Tulane Green Wave Pressed for Time to Prepare for Charlotte 49ers Game
The Tulane Green Wave hit the road again for the second leg of a grueling five-day schedule as they head east to face the Charlotte 49ers on Thursday night.
Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. central on ESPN.
The national showcase comes on Halloween for both teams, but there's a lot on the line for the Green Wave (6-2, 4-0 in AAC) as they remain one of three teams in the American Athletic Conference that is undefeated in league action.
Right now, Tulane controls its own destiny because it will face one of those undefeated teams — Navy — in a few weeks. As long as the Green Wave keep winning, they can clear a path to their third straight American Athletic Conference championship game.
Charlotte (3-5, 2-2) is trying to get to a bowl game in their second season under coach Biff Poggi. If the 49ers can get there, it will be just their second bowl appearance in program history.
Just a couple of weeks ago Charlotte was undefeated in league play and dreaming about a potential upset bid for a berth in the title game. But after two straight losses, just getting to six wins and a bowl game would be a good step forward.
Here is a preview of the Green Wave and the 49ers.
Tulane at Charlotte
Jerry Richardson Stadium, Charlotte, N.C.
Time: 6:30 p.m. CT, Thursday
TV: ESPN
Radio: The Ticket 106.1 FM (flagship) and Heaven 106.7 (simulcast).
Coaches: Tulane — Jon Sumrall (6-2 at Tulane, 29-6 career as head coach); Charlotte — Biff Poggi (6-13 at Charlotte, career).
Fun fact: Poggi’s experience as a head coach is in the prep ranks — with Saint Francis Academy in Maryland from 2017-20. He moved to Michigan to be an associate head coach before he took over at Charlotte.
All-Times Series: First meeting.
Last meeting: First meeting.
Series notes: Charlotte resurrected its football program in 2013 and has been to one bowl game in that time. The 49ers joined the AAC in 2023.
Last Week: Tulane def. North Texas, 45-37; Charlotte lost to Memphis, 33-28.
Records: Tulane: 6-2 (4-0 in American); Charlotte: 3-5 (2-2).
About Tulane: The Green Wave pushed its winning streak to five games with the win over North Texas, and they did it the way they needed — with a heavy dose of running back Makhi Hughes, who had a huge first half and finished with 195 yards.
The defense will do a deep dive into giving up 449 passing yards to UNT quarterback Chandler Morris. But, the Mean Green play an Air Raid offense and were behind 21-3 after the first quarter. So North Texas really had no choice but to go to the air.
Tulane remained in a first-place tie with the win, as they share the top of the league standings with Army West Point and Navy. If the Green Wave keep winning, they’ll play in the conference title game. With a short week to prepare, the emphasis will likely be on the things Tulane does well.
About Charlotte: Poggi didn’t inherit an easy job. Charlotte has struggled to find consistent success since moving from FCS to FBS in 2015. The fact that the program has just one bowl game in its history is the proof.
Will Healy, who had success at Austin Peay, should have been the answer. But he went just 15-24 before he was let go toward the end of the 2022 season.
Poggi is well-known on the east coast but he had never led a college program at any level when he took the job. He was best known for his sleeveless T-shirts, which he’s moved away from. The stadium is named for Jerry Richardson, who was the original owner of the NFL’s Charlotte Panthers.
Next Up: Tulane hosts Tulane on Nov. 9. Charlotte hosts South Florida on Nov. 16.
