College Preview: 49ers at Ole Miss … ‘fear none, respect all’
In an ideal world, the Charlotte 49ers would head to No. 9-ranked Ole Miss this weekend fresh off a lopsided opening victory over an FCS opponent and carrying at least a bit of confidence.
This isn’t an ideal world, of course, and the 49ers are headed to Mississippi trying to recover from a 43-41 overtime loss last Saturday to The Citadel.
“We fear none and respect all,” 49ers’ head coach Tim Albin said earlier this week of the team’s trip to Oxford.
The Charlotte-Ole Miss game – which originally was scheduled to be played in Charlotte – is among several big contests Saturday for the area’s college football teams.
Appalachian State visits East Carolina in a budding in-state rivalry, and other games include Johnson C. Smith at longtime rival Winston-Salem State, and Lenoir-Rhyne visiting nationally-ranked Newberry.
49ers’ officials reached a deal last December to move the Ole Miss game to Oxford, as part of a shuffle that affected several other contests. Charlotte will visit Ole Miss again next season, opening the campaign on Sept. 4.
Oddsmakers aren’t expecting much from the 49ers on Saturday night. Ole Miss is a 45.5-point favorite in a 7:45 p.m. game that will be televised nationally on ESPN2.
“It’s a huge challenge,” Albin said. “Their quarterback is the best one I’ve faced in my 38 years of coaching. He creates plays, extends plays. He’s the best in the country.”
Albin is talking about Trinidad Chambliss, who passed for 336 yards and ran for another 60 yards in his team’s 41-38 victory last Sunday over Louisville. Chambliss is among the short list of Heisman candidates this season.
Chambliss is proficient at creating big plays, and The Citadel’s success with big-yardage plays last week was a problem for the 49ers.
“It starts with the tackling,” Albin said. “We’ve got to get that cleaned up this week.”
The game will give Charlotte fans a chance to see a local product in action.
Ole Miss kicker Lucas Carneiro is a Community School of Davidson alum and won SEC Player of the Week honors for his game-winning field goal against Louisville. Carneiro had several key kicks in his team’s drive to the FBS playoff semifinals a year ago.
A couple other tidbits about this game:
** Charlotte is playing a ranked team for the third time in its last four games. The 49ers finished the 2025 season with losses to No. 4 Georgia and No. 24 Tulane.
** This is the home opener for Ole Miss. The Rebels have won 13 of their last 14 home openers.
** Ole Miss has an .809 winning percentage against nonconference opponents, dating back to 1994.
Here’s a quick look at this weekend’s college football for area teams:
Appalachian State
Opponent: East Carolina
Info: Noon, Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium, Greenville. ESPNU.
About East Carolina (0-1): The Pirates opened their season at No. 13 Alabama with a 48-10 loss. QB Mitch Griffis, in his first game with the Pirates, was under heavy pressure all day but managed to throw for 138 yards. Third-down conversion was a big problem, as ECU converted 0-of-9.
About Appalachian State (1-0): The Mountaineers looked sharp in their 55-3 rout of visiting FCS member Maine. In his first start with the Mountaineers, QB Malachi Singleton threw for 291 yards. The competition will be tougher this week, though.
Note: This is the last of a four-game series between the two schools. App State has won the first three. The Mountaineers lead the overall series 22-12.
Catawba
Opponent: Mars Hill
Info: 1 p.m., Meares Stadium, Mars Hill.
About Mars Hill (1-0): The Lions opened last week with a 17-0 shutout of Winston-Salem State. Redshirt freshman LB Jamarion Farrior led the defense, with eight tackles and a sack. And the Lions outgained the Rams 366-83 in total yardage.
About Catawba (1-1): The Indians showed plenty of offense but couldn’t stop North Greenville in a 40-38 loss last Saturday. QB Mason Fortune has been a bright spot, completing 50-of-73 passes for 585 yards and three touchdowns. This is the South Atlantic Conference opener for both teams.
Davidson
Opponent: Dickinson College
Info: noon, Davidson College Stadium, Davidson. ESPN+
About Dickinson (1-0): The Red Devils opened last weekend with a 27-14 victory over No. 25-ranked Randolph-Macon in a battle of Division 3 schools. RB Dane Sorensen rushed for 148 yards and two touchdowns.
About Davidson (0-2): The Wildcats were 38-0 victims of Elon last Saturday. QB Casey Bullock threw for 172 yards, but Elon’s defense limited him to a 40 percent completion ratio.
Note: Dickinson College is in Carlisle, Pa., the town where Jim Thorpe played football for Carlisle College. Dickinson and Davidson met once previously, with Dickinson winning 38-16 in 1990.
Gardner-Webb
Opponent: Liberty
Info: Noon, Williams Stadium, Lynchburg, Va. ESPN+ (The game was moved from 6 p.m. to noon, due to possible stormy weather Saturday evening.)
About Liberty (0-1): The Flames opened their season with a gritty 20-13 loss last Saturday to James Madison. Wake Forest transfer Deshawn Purdie is the Liberty QB, and he completed 17-of-27 for 230 yards last week.
About Gardner-Webb (0-2): The Runnin’ Bulldogs played well in a 17-13 loss at Wofford. Gardner-Webb drove deep into Wofford territory late in the game but turned the ball over. The Bulldog defense played well, with A.J. Mebane and Nigel Lucas forcing turnovers.
Notes: Liberty has lost five straight games, dating back to last season. All were by seven points or less. Also, Saturday’s game will be the 26th between Gardner-Webb and Liberty. Gardner-Webb is the most frequently played team for Liberty.
Johnson C. Smith
Opponent: Winston-Salem State
Info: 11 a.m., Bowman Gray Stadium, Winston-Salem.
About Winston-Salem State (0-1): The Rams’ offense was virtually non-existent in last week’s 17-0 loss to Mars Hill. Winston-Salem had only 86 yards’ total offense.
About Johnson C. Smith (1-1): The Golden Bulls cruised to a 27-7 victory over Albany State, in last Sunday’s Black College Hall of Fame contest in Canton, Ohio. Fabian Duncan ran for three touchdowns, and the bulls’ defense held Albany State without a point until the fourth quarter.
Note: This is the CIAA opener for each team. Johnson C. Smith has won three in a row against the Rams, including 52-27 last season. But Winston-Salem won 12 straight times before that.
Lenoir-Rhyne
Opponent: No. 11 Newberry
Info: 7 p.m., Setzler Field, Newberry, S.C.
About Newberry (1-0): The Indians opened with a 38-3 rout of Division 3 Reinhardt College. QB Mason Kidd threw for two touchdowns. The Indians also scored on a fake field goal, in which kicker Jake Spadavecchia caught the pass.
About Lenoir-Rhyne (1-1): The Bears were hurt by turnovers last Saturday in a 34-23 loss to West Alabama. In this, their South Atlantic Conference opener, the Bears will need a strong game from QB Wells Bettenhausen, who has thrown for 419 yards but has been picked off three times.
Note: Lenoir-Rhyne leads the all-time series 27-25, but Newberry won 20-17 last September.
Wingate
Opponent: Carson-Newman
Info: 1 p.m., Burke-Tarr Stadium, Johnson City, Tenn.
About Carson-Newman (2-0): The Eagles have beaten Tiffin (OH) 41-38 and Thomas (GA) 44-0. The Eagles have won 12 straight home games. They are averaging 302 rushing yards per game.
About Wingate (1-1): The Bulldogs are coming off a lopsided victory last Saturday at Delta State (MS). RB Ethan Wallace has been a bright spot, rushing for 166 yards in two games. Wingate will want to get its passing attack revved up, as the Bulldogs are averaging only 115 yards in the air per game.
Note: These South Atlantic Conference foes are deadlocked 6-6 in their last dozen meetings. In their 2025 game, played at Wingate, Carson-Newman won 21-14.
