Yahoo Sports Charlotte 49ers ‘banged up’ heading into football opener. How many starters are hurt?
The Charlotte 49ers are “pretty banged up” ahead of their season opener.
Second-year head coach Biff Poggi began his first weekly conference with unfortunate news for the 49ers faithful: He estimates the team will be without eight starters — potentially nine — following training camp, but did not name them.
It should take about three games for the Niners to be back at full strength, said Poggi, who hopes to have everyone back by the time Charlotte begins American Athletic Conference play at Rice on Sept. 28.
“I’m not great in math, but it’s getting close to 50 percent (of starters),” Poggi said. “I feel very bad for those kids, but I know the young people who get an opportunity to play will play hard. And I take responsibility for that as the head football coach.
“When you open with JMU — a program that’s 19-4 over the last couple of years — you get a little overzealous, and you have to balance between that callous that you want the players to have, and getting them healthy. And I get an F-minus on that.”
‘It’s a marathon, not a sprint’
Max Brown continues providing a new sense of leadership within the Charlotte football program.
There just wasn’t someone on last year’s offense who had the power within the group to call out players. But, returning corner Dontae Balfour said, Brown is never afraid to be looked at as the “bad guy.”
“He’s definitely brought a different vibe that we needed,” Balfour said. “Somebody to step in and say something when, at that time, he’d be considered the ‘bad guy.’ We needed that. We needed someone to lead this team and lead our offense, and I feel like we’ve got the perfect guy to do it.”
Despite the injuries, Poggi still loves this year’s group. He’s confident that they’ll be competitive, but any success starts with winning football games.
“The key is making progress from last year,” Poggi said. “It’s a marathon, not a sprint. Anything that’s built should be built to last, and that takes a lot of hard work and a lot of time and a lot of effort. And our kids and our young coaches are doing that.”
Poggi praises JMU ahead of opener
The line for Saturday’s game has already moved slightly in JMU’s favor, as the Dukes are now a seven-point favorite as of Tuesday afternoon on DraftKings Sportsbook.
Poggi had kind words about first-year head coach Bob Chesney’s program on Tuesday. Yet to announce its starting quarterback, James Madison boasts two strong options behind center in Dylan Morris and Greensboro-area native Alonza Barnett.
Morris, a former starter at the University of Washington during the 2021 season, was the signal caller when the Huskies traveled to Ann Arbor when Poggi was at Michigan. He threw for more than 2,400 yards that year and impressed Poggi as mature, skilled and a “serious guy who can really spin it.”
He’s alongside Barnett, who grew up in Whitsett and made a start last year at JMU. The former Grimsley High standout can run and use his legs well — but Poggi knows he has an ability to throw passes, as well.
“They’re one of the great programs in the country,” Poggi said. “They are really, really good, and they have a program. When Coach Chesney was hired, one of the things he said — and I agree with him — is I’m not here to rebuild or build. I’m here to take it to the next level. And he used the word ‘accelerate.’”
