Charlotte football plays at Indiana: 3 takeaways from the 49ers’ loss to the Hoosiers

Charlotte football just couldn’t keep up.

The 49ers battled early in their 52-14 loss to Indiana on Saturday afternoon in Bloomington. Their running backs were pounding the rock against the Hoosiers, whose defense ranks among the top half of teams in the Big Ten Conference.

Charlotte came as close as a three-point deficit late in the first half, but Indiana’s offense put on a masterclass. The Hoosiers managed to score points on each of their first seven drives, and it was becoming a rout by halftime.

“It was a real ballgame,” head coach Biff Poggi said postgame. “But the problem: Every time we got any momentum, our defense could not withstand the Indiana offensive barrage.”

Trexler Ivey made his first start of the season for Charlotte (1-3) and completed 14 of 23 passes for 119 yards.

Poggi said that Deshawn Purdie re-sprained the ankle he injured earlier in the year after spraining his knee following last week’s game against Gardner-Webb. Max Brown continues having rods and plates in his throwing hand as his thumb heals.

The Niners’ loss Saturday was their final non-conference game of the season; they’ll open their slate in the American Athletic Conference against Rice on the road at 7 p.m. Sept. 28.

Here are three takeaways from the Charlotte 49ers’ loss to Indiana:

Big plays kept Indiana on top

Charlotte was clicking Saturday, particularly in the first half, but its defense couldn’t keep Indiana (4-0) from pulling away.

Trailing 10-0 following the first quarter, the Niners already boasted 61 rushing yards, compared to 50 yards on the ground from the Hoosiers. Charlotte’s running backs were running the ball well — but Indiana was continually able to move downfield quickly.

The Hoosiers’ offense finished with 15 chunk plays for 318 yards (part of 57 chunk plays for 1,315 yards throughout the non-conference). Multiple 37-yard pass plays expedited early touchdown drives, and the 17-14 deficit in the second quarter was as close as the Niners would come.

“This has been a thorn in our side, really, for a year and a half,” Poggi said. “Big plays in the run game, big plays in the pass game. They had really good receivers and a really good quarterback, and they took advantage of them. If we don’t get it squared away, we’ll be having these conversations the rest of the year.

“Indiana plays really hard on defense, and they’re very confident. For us to be able to run the ball on them — even when they kind of knew we were gonna run — was really important.”

A strong day — but an injury — for Charlotte’s running backs

The 49ers ran the ball for 137 yards at Indiana.

Henry Rutledge, the Charlotte Christian graduate who’s had some long kick returns this season, took a handoff

for 33 yards during the second quarter. Charlotte inched closer to the goal line, and CJ Stokes’ longest rush of the season got it into the end zone.

Stokes, the Columbia, South Carolina, native who transferred from Michigan, scored his first touchdown as a Niner with a 13-yard rush that stood upon review to make it a 10-7 game before sustaining what could be a season-ending injury.

Poggi said postgame that Stokes, who finished with 25 yards on five carries, broke his shoulder on that touchdown play.

Hahsaun Wilson and Cartevious Norton got carries for Charlotte as well. Norton, with 58 yards, was the Niners’ leading rusher for the second straight week.

“It opens up the entire playbook,” said Ivey, who rushed the ball once himself and continually used his backs and receivers well. “I hand the ball off sometimes, I turn around, and there are five guys who can run straight, it’s crazy. And sometimes it didn’t work out, but when your run game is hitting, your pass game works.”

Trexler Ivey starts and completes most passes

Ivey had a strong start behind center for Charlotte, throwing for 119 passing yards.

The Niners’ receivers helped them work downfield on their second touchdown, including several receptions for double-digit yardage from Jairus Mack, and it was Isaiah Myers who snagged a 25-yard catch to make it a 17-14 game late in the first half.

Charlotte’s second touchdown of the afternoon also marked the second of the season for Myers, a new 6-foot-5 receiver who grew up in Ohio and played at community college in Kansas.

“Times out there we had a lot of fun; there are times we wish we can get back,” Ivey said. “Indiana’s a great team, and they played well. We didn’t play well enough.

“We were executing, we had momentum. Five plays into the drive, we were running the ball, we were moving the ball. Just small mistakes.”