Charlotte football won its conference opener in dramatic fashion.
The 49ers rallied late to post a 21-20 victory to kick off American Athletic Conference play against Rice University on Saturday night in Houston after being shut out for the entirety of the first half.
Quarterback Deshawn Purdie, the 18-year-old true freshman from Baltimore, entered behind center for Charlotte to start the second half. He led a couple of quick scoring drives on touchdown receptions by receiver O’Mega Blake, and another long gain to the South Carolina transfer set up a Hahsaun Wilson touchdown rush that gave the 49ers the lead for good during the game’s final minutes.
Rice had one last shot at scoring on its final possession — and ended Saturday evening’s contest with a missed 40-yard field goal attempt.
Charlotte (2-3, 1-0 American) returns home next week to host East Carolina in its second AAC game, scheduled for 3:30 p.m. Saturday inside Jerry Richardson Stadium.
Here are three takeaways from the Charlotte 49ers’ game at Rice:
Purdie entered in the second half and excelled
Purdie completed five of his first seven passes, including a pair of quick third-quarter touchdowns, and put Charlotte back on top.
Trexler Ivey had started at quarterback for the second straight game. Ivey, the redshirt junior who played at Wakefield High School in Raleigh, completed 8 of 21 passes for 51 yards before being replaced by Purdie at the start of the second half.
Purdie led a five-play touchdown drive on the Niners’ first possession of the third quarter, capped by a 32-yard strike to Blake, before that duo connected again shortly thereafter.
He connected with Blake again on a 66-yard bomb with under two minutes to go in regulation, which led to the Niners’ final touchdown.
Charlotte’s run game struggled early
A week after the Niners rushed for a season-best 137 yards at Indiana, they had just 12 yards on the ground during the first half on Saturday.
Charlotte, which pounded the rock and kept last week’s game close in its early goings, moved the chains just five times throughout the first half. Norton and Wilson had just eight yards apiece.
Wilson, a Florence, S.C., native, took a handoff from Purdie across the goal line during the final minute of regulation that lifted Charlotte to a 21-20 lead.
Norton ended up being Charlotte’s leading rusher for the third straight week, finishing with 56 yards on the ground on 10 attempts.
Terron Kellman, who boasted the team’s second-most rushing yards last season, returned after sustaining an injury earlier in the year. He finished with 28 yards in his first game since Week 2 at North Carolina.
O’Mega Blake had a breakout performance
The Rock Hill, S.C., native and South Pointe graduate had his first multi-touchdown game as a Niner.
Blake, the redshirt junior who transferred from South Carolina, finished with XX yards and a pair of touchdowns.
After catching Charlotte’s first touchdown, Blake hauled in a touchdown grab on a 45-yard pass from Purdie during the third quarter. That scoring play lifted Charlotte to a 14-10 advantage after it had been shut out throughout the first half.
His biggest play came with inside of two minutes to go in regulation. Blake snagged a 66-yard reception, bobbling the ball and securing the catch through traffic.