CHARLOTTE — Charlotte’s season continued to spiral Friday night as North Texas erupted for 37 unanswered points in the second half to hand the 49ers a 54-20 defeat at Jerry Richardson Stadium.
The loss marked Charlotte’s fifth straight and dropped the 49ers to 1-7 overall and 0-5 in the American Athletic Conference. The Mean Green improved to 7-1 and 3-1 in league play behind one of the nation’s most explosive offenses.
For much of the first half, however, the game looked nothing like a blowout. The 49ers struck early and controlled the tempo for much of the opening 30 minutes, building a 17-7 lead midway through the second quarter before North Texas pulled even before halftime.
Charlotte even reclaimed the advantage briefly in the third quarter, but the Mean Green’s offense — ranked No. 1 nationally at 45 points per game entering the night — proved too potent to contain.
“I tip my hat to North Texas,” Charlotte coach Tim Albin said. “Their staff did a really good job tonight. They have a 7-1 football team and one of the better offenses I’ve seen in my career, to be honest with you. We knew it was going to be a huge challenge going into the game offensively. We just couldn’t put enough pressure on them to make it a game in the second half. Our kids, for three quarters, I thought we were right there.”
North Texas quarterback Drew Mestemaker shredded Charlotte’s defense for a season-high 608 passing yards, completing strikes to three receivers who each surpassed 100 yards. Wyatt Young finished with 190 yards and a 70-yard touchdown, while Cameron Dorner (117) and Landon Sides (114) each found plenty of open space against the 49ers’ secondary.
Mestemaker tossed four touchdowns and an interception as North Texas piled up 754 yards of total offense compared to Charlotte’s 399.
Despite the lopsided final, Charlotte’s offense showed flashes of life behind sophomore quarterback Grayson Loftis, who posted a season-high 295 yards and two touchdowns. His favorite target, wide receiver Javen Nicholas, turned in a breakout performance with seven catches for 187 yards (both career highs) and two long first-half touchdowns that helped give Charlotte early momentum.
After North Texas opened the scoring with a 41-yard touchdown from Mestemaker to Dorner less than three minutes into the game, Charlotte responded with a 24-yard Liam Boyd field goal to make it 7-3.
Loftis then connected with Nicholas on a 33-yard score late in the first quarter to put the 49ers ahead 10-7. Charlotte extended its lead early in the second quarter when Loftis hit Nicholas again, this time for 64 yards, to make it 17-7.
North Texas responded with a 29-yard field goal and a short touchdown pass to tie the game 17-17 before halftime. Charlotte’s defense produced a highlight late in the half when Yamil Talib intercepted Mestemaker at the five-yard line to prevent a go-ahead score.
The 49ers regained the lead in the third quarter with another Boyd field goal, going up 20-17. But from there, North Texas completely took control.
Kiefer Sibley’s one-yard touchdown run put the Mean Green ahead for good, and a field goal from Kali Nguma extended the lead to 27-20 by the end of the third.
The fourth quarter was all North Texas. Mestemaker found Caleb Hawkins for a seven-yard touchdown, then hit Young on a 70-yard bomb to push the lead to 41-20. Sibley’s 45-yard scoring run and a 32-yard touchdown rush by Ashton Gray in the final minute sealed the runaway win.
“We’re disappointed with the fourth quarter,” Albin said. “I’d like to have a couple calls back, but we said all week that this is our mindset going into it. Our kids were on schedule with our plan going into the game, but it just got out of hand.”
Jariel Cobb led Charlotte’s rushing attack with 59 yards on 13 carries.
Charlotte, which ranks 130th nationally in scoring offense at just over 17 points per game, will have a bye next week before traveling to East Carolina (4-3, 2-1 AAC) on Nov. 8 in search of its first win since Sept. 13.
