Every Ole Miss player who stood in front of a microphone after Sunday’s win against Louisville or at Tuesday’s media availability have offered a similar message.
The focus is on Charlotte. Not LSU. Not even a SportsCenter interview with Chambliss from the field at Nissan Stadium was able to get any talk about the Tigers.
That’s the way it should be, but looking at who Charlotte is makes that really hard for the average fan.
The 49ers are coming off a 1-11 season a year ago with an offense that averaged only 14.3 points per game and a defense that allowed 36.3 ppg. Their first game of this season should give the 49ers hope the offense will be better, but questions about the defense remain.
Offense
Charlotte opened the season with a 43-41 loss in triple overtime against The Citadel, but the offense showed enough to give Ole Miss a pause.
Quarterback Cole Gonzales was the fuel of the offense, accounting for 353 total yards and five touchdowns. He did have two interceptions, but both came in the first quarter, likely indicating some early-season jitters were a factor.
He only had six runs for 33 yards. So, he’s not Trinidad Chambliss of Lincoln Kienholz in the backfield. But he’s a threat Ole Miss can’t overlook, especially after last week.
HELICOPTER TD @ColeGonzales8 🚁
21-147:38 | 3rd Qrt pic.twitter.com/T8lEEwYcb9
— Charlotte Football (@CharlotteFTBL) September 5, 2026
If the coverage busts in the Rebels’ secondary continues this week, look for Gonzales to exploit it and he has options.
Jaylen Hampton led the 49ers in receiving against The Citadel, catching eight passes for 117 yards and two touchdowns. They also have Jaden Barnes (seven catches, 93 yards) and Derrick Eley (four catches, 62 yards, TD) that can be impactful.
Like Pete Golding said at his weekly conference, it doesn’t matter what team you’re facing. If a wide receiver is wide open downfield, there’s going to be a touchdown.
Charlotte obviously doesn’t have Louisville’s overall talent, but the Rebels just spent an entire week emphasizing busted coverages and communication. If that problem remains, Gonzales has shown he’s willing and able to throw vertically enough to expose it.
Defense
As we’ve said multiple times this week, one game isn’t enough to draw sweeping conclusions. It’s made even harder when the one game is against a team with an offensive scheme that isn’t common.
THE CITADEL ?! OMG pic.twitter.com/VdQwwzV2ue
— Brandon Walker College Football Show (@BFWshow) September 6, 2026
The Citadel implemented an option-oriented attack and attempted only nine passes. Even still, giving up 268 rushing yards with a 5.4 yards per carry and six rushing touchdowns is a major red flag. Give that up to an FCS team? Someone’s hand has to be near the panic button in Charlotte.
Another FCS victory over the FBS!
The Citadel takes down Charlotte in a triple OT thriller 😤 pic.twitter.com/rLvWp9pQuN
— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) September 6, 2026
“You start with tackling. (The Citadel’s Gavin Garcia) is a really good player, but we all know we’re going to see better as we get rolling, so we have to get that cleaned up,” Charlotte coach Tim Albin said this week. “Pursuit angles, over-pursuing, tracking the near hip, setting the edge on tackles — none of that was consistent enough.”
That’s probably the biggest matchup problem for Charlotte.
Louisville had trouble containing Deuce Alexander once he got into space. Charlotte is coming off a game in which its head coach is openly discussing poor late-game tackling.
That’s not a great combination.
Final Thoughts
Charlotte can probably hurt Ole Miss if the Rebels approach this like a glorified walkthrough.
Gonzales is experienced and the receiving corps have enough ability to punish another busted coverage. A quarterback who threw for 322 yards and accounted for five touchdowns deserves more respect than the point spread will suggest.
But the matchup becomes very difficult for Charlotte when Ole Miss has the ball.
The 49ers just struggled to tackle FCS skill players. Now they have to deal with Chambliss, Alexander, Kewan Lacy, Makhi Frazier, JT Lindsey, Caleb Odom and an SEC offensive line.
Even perfect tackling technique may not be enough to make this anything more than confidence-builder for Ole Miss.
