Charlotte Vs Eastern Michigan Takeaways
When the Charlotte 49ers (1-2) took the field on Saturday evening (6 ET) to face the Eastern Michigan Eagles (2-1), there were high hopes in the air. Sadly, those hopes never came to fruition as the Niners fell by a score of 37-19. This was a game that featured some bright spots and a few milestones were reached. However, as in any loss there is plenty of room for critique. Here are five takeaways, including a bit of all of the above, from Saturday evening’s matchup versus Eastern Michigan:
1. Kevin Olsen, Hasaan Klugh and the Situation at Quarterback
Kevin Olsen came into Saturday’s game with a stat line of 35/54 with 296 yards, four passing touchdowns and no interceptions. Though he had struggled at times, with accuracy particularly, he showed flashes, especially in his 3 TD performance against Elon. Against Eastern Michigan however, he had a rough go of it, tossing two interceptions and only completing half of his passes. With Olsen behind center, the offense scored only two field goals and really failed to sustain drives. Late in the 3rd quarter and down 34-6, after a three yard scramble, Olsen came up hurting and in stepped backup QB Hasaan Klugh. Klugh, who had seen some snaps in the prior games, proceeded to toss two touchdown passes in the fourth quarter and this leads some to speculate whether Olsen should be on the hot seat at the quarterback position. This is a valid question since the team seemed to get moving under Klugh, but Coach Brad Lambert seems to have full faith in Olsen. “Kevin’s our guy” said Lambert in a brief response when asked postgame about whether he was rethinking the quarterback situation. Though things could change down the line, it looks like the Niners will be riding with Kevin Olsen in coming weeks.
2. Another Ugly First Quarter
The first quarter hasn’t been a bright spot at all for the 49ers in the first three weeks of the 2016 season. Coming into Saturday’s matchup, the Niners had been outscored 35-0 in the period. Things didn’t change as they once again put up goose eggs against Eastern Michigan who held a 7-0 lead at the end of the quarter. The offense never seemed to get into any rhythm to start off, failing to move into Eagles territory and only gaining one first down. Overall, the Niners ran 12 plays in the period, but averaged less than three yards per, gaining 35. Defensively, the Niners’ Ed Rolle intercepted a pass on the first EMU drive and the defense forced a couple of three and outs. In between all of that however was an 87 yard Eastern Michigan drive that culminated in a five yard touchdown run by the Eagles’ Ian Erikson. The team as a whole just didn’t seem to make plays when they were needed early on. These sloppy first quarters cannot become a commonality for Charlotte as they can set the tone for the whole game as we saw on Saturday evening. This certainly has to be a concern moving forward.
3. Nick Cook is a Tackling Machine!
Coming into Saturday evening’s matchup, Inside Linebacker Nick Cook needed six tackles to reach a total of 100 in his career as a Charlotte 49er. If he reached 100 during the game, he would be the quickest to reach the milestone in Charlotte football history having played in only 14 games so far. It would only take a little over a quarter for Nick Cook to reach the milestone and he would finish with a total of 12 tackles for the game. This adds yet another impressive performance to Nick Cook’s credential. Though a great moment for Nick Cook as a player, he is more focused on what his team can accomplish. “Personally, I care more about getting the W,” said Cook following the rough loss. “Whatever my stats were, I know I made plenty of mistakes tonight too.” Cook seems to have a highly focused attitude when it comes to the ultimate goal of winning. Expect him to continue to do everything he can on the field to help make this 2016 season a success for the Charlotte 49ers.
4. Robert Washington Showing Skills
In the first two outings of the season, no one runner had shone in the Charlotte backfield. Rather than having one workhorse back, a few were splitting the carries. The man who was expected to be that back this season was 49ers all-time leading rusher, Kalif Phillips. Phillips though, would go down in last week’s game against Elon. In steps Freshman Robert Washington. The 5’10 220 lb back out of East Gaston High School in Huntersville, NC rushed for 120 yards on 20 carries. This is the second most rushing yards by a Charlotte true freshman behind Phillips performance of 132 yards against Coastal Carolina in 2013. Those are the kind of workhorse numbers we had been accustomed to seeing from Phillips in past years. This was Washington’s time as he had a night, breaking tackles and making the most of his runs while putting the Niners in good position multiple times. “It was amazing, but you know it is rough that I didn’t really focus on the college start,” said Washington post game. “I’m more sad that we lost.” Losing is the roughest part of sports, but Cook was a light in this offense tonight. He truly was a bright spot and as a freshman looks to play a large role in coming years.
5. There Was an Excellent Crowd at Jerry Richardson Stadium
Even in a loss, it has to be recognized that the fan base seemed in full throttle on Saturday evening. The Campus of UNC Charlotte seemed to have a buzz around it this gameday. 15,080 fans filed into the stands at Jerry Richardson Stadium and things got loud early on when the Niners defense was on the field. Defensive Back Ed Rolle really got things going with his early interception of Eastern Michigan QB Todd Porter. Even when things got sour for the 49ers, fans stuck around to watch their team and the crowd didn’t lose much luster. Though the outcome of the game itself didn’t end up being what many hoped it would be, this was a great showing by Niner Nation. For a program that is only in its fourth year, it is increasingly important that the fan base builds a culture that can be carried on for years to come. Though things haven’t always been peachy early on, let’s hope for continued enthusiasm among Niner Nation on gameday.