I donāt think the magic is in the 4-2-5. The magic is finding a way to play aggressively and disruptively without leaving yourself open. For that to happen, each player has to know exactly what is expected of them on each play, and they have to trust each of the other players to do their job. It is only when they trust each surrounding player that they can attack with abandon.
Thatās the problem Ohio had in 2022. Not all players were clear on their responsibility, and made mistakes. When they made mistakes, the other players didnāt trust them, and tried to help cover them, and then the whole defense became passive, and they were not disruptive, and got picked apart. After the first 6 games, they started trusting each other and playing disruptively. Game by game, here are the points given up, and you can see the improvement.
OOC: 38 , 46, 43, 52 (includes one bowl team, went 2-2)
Conference bottom dwellers: 31, 34 (went 1-1)
Strong part of the conference: 14, 17, 24, 21, 18, 14 (includes 3 bowl teams, went 6-0)
Conference Champ Game: 17 (Lost without starting QB)
Bowl: 27 (won without starting QB)
Letās hope that this year, the coaches can get everyone to understand their responsibility on each play before the first game. Let us also hope they can get them all to understand the importance of being disruptive, and that they canāt be trying to cover for someone else.
Was OOC the earlier games and conference the 2nd half?
Yes, and I edited the above to clarify. There was only one really good OOC opponent, Penn State. The other OOC games were FAU (finished 5-7), Iowa State (finished 4-8), and Fordham (was good for an FCS team). The first two conference games were Kent State and Akron, normally the bottom dwellers in the MAC. Ohio gave up 31 and 34 in those two games, and lost one. Then they started playing the good conference teams, including 4 bowl bound teams. Ohio won all of those games until the Conference Championship against Toledo, which Ohio played with a backup QB. They held Toledo to 17 points, and would have won easily with the starting QB.
I think that the coaches learned from how long it took to get the team working together in 2022. Last year, thanks to the portal, Ohio again had a bunch of new starters, but the defense was not nearly as bad as at the start as 2022. Here is the data from 2024, which probably reflects more what to expect this year (bold indicates bowl bound teams):
OOC: 38 ,20, 6, 41 (include two bowl teams, went 2-2)
Conference games: 10, 25, 30, 16, 0, 10, 7, 21
Conference Champ Game: 3 (rematch with Miami, who scored 30 the first time)
Bowl: 27
The same pattern is seen here, with the defense improving over the course of the season. It just didnāt start nearly as badly. Thatās what Iām hoping for this year. Iād like to see the defense give up ~30 a game the first two games, then 25 a game the rest of the way. When you figure that that includes Georgia, the other games will need to be ~22.
Charlotte has the players to have a very good defense, but they all need to learn the new defense, and learn how each other play. They need to find what works, and what doesnāt, and continue to improve. It will not start the season as a finished product. It will be much better by the end of the year.
Thanks for the insight. AAC has transitioned a bit away from the high powered offenses where you didnt want to end up in a shoot out, SMU, Memphis etc..
Now it has evolved into Academies and Tulane running the ball & wearing teams out in the second half, but still high scoring.
We have been run over in the 2nd half of games the last two years. Hopefully we can see some depth on defense this year to avoid this, do you see that in this years squad?
Yes, i do. I like our depth thst we have, especially at the LOS
Charlotte will be aiming to wear other teams out, and aiming for long, ball possession drives. From memory, Ohio typically averaged between 32 and 34 minutes of possession a game.
Have you picked a game to attend? I think the band should spell out āCARLā at halftime!!!
Does anyone have a blue lot pass available for 9/13 game vs Monmouth? I was going to buy one in the pre-sale this morning but and it wasnāt available as an option. I am guessing that lot is sold out for the season.
Yes, I picked the Temple game. Iāll be arriving the evening of the 15th, and leaving Sunday. Thursday and Friday Iāll explore the city, play golf, or whateverā¦
I expect to see a win.
Uni-Watch posted about the new uniforms. just before the weekend: Charlotte 49ers Football Reveals New Uniforms for 2025 | Uni Watch
NinerNation! This should HAPPEN! Iām 85 and can hardly drive to the grocery store. But this guy is suddenly a Niner. I can contribute a reasonable amount financially, but I want to see him welcomed big-time under the tent!!! Letās see how we can do it! Do we need to ban Carl from the board while we plan?
clt says lets have carl enjoy a borito, golf at quail, then late lunch at hooters.
Thatās a GREAT start! How much is Quail?
Carl, you do know that if we lose our first 3/4 games this board is going to turn on you like a pack of Dingoes when if sniffs out a wounded one. Seen it before 
Yes, I expect it. It could happen, but what Iām focusing on is seeing improvement in each game. Thatās more important to me than wins. No need to treat me. Iām not rich, but i can pay my own way. If Iām going to play golf, though, Iād love to have some people to play with.
earlyniner, youāre doing well at 85, and hopefully you have many more years ahead.
You are welcome to crash our tailgate. We usually have the biggest tailgate on gameday and a really good crowd.
We are having to change our location this year due to stadium construction, so not sure how thatās going to impact our crowds, but please feel free join.
Still working out new location details. Iāll post when season is closer.