TLDR: Charlotte is 0-4 and just scored 7 points at home. Memphis comes to Jerry Richardson Stadium on Saturday, October 3 for both teams' American Conference opener, and the 49ers need something to change fast.
Memphis (3-1), in Charles Huff's first season, opens American Conference play at Charlotte. The 49ers are 0-4, including an opening loss to FCS The Citadel, and have scored 7 points in their latest home game. The game comes down to whether Charlotte's stalled offense can control the ball enough to slow down a Memphis team that has scored 42+ in both home wins but lost badly in its only road test at Boise State.
+Scored 41 in the opener, so the offense has shown something
−0-4, including a loss to FCS The Citadel
−Offense scored 9, 21 and 7 in the last 3
Memphis has a first-year head coach in Charles Huff, and the Tigers have mostly looked like the team the job expects them to be. They beat Arkansas State 42-24 and UT Martin 45-21 at home and sit at 3-1 overall. The loss was the one real test: a 38-20 beating at Boise State. Put another way, Memphis has piled up points against the teams it should beat and got handled by the first good team it played on the road. The question for Saturday is which of those Tigers get off the plane in Charlotte.
Charlotte's September was about as bad as it gets. Tim Albin's second season opened with a 43-41 triple-overtime loss to FCS The Citadel. Ole Miss followed with a 41-9 blowout, then came a 26-21 loss at Appalachian State and a 34-7 home loss to Louisiana. Cole Gonzales is starting at quarterback, and the offense has gone from 41 points in the opener to 9, 21 and 7. DraftKings has Memphis favored by more than 3 touchdowns, which tells you how much faith anyone has in the home side.
Neither team plays again before this one, so what you see now is what shows up on Saturday. Both are 0-0 in the American, and for Charlotte the conference schedule is a fresh start that doesn't feel like one. North Texas and Temple come next, both on the road, so this home game against Memphis looks like the 49ers' best shot at stopping things before the season is gone.
The matchup that matters is simple: Charlotte's offense against a Memphis team that has scored 42 or more in both of its home wins. A 49ers offense that managed a single touchdown against Louisiana can't trade scores with anyone. It has to stay on the field and keep the Memphis offense on the sideline. If Charlotte can't string drives together, this is over by halftime.
The weather shouldn't matter much: mid-70s, cloudy, about a 29% chance of rain and light wind. That leaves it to the football. For Memphis, this is the start of a conference run under a new coach, and the Boise State loss showed how thin the gap can be. For Charlotte, the goal is smaller: look like an FBS team for 4 quarters at home. They haven't done that yet this season.
