Charlotte offense sputters against Navy. Midshipmen top 49ers 14-0, spoil homecoming

In a game that featured more punts than points, the Navy Midshipmen spoiled Charlotte’s sold-out homecoming with a 14-0 victory, holding Charlotte scoreless for the first time since 2017.

Charlotte’s offense played one of its worst games since becoming a part of the FBS in 2015, moving the ball for just 265 yards and entering the red zone just once.

The standing-room-only crowd of 15,659 was lifeless for much of the contest, voicing their displeasure early and often as the 49ers dropped their fifth-consecutive game, falling to 1-5 on the season and 0-2 in the American Athletic Conference. Saturday’s game tied for the fourth-lowest scoring game in AAC history.

Head coach Biff Poggi elaborated on the offensive struggles after the game, stating that he “doesn’t know” if the 49ers will change play-callers.

“This is getting all too repetitive. The elephant in the room is the offense,” Poggi said. “We were 3-of-16 on third downs. I kind of feel like, every time it’s fourth down, I need to go for it. It’s the same story. Our offense is really hurting us.

“Right now, I’m searching for answers. And I really don’t have them as we sit here. I’m the guy that put this thing together, and we’re 1-5. There is only one person to point at, and that’s me,” Poggi continued. “This is a game that we could have won. This is a seminal moment in our season. You will know in the next six weeks whether I have what it takes to fix it or not.”

Navy scored the game’s first points early in the third quarter, with third-string quarterback Braxton Woodson finding Eli Heidenreich on a 69-yard deep pass to give the Midshipmen the lead for good. Woodson’s touchdown pass was the game’s longest play and also broke a streak of 12 consecutive punts from a scoreless first half. Navy extended its lead early in the fourth quarter with fullback Alex Tecza, who is fifth in the nation with 7.64 yards per carry, adding to his total with a 62-yard scamper to put Charlotte away.

The 49ers’ defense kept them in the game throughout, and when you hold a team to just 14 points, you expect to win the game. Charlotte held Navy to just 265 yards, recorded nine tackles for loss and four sacks, and kept the Midshipmen out of the red zone the entire game. But it was the big plays that cost the 49ers.

“In our locker room, there’s no blame game. Coach takes all the smoke, but we still lost. They still put 14 points on the board. We gave up a 70-yard pass and a 60-yard run. It’s about accountability,” linebacker Nikhai Hill-Green said. “I can’t really speak to the offensive side, but it’s about exhausting all of your efforts. I don’t know if we exhausted all of our efforts today. I don’t know. I know Navy did.”

No quarterback

The real story of Saturday evening’s loss was inadequate quarterback play from the 49ers. As the late John Madden said, “If you have two quarterbacks — you actually have none.” And Charlotte has none.

Poggi elected to start redshirt sophomore walk-on Trexler Ivey for his first collegiate start, although he’s appeared in all but one game this season. This week’s wrinkle saw the season-opening starter Jalon Jones switch from quarterback to wide receiver, despite not making an impact on the game — outside of lining up in the neutral zone on a crucial fourth-and-1 early in the game.

“When we decided we were going with Trexler at quarterback, I thought we can’t sit down Jones,” Poggi said. “He’s the biggest offensive threat we have, so where can we play him? Offensively, we don’t have an eraser, but (Jalon) is as close to one as we have. I think we have to reexamine how we use him.”

Ivey struggled throughout, turning the ball over three times with two interceptions and one fumble, and completed just 40% of his passes for 142 yards. Poggi stuck with Ivey, electing not to revert to Jones or bring in Oklahoma transfer Micah Bowens — who practiced with the second string throughout the week. It was the first time this season that Poggi elected to stick with a quarterback despite clear struggles through all four quarters.

“Trexler took all the reps this week. He took about 98%. It’s one of the reasons why we didn’t feel good about going with Jalon, either. He just didn’t get the rep work you needed to have. We can’t keep doing the same thing,” Poggi said. “People have figured out how to play us. They’re blitzing us a lot. A lot of movement in the fronts and pressuring a lot. We just can’t get open. Our receivers just aren’t open. The underneath routes, there’s just no separation. Part of that is timing. Part of that is play-call, and part of that is athletic ability.”

Charlotte was without its leading receiver, Jack Hestera, as well as four-star freshman running back Durell Robinson in the loss. Robinson is dealing with an ankle injury and is “probably” out for the season, according to Poggi. There’s still no sign of Jaden Bradley, a Pittsburgh transfer who was the presumable No. 1 target entering the season. True freshman Duane Thomas Jr. was the team’s leading receiver with three catches for 54 yards, including a 51-yard deep ball from Ivey late in the game.

Moving forward

With six games left on the schedule and its inaugural matchup against East Carolina (1-5, 0-2 AAC) up next, Charlotte has to turn the page — and fast, as hopes for a bowl appearance in Poggi’s first year are circling the drain.

“There’s always more that we can do. It’s easy to pout, but in the grand scheme of things, there’s always something more to better yourself. And when you get better, everyone gets better,” Hill-Green said. “I think we just need to care. Care about improving ourselves first and then winning as a team collectively.”

Notes

▪ Charlotte ran 68 plays to Navy’s 55 and won the time of possession by nearly two minutes.

▪ Linebacker Demetrius Knight was Charlotte’s leading tackler with seven.

▪ There were a combined 20 punts in the game for a total of 905 yards.