CHARLOTTE — The Charlotte 49ers rare still searching for their first American Athletic Conference home victory.
The Niners (2-6, 1-3 AAC) were unable to build off their first AAC victory last week, suffering a 38-16 loss to the Florida Atlantic (4-4, 3-1 AAC) at Jerry Richardson Stadium.
Charlotte not only had trouble getting its footing on both sides of the ball, the 49ers committed 12 penalties to make things even tougher on them.
A 21-6 halftime deficit proved to be too much to overcome.
“It was a disappointing night,” Charlotte coach Biff Poggi said in his postgame press conference, noting that his team’s 38:29-21:31 advantage in time of possession did not translate to the scoreboard. “We thought we were going to play really well, especially after last week’s win. Generally, way too many penalties. They say statistics are for losers and they’re probably right, but the only statistic that matters is 38-16.”
Niners quarterbacks Jalon Jones and Trexler Ivey were held to 59 and 68 passing yards, respectively, and each left the game with injuries that could affect future availability.
While Charlotte was struggling offensively, FAU quarterback Daniel Richardson had three touchdown passes, including two to emerging star wideout LaJohntay Wester.
Niners defensive coordinator Ryan Osborn accepted blame for his unit’s performance following a game in which it allowed only seven points.
“They weren’t ready to play, and that falls on me,” he said. “You’ve seen the first seven games for the most part where guys were playing really hard and giving great effort. The execution falls on me. There were opportunities to get off the field; some we did, and some we didn’t.”
The Niners began the game with six straight runs until Jones and running back Shadrick Byrd were injured on consecutive plays. Ivey and running back Terron Kellman entered in their absence, although Jones later returned to action and the two quarterbacks split snaps.
Kellman finished with a team-high 84 rushing yards on 20 carries.
The Niners did get on the board first. Charlotte kicker Kyle Cunanan connected on a 36-yard field goal attempt at the 8:46 of the first quarter, the second straight week the 49ers opened the scoring.
FAU charged back, taking advantage of multiple 49ers penalties and marching down the field in under two minutes before scoring on a three-yard pass from Richardson to tight end Zeke Moore to go up 7-3.
Less than a minute into the second quarter, the Owls made it 14-3 when Richardson found Wester for a 21-yard touchdown strike.
On the Niners’ following drive, Jones ripped through the FAU defense for an 18-yard run that set up a 44-yard field goal from Cunanan at 8:20.
With the first half winding down, Richardson connected twice with Wester, first for a 30-yard receptions and then connecting for a 26-yard touchdown to put FAU up 21-6 at the half.
Just a minute and 14 seconds into the third quarter, FAU took advantage of good field position and scored on a three-play, 57-yard scoring drive capped off by a 19-yard rush by Michael Johnson Jr.
The Niners responded with their only touchdown when Ivey threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to tight end Jake Clemons to make it a 28-13.
Charlotte forced a quick punt and then added a second 44-yard field goal by Cunanan, the freshman’s third field goal of the night.
With 1:38 left in the third quarter, FAU kicker Carter Davis made a 38-yard field goal to put the Owls up 31-16. Then in the fourth quarter, FAU running back Larry McCammon added a late touchdown to cap off the Owls’ 22-point win.
“There have been games this year where we’ve played lights-out on defense, and then there’s been other games where we haven’t,” Poggi said. “This was one of those other games where we haven’t, and there aren’t really any excuses.”
The Niners head to Tulsa next Saturday for a 4 p.m. game against the Golden Hurricane (3-4, 1-2 AAC).
