William & Mary vs. Charlotte Odds
| William & Mary Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+4 -110 | 53 -110o / -110u | +148 |
| Charlotte Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-4 -110 | 53 -110o / -110u | -195 |
Charlotte heads home to matchup with William & Mary after a Week 0 to forget.
The 49ers were dismantled by Florida Atlantic, 43-13, which was reminiscent of last year’s 38-9 loss.
Quarterback Chris Reynolds left the game in the second quarter with a left arm injury. That will spell trouble for Charlotte’s offense after he was ruled out for this matchup earlier in the week.
William & Mary looks to upset Charlotte while it smells blood in the water. Expectations are high for the Tribe, who started last season hot out of the gate before cooling down late. With plenty of production returning, the program could see significant improvement this year.
Charlotte hopes to bounce back after laying an egg last week, but I anticipate the 49ers will have another disappointing game against their FCS opponent.
William & Mary Tribe
William & Mary opened last season with a 6-2 record — including an upset victory over Villanova — before dropping its final three games.
The Tribe returns a boatload of talent and hopes to leapfrog to the top of the Colonial Athletic Association. They start that journey with a trip to Charlotte, which was just demoralized by Florida Atlantic.
William & Mary’s offense owns a rush rate of 67% while averaging over 200 rushing yards a contest. Four separate backs return to the program after exceeding 400 rushing yards and 5.0 yards per carry each.
Quarterback Darius Wilson was named the conference Rookie of the Year as a freshman. He enters his sophomore season averaging 6.8 yards per pass attempt and completing 60% of his passes. Wilson is a true dual threat under center and will present challenges for Charlotte.
The run-heavy Tribe offense should find success against a Charlotte defense that ranked outside the top 100 in Success Rate and explosiveness on rushing downs.
William & Mary’s defense was strong against the run, allowing just 3.3 yards per carry last season. Charlotte’s run game was non-existent in Week 0, averaging a measly 2.7 yards per carry.
Charlotte 49ers
There is no sugarcoating Charlotte’s Week 0 performance — it was bad. The 49ers were dominated on both sides of the ball, getting out-gained by over 200 yards of total offense.
They also had 10 penalties and finished 2-for-11 on third-down conversions.
The only bright spot was the connection of Reynolds to wide receiver Grant DuBose. The two linked up four times for 89 yards and two touchdowns. Reynolds missed the second quarter with an arm injury, and we got a taste of backup quarterback James Foster, who will be starting in this game.
Foster is a former four-star recruit that transferred in from Texas A&M, but he didn’t look like it in his appearance against Florida Atlantic. He finished 2-for-9 for 21 yards, averaging just 2.3 yards per attempt. Foster also tossed a pick-six with just 17 seconds left before the half.
The 49ers offense continued to try and establish the run, but mustered up just 62 yards on 23 attempts.
Charlotte’s defense is exactly what we thought it is — swiss cheese. Last season, the defense allowed 34 points and 465 yards per game. After losing its top four tacklers during the offseason, we saw in Week 0 there is no reason to expect any improvements.
Last year, the 49ers were the worst in the nation against the pass, allowing over 10 yards per pass attempt. They were 117th in the FBS against the run, allowing 5.5 yards per carry.
That is a major cause for concern against the strong rushing attack of William & Mary.
William & Mary vs. Charlotte Betting Pick
Week 0 was a week to forget for Charlotte after opening its season with a 43-10 loss to Florida Atlantic. The 49ers looked horrific on both sides of the ball and were out-gained by over 200 yards of total offense.
That number could have been even higher, but Florida Atlantic called off the dogs in the fourth quarter.
William & Mary will be able to expose Charlotte’s inability to stop the run. The Tribe ran the ball on over 67% of their snaps last season and Wilson will make plays with his legs.
Charlotte’s defense ranks outside the top 100 in Success Rate, Explosiveness and Points Per Attempt on rushing plays.
As proven last week, Charlotte’s offense is reliant on the arm of Reynolds. When he was out of the game, the offense completely stalled. With backup Foster running the show on Saturday, the offense won’t find much success.
William & Mary is a live underdog here, and although I’m taking the points, I will also be dabbling on the moneyline, as well.
