PHILADELPHIA, Pa. — Charlotte finally has a win. The 49ers knocked off Temple 38-31 in Philadelphia on Saturday afternoon, playing at Lincoln Financial Field, ending a losing streak that had reached 15 games and giving second-year coach Tim Albin his first victory over an FBS opponent.
Quarterback Connor Harrell had a hand in four Charlotte touchdowns. He threw two scoring passes, hitting Derrick Eley from 24 yards out during the third period and Gus McGee from 9 yards during the fourth, and he ran for two more himself. His 8-yard run put the 49ers up 21-14 in the middle of the third quarter, and his 10-yard dash with 8:40 to play put them ahead to stay. All told, Harrell connected on 23 of his 31 throws and piled up 281 yards through the air.
Aiden Bui then hit a 47-yard field goal for a 38-28 cushion, and the defense held from there. Khamani Alexander had opened the scoring with a 1-yard plunge on the first drive.
Henry Rutledge ran 17 times for 123 yards, and Eley caught six passes for 96 yards. Charlotte piled up 449 yards and 26 first downs and punted only once. Collin Gill and Kadin Schmitz shared the team lead with eight tackles each. Peter Clarke caught five balls for 127 yards and a score for Temple.
Before Saturday, the program had not won since beating Monmouth 42-35 on Sept. 13, 2025. Charlotte, which came in as roughly a three-touchdown underdog, moves to 1-6 overall and 1-2 in the American Athletic Conference, while Temple falls to 2-5. UNC Charlotte, the largest university in the Charlotte region, has a bye next weekend.
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