The Charlotte 49ers’ struggles continued Saturday night as Temple erupted for 42 unanswered points and cruised to a 49-14 victory at Jerry Richardson Stadium, handing the Niners their fourth straight loss.
Charlotte (1-6, 0-4 American) tied the game at 7-7 late in the first quarter on Grayson Loftis’ two-yard touchdown pass to Gus McGee, but the 49ers didn’t score again until the final minute of the contest.
The Owls (4-3, 2-1 American) took control early in the second quarter and never looked back. For the Niners, it didn’t help that a costly interception from Loftis provided more ammunition for Temple, whose 28-7 halftime lead expanded to 49-7 by the end of the third quarter.
“Poor second half, end of story,” Charlotte coach Tim Albin said. “We’re in the ball game at halftime. The numbers say it but the score doesn’t. He missed the hitch route and they picked it. A pick six and we couldn’t overcome it. Part of my message to the team after that was that we need the mental toughness and grit to wipe it away and fight to stop it.”
Temple quarterback Evan Simon accounted for four touchdowns — three passing and one rushing — while directing a balanced offense that piled up 384 total yards on only 53 plays.
Simon completed 15 of 22 passes for 194 yards, added a five-yard scoring run and spread the ball around to multiple targets.
Running back Jay Ducker led the Owls with 114 rushing yards and a touchdown on just nine carries. Kajiya Hollawayne, Colin Chase and Peter Clarke each caught touchdown passes as Temple scored on seven of its first nine possessions.
The Owls converted both fourth-down attempts, went 4-for-4 in the red zone and averaged 7.2 yards per play without committing a turnover.
Simon’s five-yard keeper midway through the second quarter gave Temple a 14-7 lead. Just 37 seconds later, Adrian Laing intercepted Loftis and returned it 64 yards for a touchdown to make it 21-7. Simon then connected with Hollawayne for a 46-yard score late in the half, stretching the margin to 28-7 at the break.
Temple’s dominance carried into the third quarter.
Clarke’s eight-yard touchdown catch and Ducker’s one-yard plunge extended the lead before Louis Frye scooped up a Charlotte fumble and raced 73 yards for another touchdown, putting the Owls up 49-7 entering the fourth.
Defensively, Temple limited Charlotte to 357 yards despite the 49ers running 76 plays. The Owls forced four turnovers, including two fumbles and an interception, and recorded nine tackles for loss and two sacks.
Charlotte alternated quarterbacks, with Loftis finishing 10-of-22 for 108 yards, one touchdown and an interception. Zach Wilcke went 5-of-7 for 50 yards and ran for a short touchdown in the closing minute. The 49ers rushed for 199 yards, led by Wilcke’s 39 and Cameren Smith’s 38, but two lost fumbles proved costly.
“I saw things today I hadn’t seen in the second half,” Albin said. “We’re going to tell them the truth. We’re going to hold them accountable. And the truth is what I said in the second half: we’re better, and you’re going to see it.”
“We’re going to challenge them and we’ll see them tomorrow. We’re going to dust our britches off and get back up on the horse.”
Charlotte will try to regroup when it hosts North Texas (6-1, 2-1) on Friday night.
