Don’t call it a rivalry — yet. Charlotte football set for conference showdown at ECU

The inaugural matchup between the Charlotte 49ers and in-state conference foe East Carolina kicks off Saturday at Dowdey-Ficklen Stadium in Greenville at 2 p.m.

An annual bout with an in-state program is one of the many perks of Charlotte joining the American Athletic Conference. It’s games like Saturday that galvanize a fan base and locker room, and in a contest between two 1-5 programs, a win sets up the back half of the schedule and opens the door for bragging rights.

Don’t call it a rivalry, though, according to 49ers first-year head coach Biff Poggi. At least, not yet.

“Is it a rival? I know it’s an in-state school. I hope that it will become a rival, but they’re a really good program,” Poggi said Tuesday. “Mike Houston has done a great job there in his fifth year. I hope it turns into a rivalry, but I wouldn’t quite call it that.”

Charlotte has played nine games against in-state FCS and FBS programs since joining the FBS in 2015, and plenty more are on the way with athletic director Mike Hill pushing to bring back annual matchups with Appalachian State starting in 2026, a home-and-home series with North Carolina starting next season and a home-and-home series with N.C. State starting in 2029.

But Charlotte is yet to establish itself a true rival in the state. Despite close games and off-the-field antics with Appalachian State through three matchups, Charlotte has never beaten the Mountaineers.

Hill highlighted the meaning of in-state games for both program revenue and entertainment.

“If you’re playing games that feel more meaningful to your fans, then you’re probably going to sell more tickets. We sell more tickets; that’s the expectation. So, for example, we’re going to have East Carolina on our football schedule every other year at home,” Hill said on the Highway 49 Podcast. You can count on that being a tough ticket, a sellout. That just feels different for our fans.”

Mike Houston’s history with Charlotte

There is a little history here, though. Pirates head coach Mike Houston was nearly the 49ers’ second head coach following the firing of Brad Lambert at the conclusion of the 2018 season.

In November 2018, during James Madison’s FCS playoff run, Hill extended a contract offer to then-Dukes head coach Houston. Just two days later, as the news circulated that Houston would become Charlotte’s next head coach, Hill rescinded the offer and released a statement citing Houston’s interest in other programs, ultimately hiring Will Healy for the job.

“Normally, I would not comment on an ongoing search. However, in light of recent public comments, I feel it’s important to update our supporters on the status of our interest in Mike Houston. This morning, we withdrew a contract offer that had been negotiated in good faith with coach Houston and his representatives,” Hill said. “This was based on the fact that last evening, coach Houston informed us that he had interest in exploring other head coaching opportunities, while remaining under consideration here. We feel great about our candidate pool and believe this institution, our students, fans and team deserve a head coach that is 100% committed to the Charlotte 49ers.”

One of Houston’s opportunities was the East Carolina job, which he accepted five days later. After three years as the Pirates’ head coach, Houston was involved with talks for the Virginia Tech job, but chose to remain in Greenville, signing a five-year deal worth $2.3 million annually. Despite 15 total wins over the past two seasons, Houston is just 23-29 as the Pirates’ head coach and is off to a 1-5 start this season.

Even with both programs desperately needing a win, Houston downplayed the in-state matchup.

“I think they’re just the next opponent — that’s it,” he said. “For both of us, it’s the next game. So, it’s the biggest one we’ve got — the next one.”

Breaking the skid

Charlotte is in must-win territory to keep its bowl hopes alive, and that starts with protecting the football and continuing to play sound defense.

“A win would be really enormous for our organization, but I want us to focus on the process to get there,” Poggi said. “And right now, it hasn’t been easy. We have lost games we’ve felt we should have won. We have played in games that nobody thought we’d have a chance in — and played pretty well. The longer you go without success, the harder it is, but there are still a lot of positive things that come out of that week-to-week. We haven’t had the results that we’ve wanted, but do not be misled that there’s anything but a lot of fire in the belly here.”

After being shut out for the first time since 2017, Poggi is eyeing Charlotte’s turnover margin, which is currently tied for 111th in the nation at minus 4 on the season.

“Things we have to improve upon — too many sacks and too many turnovers. With three turnovers and four sacks, you can’t win games like that,” Poggi said. “When you’re minus three in turnovers, I don’t care who you’re playing; you can’t win.”

The inconsistency at quarterback has been dully noted since the season opener, and Poggi and offensive coordinator Mike Miller are still noncommittal on a starter. Expect to see Jalon Jones return to quarterback after seeing snaps at wide receiver against Navy.

“Offensively, it’s been disappointing. We’ve been focused on trying to put a complete game together, and we have not done it,” Miller said. “We’re not good at third down; it’s very evident looking at the stats. We’ve been going back and forth between quarterbacks, and I’ve got to do a better job as quarterbacks coach getting them ready.”

Third downs have derailed Charlotte through six games, ranking last in the FBS at a 23.5% conversion percentage.

“I’ve got to do a better job as the play-caller, putting our guys in a better position,” Miller continued. “It’s that we’re in too many third-and-longs. We cannot take negative plays on first and second down.”

“We like both of our quarterbacks. I wanted us to be much further along than we are now,” Poggi added.

Defensive coordinator Ryan Osborn’s group held Navy to just 14 points, the lowest against and FBS team since holding Marshall to 13 points in 2019 — when Charlotte achieved bowl eligibility for the first time.

Due to averaging just 15.3 points per game, the third-worst in college football, the 49ers’ best chances of victory come with timely turnovers, as well as special teams and defensive scores — which have kept them afloat in multiple games throughout the season.

“I told you for the next seven weeks our defense was going to play with their hair on fire,” Osborn said. “And I don’t say something I don’t mean or isn’t going to happen.”