2017 Charlotte 49ers football team

{{{year}}} [[{{{team}}} football]]

2017 Conference USA football standings

	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
East Division
Florida Atlantic x$		8	–	0					11	–	3
FIU		5	–	3					8	–	5
Marshall		4	–	4					8	–	5
Western Kentucky		4	–	4					6	–	7
Middle Tennessee		4	–	4					7	–	6
Old Dominion		3	–	5					5	–	7
Charlotte		1	–	7					1	–	11
West Division
North Texas x		7	–	1					9	–	5
UAB		6	–	2					8	–	5
Southern Miss		6	–	2					8	–	5
Louisiana Tech		4	–	4					7	–	6
UTSA		3	–	5					6	–	5
Rice		1	–	7					1	–	11
UTEP		0	–	8					0	–	12
Championship: Florida Atlantic 41, North Texas 17
$ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions Rankings from AP Poll

The 2017 Charlotte 49ers football team represented the University of North Carolina at Charlotte (also called Charlotte or UNC Charlotte) in the 2017 NCAA Division I FBS football season, the school's fifth season of NCAA football, their third season of NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) play, and their third season as a member of Conference USA's East Division. The team was led by fifth-year head coach Brad Lambert and played its home games on campus at Jerry Richardson Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina. The 49ers finished the season 1–11, 1–7 in C-USA play to finish in last place in the East Division.

Previous season

The 49ers finished the 2016 season 4–8, 3–5 in C-USA play to finish in fifth place in the East Division.

Coaching staff

Tight Ends and Assistant Head Coach Dean Hood left the program in February to take over coaching Special Teams and Outside Linebackers for the Kentucky Wildcats. Recruiting Coordinator and Wide Receivers Coach Joe Tereshinski also resigned in February to pursue a non-football related career. Recruiting Coordinator responsibilities were transferred to Outside Linebackers Coach Ulrich Edmonds. Former Oklahoma State Offensive Line Coach Greg Adkins joined the staff in the same position in February. Previous Offensive Line Coach Johnson Richardson moved back to his former position as Tight Ends Coach. Catawba College Defensive Coordinator and Assistant Head Coach Keith Henry joined the staff as Running Backs Coach. Previous Running Backs Coach Damien Gray moved to take over Wide Receivers. Defensive Line Coach Aaron Curry left the program in June to pursue a non-football related career. Charlie Skalaski, former Assistant Head Coach at Eastern Kentucky, was promoted to Special Teams Coordinator after having served on the Analytics Staff the previous season. Head Coach Brad Lambert will now directly coach the Defensive linemen.

Name	Position	Seasons at Charlotte	Alma Mater
Brad Lambert	Head coach/Defensive line	5	Kansas State (1987)
Jeff Mullen	Offensive coordinator/Quarterbacks	5	Wittenberg (1990)
Matt Wallerstedt	Defensive coordinator/Inside linebackers	3	Kansas State (1988)
James Adams	Secondary	5	Wake Forest (2006)
Greg Adkins	Offensive line	1	Marshall (1990)
Charlie Skalaski	Special teams	1	Florida (1978)
Ulrick Edmonds	Recruiting coordinator/Outside linebackers	2	James Madison (2001)
Damien Gary	Wide receivers	5	Georgia (2005)
Keith Henry	Running backs	1	Catawba College (1989)
Johnson Richardson	Tight ends	5	Wofford (2010)
Julian Alonso	Graduate assistant	2
Mark Hogan	Graduate assistant	3	Georgia St. (2012)
Louis Kraft V	Graduate assistant	2
Brad Queen	Graduate assistant	2
Reference:

Recruiting

Position key

H-Back	H-Back		Center	C		Cornerback	CB		Defensive back	DB
Defensive end	DE		Defensive lineman	DL		Defensive tackle	DT		End	E
Fullback	FB		Guard	G		Halfback	HB		Kicker	K
Kickoff returner	KR		Offensive tackle	OT		Offensive lineman	OL		Linebacker	LB
Long snapper	LS		Punter	P		Punt returner	PR		Quarterback	QB
Running back	RB		Safety	S		Tight end	TE		Wide receiver	WR

Recruiting class

The following recruits and transfers have signed letters of intent or verbally committed to the Charlotte 49ers football program for the 2017 recruiting year.

US college sports recruiting information for 2017 recruits
Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	40‡	Commit date
Michael Adams DT	Summerville, GA	Chattooga	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	300 lb (140 kg)	-	Nov 6, 2016
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:
Jalen Allen OL	Hutchinson, KS	Hutchinson CC	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	290 lb (130 kg)	-	Jan 31, 2017
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals: N/A   247Sports:
Cameron Bent Athlete	Bluffton, SC	Bluffton	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	170 lb (77 kg)	-	Nov 14, 2016
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:
Sean Bernard LB	El Dorado, KS	Butler CC	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	235 lb (107 kg)	-	Dec 14, 2016
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:
Cameron Dollar WR	Denver, NC	East Lincoln	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	-	Jun 21, 2016
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:
Kameron Duncan RB	Ocala, FL	West Port	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	-	Nov 27, 2016
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:
Ryan Eachus TE	Costa Mesa, CA	Orange County CC	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	250 lb (110 kg)	-	Dec 13, 2016
	Recruiting star ratings: Rivals:   247Sports:
Jason Eason OL	San Francisco, CA	City College of San Francisco	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	285 lb (129 kg)	-	Nov 19, 2016
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:
D'Mitri Emmanuel OL	Waxhaw, NC	Marvin Ridge	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	290 lb (130 kg)	-	Sep 13, 2016
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:
David Foust OL	Valley Glen, CA	Los Angeles Valley CC	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	270 lb (120 kg)	-	Dec 13, 2016
	Recruiting star ratings: Rivals:   247Sports:
Jonathan Francois LB	Hialeah Gardens, FL	Mater Academy	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	225 lb (102 kg)	-	Jun 12, 2016
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:
Marquavis Gibbs DB	Coffeyville, KS	Coffeyville CC	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	-	Jul 27, 2016
	Recruiting star ratings: Rivals:   247Sports:
DeAnthony O'Neill DE	Tallahassee, FL	Leon	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	225 lb (102 kg)	-	Apr 23, 2016
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:
Chris Phillips OL	Senatobia, MS	Northwest Mississippi CC	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	350 lb (160 kg)	-	Jan 29, 2017
	Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: N/A   247Sports:
Mic Roof QB	Buford, GA	Bufford	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	-	Jan 23, 2017
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:
Henry Segura DB	Tallahassee, FL	Leon	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	-	Apr 23, 2016
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:
Antonie Shaw TE	Rockingham, NC	Rockingham County	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	220 lb (100 kg)	-	Jan 31, 2017
	Recruiting star ratings: Rivals:   247Sports:
Mark Shekletski OL	Ijamsville, MD	Urbana	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	295 lb (134 kg)	-	Aug 16, 2016
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:
Sherard Sutton LB	Kannapolis, nC	A.L. Brown	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	225 lb (102 kg)	-	Jan 28, 2017
	Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: N/A   247Sports:
Victor Tucker WR	Miami Gardens, FL	Carol City	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	170 lb (77 kg)	-	Jun 21, 2016
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:
Jacob Webb OL	Canton, GA	Creekview	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	225 lb (102 kg)	-	Jan 31, 2017
	Recruiting star ratings: Rivals:   247Sports:
Chrishawn Wilson DE	Florence, SC	West Florence	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	240 lb (110 kg)	-	Jan 21, 2017
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 111   Rivals: 97  247Sports: 113  ESPN: N/A
‡ Refers to 40 yard dash Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height, weight and 40 time. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "Charlotte Football Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved February 2, 2017. "2017 Charlotte Football Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved February 2, 2017. "ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved February 2, 2017. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved February 2, 2017. "2017 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved February 2, 2017.

Schedule and results

September 16:30 p.m.at Eastern Michigan*

• Rynearson Stadium
• Ypsilanti, MI

ESPN3L 7–2412,823 September 912:00 p.m.at No. 19 Kansas State*

• Bill Snyder Family Stadium
• Manhattan, KS

FSNL 7–5550,087 September 166:00 p.m.No. 25 (FCS) North Carolina A&T*

• Jerry Richardson Stadium
• Charlotte, NC

7CL 31–3518,651 September 236:00 p.m.Georgia State*

• Jerry Richardson Stadium
• Charlotte, NC

7CL 0–2811,029 September 307:00 p.m.at FIU

• Riccardo Silva Stadium
• Miami, FL

beINL 29–3015,348 October 76:00 p.m.Marshall

• Jerry Richardson Stadium
• Charlotte, NC

7CL 3–1410,584 October 144:30 p.m.at WKU

• Houchens-Smith Stadium
• Bowling Green, KY

FloSportsL 14–4516,754 October 216:30 p.m.UAB

• Jerry Richardson Stadium
• Charlotte, NC

beINW 25–24 ^OT11,889 November 43:30 p.m.at Old Dominion

• Foreman Field
• Norfolk, VA

ESPN3L 0–620,118 November 112:00 p.m.Middle Tennessee

• Jerry Richardson Stadium
• Charlotte, NC

ESPN3L 21–3510,937 November 183:00 p.m.at Southern Miss

• M.M. Roberts Stadium
• Hattiesburg, MS

L 21–6620,189 November 252:00 p.m.Florida Atlantic

• Jerry Richardson Stadium
• Charlotte, NC

STADIUML 12–318,330

Schedule Source:

Game summaries

at Eastern Michigan Eagles

See also: 2017 Eastern Michigan Eagles football team

Charlotte at Eastern Michigan

1 2 3 4 Total 49ers 7 0 0 0 7 • Eagles 14 3 7 0 24 Date: September 1 Location: Rynearson Stadium Ypsilanti, MI Game start: 6:30 pm EDT Sources:

Scoring summary 1 2 3 4

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
0–1	2016	L 19–37

The 49ers will be looking to avenge a home loss from the previous season as they visit the State of Michigan for the first time.

Game notes:

• First game in the State of Michigan in program history.

at Kansas State Wildcats

See also: 2017 Kansas State Wildcats football team

Charlotte at Kansas State

1 2 3 4 Total 49ers 7 0 0 0 7 • Wildcats 21 17 10 7 55 Date: September 9 Location: Bill Snyder Family Stadium Manhattan, KS Game start: 11:00 am CDT Sources:

Scoring summary 1 2 3 4

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
First meeting

Brad Lambert will bring his 49ers into the State of Kansas for the first time to take on his Alma Mater.

Game notes:

• First game in the State of Kansas in program history.
• First Big 12 opponent in program history.
• Lambert played four seasons as a defensive back for the Kansas State Wildcats, earning all Big 8 honors his senior season.

North Carolina A&T Aggies

See also: 2017 North Carolina A&T Aggies football team

N.C. A&T at Charlotte

1 2 3 4 Total • Aggies 14 7 7 7 35 49ers 7 3 7 14 31 Date: September 16 Location: Jerry Richardson Stadium Charlotte, NC Game start: 6:00 pm EDT Sources:

Scoring summary 1 2 3 4

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
First meeting

The 49ers will open the home slate with a game against in-state opponent N.C. A&T.

Game notes:

Georgia State Panthers

See also: 2017 Georgia State Panthers football team

Georgia State at Charlotte

1 2 3 4 Total • Panthers 0 14 0 14 28 49ers 0 0 0 0 0 Date: September 23 Location: Jerry Richardson Stadium Charlotte, NC Game start: 6:06 pm EDT Elapsed time: 2:50 Game attendance: 11,029 Game weather: Fair Referee: Steve Lamentia Sources:

Scoring summary 1 2 3 4

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
1–0	2015	W 23–20

In 2015, the 49ers played their first ever FBS game against the Panthers in the Georgia Dome, holding off a late Panthers' rally to mark the first FBS win in program history. The Panthers will be looking for revenge when they visit Jerry Richardson Stadium for the first time.

Game notes:

at FIU Panthers

See also: 2017 FIU Panthers football team

Charlotte at FIU

1 2 3 4 Total 49ers 12 14 3 0 29 • Panthers 7 7 7 9 30 Date: September 30 Location: Riccardo Silva Stadium Miami, FL Game start: 7:00 pm EDT Sources:

Scoring summary 1 2 3 4

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
0–2	2016	L 26–27

The Panthers ruined the 49ers' chance for their first ever Homecoming win when a late score gave them a one point victory. The 49ers will be looking for payback.

Game notes:

Marshall Thundering Herd

See also: 2017 Marshall Thundering Herd football team

Marshall at Charlotte

1 2 3 4 Total • Thundering Herd 7 0 7 0 14 49ers 0 0 3 0 3 Date: October 7 Location: Jerry Richardson Stadium Charlotte, NC Game start: 6:00 pm EDT Sources:

Scoring summary 1 2 3 4

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
1–1	2016	W 27–24

The 49ers stunned the Thundering Herd in 2016 by winning their first game ever played inside Joan C. Edwards Stadium.

Game notes:

at WKU Hilltoppers

See also: 2017 WKU Hilltoppers football team

Charlotte at WKU

1 2 3 4 Total 49ers 7 7 0 0 14 • Hilltoppers 14 24 0 7 45 Date: October 14 Location: Houchens-Smith Stadium Bowling Green, KY Game start: 3:30 pm CDT Sources:

Scoring summary 1 2 3 4

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
First meeting

Despite being in the same conference and same division for the two previous years, these two teams have yet to play each other. Charlotte will visit Bowling Green, Kentucky for the first time to face the two time defending Conference USA Football Champions.

Game notes:

UAB Blazers

See also: 2017 UAB Blazers football team

UAB at Charlotte

1 2 3 4 OT Total Blazers 0 14 3 0 7 24 • 49ers 0 0 7 10 8 25 Date: October 7 Location: Jerry Richardson Stadium Charlotte, NC Game start: 6:30 pm EDT Sources:

Scoring summary 1 2 3 4

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
First meeting

After the drama that resulted in a two year hiatus from playing football, UAB is back on the gridiron and facing the 49ers for the first time.

Game notes:

at Old Dominion Monarchs

See also: 2017 Old Dominion Monarchs football team

Charlotte at Old Dominion

1 2 3 4 Total 49ers 0 0 0 0 0 • Monarchs 3 0 3 0 6 Date: November 4 Location: Foreman Field Norfolk, VA Game start: 3:30 pm EDT Sources:

Scoring summary 1 2 3 4

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
0–2	2016	L 17–52

The Monarchs rolled over the 49ers in Charlotte the previous season. Charlotte will be looking to return the favor at Foreman Field.

Game notes:

Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders

See also: 2017 Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders football team

Middle Tennessee at Charlotte

1 2 3 4 Total Blue Raiders 0 0 0 0 0 49ers 0 0 0 0 0 Date: November 11 Location: Jerry Richardson Stadium Charlotte, NC Game start: 2:00 pm EST Sources:

Scoring summary 1 2 3 4

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
0–2	2016	L 31–38

In 2016 Middle Tennessee pulled off a close win at Jerry Richardson Stadium. They have to return this year to face a 49er team looking to notch their first win against the Blue Raiders.

Game notes:

at Southern Miss Golden Eagles

See also: 2017 Southern Miss Golden Eagles football team

Charlotte at Southern Miss

1 2 3 4 Total 49ers 0 0 0 0 0 Golden Eagles 0 0 0 0 0 Date: November 18 Location: M.M. Roberts Stadium Hattiesburg, MS Game start: 2:00 pm CST Sources:

Scoring summary 1 2 3 4

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
1–1	2016	W 38–27

The 49ers pulled off a shocking drubbing of the Golden Eagles on the road the previous season. Charlotte has to return to Hattiesburg for the second year in a row.

Game notes:

• In 2016 Charlotte became the first team in Conference USA history to beat both Marshall and Southern Miss on the road in the same season.

Florida Atlantic Owls

See also: 2017 Florida Atlantic Owls football team

Florida Atlantic at Charlotte

1 2 3 4 Total Owls 0 0 0 0 0 49ers 0 0 0 0 0 Date: October 7 Location: Jerry Richardson Stadium Charlotte, NC Game start: 2:00 pm EST Sources:

Scoring summary 1 2 3 4

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
1–1	2016	W 28–23

Charlotte garnered their first ever C-USA win after a dramatic last second endzone catch was waved off for the Owls in Boca Raton. The Owls will be looking for revenge as they face the 49ers in the regular season final.

Game notes:

• First time Charlotte will host a final weekend regular season game in FBS.