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This Saturday, the Charlotte 49ers are hoping to patch up the holes in a defense that has allowed an average of 44.57 points per matchup. Charlotte and the FIU Panthers will face off in a Conference USA battle at 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday at Jerry Richardson Stadium. Given that both teams suffered a loss in their last game, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this contest.
The 49ers might have drawn first blood against the UAB Blazers last week, but it was UAB who got the last laugh. Charlotte took a 34-20 hit to the loss column. Charlotte's defeat came about despite a quality game from RB Shadrick Byrd, who punched in two rushing touchdowns.
Meanwhile, the game between FIU and the UTSA Roadrunners last Friday was not a total blowout, but with FIU falling 30-10 at home, it was darn close to turning into one. The Panthers were down 24-3 at the end of the third quarter, which was just too much to recover from. QB Grayson James had a memorable game, but not in the way you want to be remembered: besides failing to produce a single touchdown, he threw one interception with only 4.83 yards per passing attempt.
The 49ers are the favorite in this one, with an expected 14.5-point margin of victory. Those who got lucky with them against the spread last week might want to hold off on placing bets this time since the team has yet to string together back-to-back wins against the spread.
Charlotte beat FIU 45-33 when the two teams previously met in October of last year. Will Charlotte repeat their success, or does FIU have a better game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
