  You're just dying for success."

NEXT:  

Charlotte hosts FIU, Saturday at 3:30 in another C-USA game.  It will be the 49ers' annual Homecoming Game. 

CHARLOTTE – Charlotte's late drive for the go-ahead/possible game-winning TD ended quickly when Chris Reynolds' long pass towards Elijah Spencer was picked off at the UTEP 22-yard line with 1:19 left to play, securing the Miners' 41-35 Conference USA victory over the 49ers, Saturday night.

Charlotte (1-5; C-USA: 0-2) trailed by 17 at the half, and rallied to within three early in the second half before the Miners (3-3; C-USA: 1-1) stormed ahead by 20 late in the third quarter.  Again, Charlotte rallied – and despite the two large deficits, had a chance to take the lead in the closing minutes after a pair of fourth-quarter TDs.

Charlotte WR Grant DuBose hauls in a TD Photo Credit: Ed Conway

“We shot ourselves in the foot way too many times, whether it be penalties, turnovers, or whatever else,” said 49ers head coach Will Healy.  ”I am always amazed at the fight of this football team. I am always impressed by the character of the young men that are in our locker room. We got the ball back with a (1:26) on the 36-yard-line with no timeouts down six and there wasn't a more confident group in the country but us. We shouldn't have left it up to that. I don't want to make life hard on ourselves and have to fight back from so much.”

Trailing 34-21 late in the third quarter, Charlotte was driving deep into UTEP territory with a chance to close to within one score. The 49ers fumbled at the goal line, however, and Jadrian Taylor returned it 100 yards to push UTEP ahead, 41-21. It was the Miners' second defensive touchdown of the game.

Down 20, Reynolds engineered a 12-play, 75-yard scoring drive to bring the 49ers within 13, 41-28 with 9:27 to play. He hit a diving Tucker on a fourth-down conversion to keep the drive alive and then connected again with his longtime target for a six-yard TD.  It was Tucker's fourth straight game with a touchdown.

“Just the fight of this team,” Healy said. “There were some incredible performances from our players. Chris Reynolds kept getting back up. Markees (Watts) and Amir (Siddiq) were huge to our football team. Grant (DuBose), Vic (Tucker), Elijah, and so many guys played hard and put their heart on the line tonight.”

Charlotte's defense held the Miners to a short, four-play drive that gained just 18 yards and one first down before punting. Again, Reynolds went to work – A 14-yard pass to DuBose.  A 16-yarder to Spencer. A 14-yarder to Shadrick Byrd. Byrd's 13-yard run to the left side found the endzone and suddenly Charlotte was within six, 41-35 with 3:07 to play.

The defense forced its second three-and-out of the game, forcing a punt with 1:26 left to play.

With the ball at its own 36 and nearly a minute-and-a-half left to play, thoughts of Reynolds' six career game-winning drives sprung to mind, including his last-minute heroics in the 49ers' 42-41 win at Georgia State earlier this year.

On the first play, however, his long pass attempt was intercepted to seal the win for the Miners.

“Hard fought football game and congrats to UTEP coming on the road and finding a way to get the win,” Healy said. “When we play well we are capable of beating anyone that is on our schedule. I know our guys will continue to fight hard and give us chances to win football games.”

Notable North Carolinians

Chris Reynolds (Davie) – the senior quarterback was 22 of 38 for 335 yards and 4 touchdowns.

Aidan Laros (Northwood) – the redshirt freshman kickoff specialist boomed kickoffs throughout the evening, landing three touchbacks.

Up Next

The 49ers (1-5, 0-2) head into a bye week before hitting the road for a Conference USA road game at UAB, Saturday, October 15.

Charlotte WR Grant DuBose hauls in a TD. Photo Credit: Ed Conway

Tagovailoa was every bit as special as anticipated going into the game. The redshirt junior was 27 of 31 on the day, tallying nearly four hundred yards along with four passing touchdowns. He added a short rushing touchdown in the third quarter. Defensively, Maryland stifled Charlotte, holding the 49ers to ninety-six yards on twenty-seven attempts.

Maryland, whose average scoring drive was less than three minutes, scored touchdowns on eight of their nine drives before kneeling out the clock to end the game. The only drive to not score a touchdown was at the end of the first half when Tagovailoa was picked in the end zone by Comanche Francisco, a lone bright spot for the 49ers defensively.

Next Week

Charlotte (0-3) goes on the road to face Georgia State in Atlanta for the second year in a row while Maryland (2-0) hosts SMU.

CHARLOTTE – After backup quarterback Xavier Williams’s 67-yard rush gave the 49ers a 24-20 lead, William and Mary scored the final 21 points to overtake Charlotte, 41-24, in non-conference action, Friday night.

“Obviously disappointed in the result, I don’t think there’s any question about that,” said head coach Will Healy. “Credit to William & Mary, I thought they played really well and made big plays down the stretch. We made life hard on ourselves. When we were up 24-20 we looked like we were in good shape. It didn’t seem like we were able to put drives together. You have to create a little bit of separation in that football game and we were never able to do it.” 

Charlotte rallied from a 17-3 deficit to tie the game on Williams’ two-yard rush with 00:13 seconds left in the half and then grabbed its first outright lead, 24-20, on Williams’ burst through the middle.  That 67-yard run was the longest play for the 49ers this year.

William and Mary, however, scored three times in the fourth quarter to pull away for the victory.

Williams, who began the season third on the 49ers’ depth chart, moved up when all-time record-holder Chris Reynolds was injured in the season-opener at FAU.  He came on in relief of James Foster, who was making his second start for the 49ers.

William and Mary rushed for 303 yards on their way to 559 yards of total offense while Charlotte totaled 379.

“I know it’s frustrating. We’ve got a lot of work to do to get better, but a short time to get there because no one is going to feel sorry for us,” Healy added. “I know we have a group of fighters, whether it be players or staff and we will respond. I know the type of character and leadership that’s on this football team. A response from this team, a bunch of fighters, and a team that’s going to get better.” 

Notable Notes

Sophomore Elijah Spencer, the 2021 C-USA Freshman of the Year, posted his first career 100-yard outing with 107 receiving yards. Running mates Grant DuBose (67 yards) and Victor Tucker (58) both pulled in over 50 receiving yards as the trio accounted for 232 of the 49ers' 248 receiving yards.

S Wayne Jones had a team-high 11 tackles for the 49ers.

With 67 receiving yards, DuBose became the sixth 49er to surpass 1,000 receiving yards in his career.  He now has 1048 receiving yards in just over one year of action.

Next Week

Charlotte's (0-2) path only gets more difficult as the 49ers host Maryland (1-0) from the Big Ten while William and Mary (1-0) plays Campbell (1-0) in a preview of a future CAA matchup.

CHARLOTTE – It was Senior Day for Charlotte, and the 49ers were honoring thirty players as they capped off their 2021 home football schedule. Charlotte was wanting to send this year's group of seniors off with a victory on their home field one last time. The 49ers were also looking to become bowl eligible for the second time in program history. Thanks to 21-0 third quarter by Marshall, they got neither. By the time the clock struck all zeros on Saturday night, it was the visiting Thundering Herd leaving Charlotte with the win, a 49-28 victory. With the loss, the 49ers will need a win on the road over Old Dominion next Saturday to secure at least a .500 record for the 2021 campaign.

Things seemed to start the way the 49ers wanted it to after Charlotte opened the game with a long, sixteen-play, seventy-five yard drive, capping it off with a six-yard touchdown pass from Chris Reynolds to Keith Pearson, Jr. Marshall immediately responded with a scoring drive of their own, with Rasheen Ali scoring the first of his three touchdowns on the drive. The redshirt freshman had 203 yards on the night.

It seemed like it would be a slugfest after Charlotte tied the game at 14-14 with the first of two Reynolds to Cam Dollar scores of the night. But, as seems to be the case for much of the second half of the season, the 49ers defense struggled to contain the Thundering Herd the rest of the way. Marshall scored again late in the second quarter and was poised to add another score on top of that, capitalizing on a Charlotte fumble, but the field goal went wide. It was a one-score game going into the half, but the action on the field seemed to indicate that the game was quickly slipping beyond the grip of the home team.

The third quarter belonged to the Thundering Herd in all facets of the game. Offensively, the Herd outgained the 49ers in total yards 236 to 57. Grant Wells was 8-8 passing for the quarter with a touchdown. Sheldon Evans had the first of his two touchdowns during the quarter as well. Scoring twenty-eight straight points, the visitors were leading 42-14 going into the final stanza.

Charlotte scored twice in the final fifteen minutes of the game but was never able to mount a serious comeback bid. Backup quarterback James Foster was able to take a few snaps during the last Charlotte drive, finding success with a scoring strike to ChaVon McEachern, giving fans a preview of what be to come from the former transfer from Texas A&M.

Tonight was Charlotte's one-hundredth game in program history. The 49ers go into the final week of the regular season needing a win in game #101 to become bowl eligible.

Notable North Carolinians

Chris Reynolds (Davie) was 19-34 on the evening with three touchdowns. 

Former East Lincoln standout Cam Dollar caught two touchdown passes on the night, his first two scores of the season.

Up Next

Charlotte (5-6) is on the road at Old Dominion to finish the regular season while Marshall (7-4) hosts Western Kentucky.

CHARLOTTE – With six minutes left in the game, it was looking like Charlotte was on its way to a third-straight loss. The 49ers, who had dropped two straight games against FAU and Western Kentucky, were reeling from the sixteen-play, nine-and-a-half-minute drive the Rice Owls had just forced down their throats.

Looking at the scoreboard and seeing a ten-point deficit, Charlotte coach Will Healy looked over at Chris Reynolds and smiled, knowing his senior quarterback would know what to do. Reynolds was up to the task, leading the 49ers to two consecutive scoring drives and forcing overtime.

In the extra session, Reynolds hit freshman receiver Elijah Spencer over the middle for the go-ahead score. When Luke Martin came down with the interception on Rice's possession, the 49ers stormed the field, celebrating the 31-24 victory and securing a Homecoming memory for years to come.

Charlotte RB Calvin Camp races to the end zone Photo Credit: Ed Conway

Reynolds was 20-of-29 passes for 292 yards and three scores. Six different receivers hauled in a pass for the 49ers on Saturday, led by Spener and Grant DuBose with six catches each. Calvin Camp had the long reception for the day, a fifty-nine catch and run to open the scoring in the first quarter. Shadrich Byrd led the team with fifty-four yards and a score on the ground.

Geo Howard led a Charlotte defense that found itself in a bend-don't-break mentality late in the fourth quarter. Howard, a junior defensive back who transferred from Purdue, had eleven tackles on the day.

Ari Broussard was punishing on the ground for the visiting Owls. The sophomore running back from New Orleans had 186 yards and two touchdowns on twenty attempts. Charlotte native Christian VanSickle was 3-of-3 on extra points and kicked a twenty-five-yard field goal for the visitors.

Charlotte and Rice had met twice previously in the 49ers' first two seasons of FBS football. Being from different divisions in Conference USA, scheduling had precluded the two teams from meeting since 2016. Rice won the two prior meetings, and with the win, Will Healy is now 5-0 against teams from Conference USA's West Division.

With the win, Charlotte is now 4-1 at home this season and 10-3 under Will Healy.

Up Next

Charlotte (5-4, 3-2) travels to face Louisiana Tech (2-7, 1-4) while Rice (3-6, 2-3) hosts Western Kentucky (5-4, 4-1).

MIAMI – Charlotte (4-2; C-USA: 2-0) scored six touchdowns to earn its first road win of the year, 45-33, over FIU in a Conference USA East Division contest at Riccardo Silva Stadium, Friday night.

"It's hard to win football games," said 49ers head coach Will Healy.  "I don't care who we play in our conference - there's a bunch of 50-50 games. For us to find a way to go on the road and get a win is important, especially on a short week. I ask those guys to give me everything they've got for 60 minutes and I'm proud of them for the way we did that."

Charlotte quarterback Chris Reynolds completed 21 of 27 passes (.778) for 203 yards and a career-best matching four touchdowns to lead the offensive attack, which was aided by a pair of long kickoff returns from Shadrick Byrd.

The win improves Charlotte to 4-2 overall and 2-0 in Conference USA.  The 4-2 start matches the school's best in 2013 and the 2-0 start is the program's best in league play.

Reynolds threw TD passes to four different receivers, including three tight ends and Calvin Camp had a one-yard TD plunge.  Safety Jon Alexander added a 41-yard interception return. Reynolds put up 203 yards of passing offense and the 49ers rushed for another 179.

Charlotte QB Chris Reynolds and DB Jon Alexander

EARLY LEAD

Byrd broke off a 60-yard kick return following FIU's opening field goal, and the 49ers converted a pair of third downs to set up Camp's two-yard touchdown run to take a 7-3 lead.  The 49ers would not trail again in the game.

After an FIU trick play went 67 yards to the Charlotte 8, the 49ers defense kept FIU (1-5; 0-2) off the board when Alexander led a gang tackle on fourth and goal from the two to protect the 49ers' 7-3 lead.

Charlotte's drive into the second quarter included a season-long 31-yard run by Byrd, a 22-yard catch by Victor Tucker and a conversion on fourth and one at the FIU 11 to set the stage for Reynolds' five-yard scramble and dart to Taylor Thompson in the back of the end zone.

The two teams traded field goals in the final five minutes of the half as Charlotte took a 17-6 lead into the locker room.  Charlotte's 42-yard field goal by Jonathan Cruz was set up by a 57-yard kick return by Byrd.

SECOND HALF OFFENSE

On the 49ers opening drive of the second half, Reynolds connected with Victor Tucker for 21 yards on third and 11 and then hit him across the middle on the next play for a 22-yard TD strike to push Charlotte ahead, 24-6.

FIU struck back immediately with a 50-yard TD pass from Max Bortenschlager to Kris Mitchell to cut the lead back to 11, 24-13.

In turn, Reynolds engineered a five-play, 70-yard TD drive that ended with a one-yard pass to tight end Jake Clemons on his first career collegiate catch.

A 59-yard catch by Tyrese Chambers pushed the Panthers within 11, 31-20 with 11:10 left to play.

The two teams scored four touchdowns in the final six minutes, alternating TDs.  Alexander returned an interception 41 yards for the 49ers first defensive TD of the season and Reynolds threw his fourth TD pass of the game to tight end Ryan Carriere for the 49ers final score.

"There was a lot of sloppy football down the stretch," Healy added. "Credit to them. They played really hard.  I want to finish better.  I didn't think from an energy perspective that we took the foot off the pedal. We've got plenty to work on. We've got to clean a lot of stuff up. Winning cannot get old. We have to make sure we remain hungry, we remain confident.  We have to find things we can fix -- but it sure is fun to be 2-0 in the conference and double the win total from last year -- but we've got a lot more to prove."

NEXT

Charlotte heads into its bye week before returning home to face Florida Atlantic, Thursday, Oct. 21.

CHARLOTTE – Thursday was Founder's Day at Charlotte with the university celebrating seventy-five years of being an institution of higher learning. On Friday, the school's football team hosted Conference USA rival Middle Tennessee.  Founders was definitely the name of the game as both teams found the end zone multiple times as Charlotte defeated Middle Tennessee in a 42-39 offensive showdown on Friday night.

After forcing a punt on the opening drive of the game, Charlotte took over at its own 14-yard line. The 49ers, looking to shake off a poor offensive performance the week before at Georgia State, proceeded to march down the field, covering the eighty-six yards between them and the goal line in ten plays, with Chris Reynolds finding Grant DuBose over the middle for a seventeen-yard score. With the touchdown pass, Reynolds tied Matt Johnson's program record for touchdown passes. Reynolds would break the record late in the first quarter with another passing score to DuBose.

Middle Tennessee matched the 49ers with their own long scoring drives in the first half, going seventy-five yards in both, with each resulting in a Chase Cunningham touchdown pass. Jimmy Marshall and Jaylin Lane were on the receiving ends of these scoring passes. Where the Blue Raiders were able to best the home team in the first half was with a Zeke Rankin 26 yd field goal. Those three points made the difference as the visitors led 17-14 going into the halftime break.

Charlotte took the opening drive of the second half and drove the ball all the way to the nineteen-yard line, but a tipped field goal attempt fell short, and Charlotte was in need of some type of spark to baring the crowd back into the game. That spark almost came from an acrobatic interception by Lance McMillan, but he was ruled out of bounds. Instead, the 49ers would have to retake possession of the ball by forcing a Middle Tennessee punt. The ball was downed at the eleven-yard line, meaning the home team would need to march eighty-nine yards to hit paydirt. And march they did, taking four minutes off the clock and culminating with Reynolds's third touchdown pass of the night, this one to Elijah Spencer.

Middle Tennessee wasted no time responding. Three plays later, the Charlotte players watched DJ England-Chisolm race fifty-one yards down the home sideline on his way to a touchdown that helped the Blue Raiders retake the lead. Two drives later, Charlotte offered its response, a seventy-seven yard drive with Calvin Camp ripping off the last forty-four on a run as time expired in the third quarter, giving Charlotte the lead heading into the last stanza.

The fourth quarter was setting up to be a battle of wills between two offenses that ended up combining for over a thousand total yards. The points would be plenty. Shadrich Byrd began the fourth quarter scoring by catching a pass and making two Middle Tennessee defenders fall over on his way to a nineteen-yard touchdown to put the 49ers up by eleven. Chase Cunningham and the Blue Raiders were not content to let the game slip away and the QB hit Jarrin Pierce for his fourth TD pass of the night to bring the game back within three points after a successful two-point conversion. Charlotte responded again, marching seventy-five plus yards for the fourth time on the evening with Chris Reynolds adding a one-yard rushing touchdown to go with his four through the air. Middle Tennessee scored again on Cunningham's fifth touchdown of the night, but the 49ers recovered the onside kick to seal the win and start the season 3-1 for the first time since 2014.

Notable North Carolinians

Chris Reynolds (Davie) – became Charlotte's all-time leader in passing touchdowns; was 25-36 for 339 yards and four touchdowns; also rushed for a fourth-quarter score.

Calvin Camp (Shelby) – the redshirt senior running back had 101 yards on twelve carries, the long being a 44-yard run to give Charlotte the lead going into the fourth quarter.

D'Mitri Emanuel (Marvin Ridge), Jaxon Hughes (Northern Guilford), and TJ Moore (Mallard Creek) – the offensive linemen paved the way for over two hundred rushing yards and did not give up a sack.

Up Next

Charlotte (3-1) travels to take on Illinois of the Big Ten while Middle Tennessee (1-3) stays in the Conference USA East Division, hosting Marshall.

CHARLOTTE – It was the first time that the Charlotte 49ers had ever hosted a Power Five opponent in its brief nine-year history. The crowd was excited to host an in-state opponent on a Friday night leading into Labor Day weekend. The fans in attendance were given a good show as the two teams combined for over a thousand yards of offense and five lead changes in the second half alone. Paced by Chris Reynolds's 324 passing yards, three passing touchdowns, and one rushing touchdown, Charlotte claimed its first-ever win over a P5 opponent, defeating Duke 31-28 to open the 2021 college football season.

The energy and momentum were on the Niners' side early in the game with Charlotte forcing the Blue Devils to punt on the first possession of the game and then hopping on the scoreboard five plays later with a 56-yard touchdown pass from Chris Reynolds to a streaking Grant DuBose. The early 7-0 lead had the 49ers faithful on their feet and saw the visiting Blue Devils scrambling to respond but unable to do so until a few drives later.

Charlotte led by a touchdown going into the second quarter and was on its way to a 32-yard Jonathan Cruz field goal to take a 10-0 lead over the visitors. Duke responded with force on its next drive, moving seventy-five yards in six plays, but it was the 43-yard scoring play that will stick out in the minds of the visiting fans. Gunnar Holmberg hit Jordan Waters on the left side and Waters bulled over a Charlotte defender and raced to the end zone. 

The Charlotte offense looked a little shaky on their subsequent drives in the first half. Duke did not show the hesitancy that they demonstrated in the first quarter, moving methodically down the field on their next drive, taking the lead with a five-yard touchdown run by Mataeo Durant. Durant finished the night with 255 yards and three scores.

Any signs that Charlotte might back down against Duke to start the second half were quickly dismissed as the Niners moved down the field, aided by a 40-yard Calvin Cook run to get Charlotte down to the one-yard-line. Two plays later, Chris Reynolds was able to hit paydirt on a quarterback sneak, helping Charlotte retake the lead. A promising Duke drive saw the Blue Devils poised to bring the lead back to the visitors, but a Tyler Murray forced fumble was recovered in the end zone by Charlotte, ending any hopes of a score.

The fourth quarter seemed like it would quickly become the Mataeo Durant show. The senior running back put the Blue Devils on his back, putting Duke back on top with a blistering 59-yard scoring run around the left side. Charlotte floundered around for a few possessions, but eventually came alive with quick passes to Taylor Thompson, Victor Cruz, and Grant DuBose got the Niners in scoring position and Charlotte retook the lead with the second Reynolds to DuBose touchdown of the night. Durant and the Blue Devils would not be denied, though, as the standout running back rushed for his second long touchdown of the quarter, a 53-yard scamper that gave Duke a 28-24 lead.

It was Charlotte's night, however, and fate had the Niners marching down towards their destiny. Victor Tucker's three big grabs got Charlotte in scoring position and Chris Reynolds found an open Shedrich Byrd for an 11-yard score to cause a scene unlike any other in the program's nine-year history.

Both teams host in-state FCS opponents next week as Charlotte (1-0) hosts Gardner-Webb while Duke (0-1) will face off against North Carolina A&T.

Notable North Carolinians

Chris Reynolds (Davie) – the senior quarterback passed for 324 yards and three scores while running for one as well.

Gunnar Holmberg (Heritage) – the graduate quarterback was 20 of 29 for 241 yards and a touchdown

Jordan Waters (Fairmont) – the redshirt sophomore's physical scoring catch and run opened the scoring for the Blue Devils in the second quarter