Sweet Homecoming: Buccaneers Wear Down Charlotte 36-14, Improve to 8-1
"Coming off of a loss last week and with our young quarterbacks, we weren't sure how this team would respond, so we're really pleased with the victory," (CSU Head Coach, Jamey) Chadwell said. "The Homecoming crowd was a big influence. This was the first time a lot of these people were able to see what we were about. There is an energy, a spirit around campus, and the stands have been packed. It's been great to see."
"Our defense has played really well," said Chadwell of a unit that held Charlotte to 81 yards rushing and 3-of-12 on third-down conversions. "They've really stepped up. They've forced some turnovers and made some big plays. Charlotte has been averaging 34 points a game, and to be able to shut them down like we did in the second half says a lot about the way the defense played today."
From the Post and Courier - Charleston, SC"It was great setting the record at home," (CSU Running Back, Christian) Reyes said. "Doing it at homecoming was special. The stands were packed and they got to see how well we've been playing this season. The o-line has been great all season, and was able to move guys again today. They created big holes for me to run through."
Buccaneers Beat Charlotte 36-14 on Homecoming
Junior running back Christian Reyes became CSU’s single-season rushing record holder, rushing for a career-high 181 yards as part of CSU’s 375-yard team effort. Reyes now has 953 yards this season.
“It’s nice to be able to do it today, at home, in front of such a great crowd,” said Reyes. “The guys up front were on point today. They did a great job and gave me lots of room to run. This record is just as much as for them as it is for me.”
From the Charlotte Observer - Charlotte, NC“Certainly we are not happy with the mistakes that we made and there are definitely things that we need to improve on and get more consistent with,” said CSU head coach Jamey Chadwell. “I was proud of our team for the maturity they showed when things weren’t going as well as we would like. Our defense stepped up for us a bunch today. We did some good things offensively but obviously not getting points on some of those drives is something we need to correct.”
Charlotte 49ers' Mistakes Costly in Loss to Charleston Southern
This was in the paper version of the Charlotte Observer (49ers Digest by David Scott) but not the online version:But the 49ers also couldn’t get a handle on Charleston Southern’s triple-option offense, which produced 548 yards – a season high against the first-year 49ers. Running back Christian Reyes ran over and through the Charlotte defense for 181 yards and 26 carries.
Also from the Charlotte Observer (Reporter / Blogger, David Scott) - Charlotte, NC"We faced triple-option teams a lot at Navy and Georgia Tech," said 49ers Head Coach Brad Lambert, a former assistant at Wake Forest and Georgia." (Charleston Southern RB Christian) "Reyes is as good a (triple-option) back as any I've seen. He's tough, compact, has good vision and is physical.
Final: Charleston Southern 36, Charlotte 14
Some personal observations from Section B Row W...
Charlotte scored two TDs. The first one was on a gimmick (trick) play. The second was on a drive that was extended due to a gift call by the officials. It was a 3rd down pass that clearly hit the ground, but was called complete to keep the drive alive instead of forcing Charlotte to punt.
A team that is going to compete on the FBS level next year in Conference USA should not have to use gimmick (trick) plays to beat an FCS team.
Charlotte is not close to being ready for FBS football in Conference USA. They are going to get smoked on a regular basis next year.
Charleston Southern scored 15 points in the 2nd Quarter and 15 points in the 4th Quarter. These quarters are the time periods at the end of each half. This clearly points to a difference in conditioning. It points a positive light to Charleston Southern's conditioning getting stronger as the half progresses. It points a negative light to UNC Charlotte's conditioning getting weaker as the half progresses.
