Carrying momentum from a critical road win against Marshall two weeks ago, Charlotte came out of the bye to win at Southern Miss, 38-27, to move two wins away from an improbable bowl game.Senior Kalif Phillips provided the 49ers with 191 total yards of offense while freshman Robert Washington rushed for 94 yards and a touchdown on just six carries. Hasaan Klugh passed and rushed for a touchdown in the first win over Southern Miss in school history..@Charlotte49ers running back, Kalif Phillips had 186 yards rushing #beastmode #RockSolid pic.twitter.com/Pz9D6IO46q Charlotte Football (@Charlotte49erFB) November 6, 2016
While Phillips was the lead back, Washington’s 58-yard TD sparked the Niners offense in the second quarter. Following that rushing score, Charlotte scored 31 straight points before Southern Miss attempted to mount a comeback in the fourth quarter.On the other side, Charlotte’s defense allowed 498 total yards of offense, but forced three interceptions to kill multiple effective Southern Miss drives. Two of those picks came from Terrance Winchester while the third was returned 29 yards by Daquan Lucas.INTERCEPTION! Terrance Winchester with his second pick of the game to seal the deal! Less than 2 minutes remaining. Charlotte Football (@Charlotte49erFB) November 5, 2016
Along with the solid showing from the secondary, Charlotte’s front seven pressured Southern Miss all afternoon. Nick Cook, Karrington King and Nick Carroll all came away with a sack apiece while Carroll also tallied a quarterback hurry.After a 2-5 start, Charlotte is suddenly back in the discussion for a bowl berth with two straight victories. With Rice (1-8) coming to Charlotte next Saturday and Middle Tennessee State — who lost to Texas-San Antonio 45-25 — the following weekend, the 49ers have a shot at making school history this season.
