2026 49er Football Week 1 - Game #1 vs The Citadel - 9/5 3:30PM ESPN+

Was thinking the same thing. I am concerned.

Albin said we had some ā€œnicksā€ on the line with Hunter I thought. Could be keeping people out with the thought of letting the rest one more week prior to more substantial competition.

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Well, there are a lot of surprises on that chart, particularly on the oline and the defensive backs. As others have mentioned, Pierre-Nau, Green, and Omarion Davis are not listed, with RG now manned by Silvia and/or Bullerdick, both of whom are versatile players who can fill in most of the inside positions. Perhaps Green and Pierre-Nau have injuries? I hope not, and if they do, I hope they are mild. I also note that Nolan-Cook has moved ahead of Nielsen to be the backup RT.

On defense, on the line, I don’t see Tifase, White, or Aliu-Otokiti listed, but I expect to see them all on the field at times. I do see Jamil Davis as the 2d string DT, and he’s a late JUCO addition from Tyler CC. In High School he was a sneaky fast DE, but he’s added 60 lbs since then. Hopefully he will be a sneaky fast DT. :wink:

At LB, I see that Wall has moved up to a backup spot, displacing Startz. Wall looks like a very good player to me, so I expected to see him on the field, at least somewhere.

As far as defensive backs, things are very shuffled around, particularly at Nickle, where both players are a surprise. A late JUCO transfer, JP Patterson from Navarro College has become the starter at Nickle, backed up by true Freshman Usher, allowing GIll to move to safety. Two of the six JUCO DBs are on the two deep, and two of the six true Freshmen are on the two deep.

I’m concerned about the RG situation, but everything else makes me look forward to the first game.

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Albin is an O line guy known for developing players, we’ll need to see that in action

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It’s definitely concerning as we know there is very little depth on this team. Mac is right, Albin mentioned to Hunter we had some guys with some ā€œnicks.ā€

Hopefully, it’s mild stuff and they’ll be ready by App game.

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Maybe I’m getting old / soft, but the real feel forecast for the game is going to be around 104/105 degrees depending on which forecast you’re looking at.

And then there is always more heat in the stadium with all the bodies and the turf in that direct sunlight.

Seems irresponsible to subject the players and fans to that.

The schools are supposed to have discretion about moving game times. Our game is just being carried on ESPN+, no OTA broadcast. Seems like the responsible thing to do would be to delay the game to Saturday night or play it Sunday when the weather is supposed to be notably cooler.

Do I have a valid point or am I being a big pansy?

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Your point is valid. I remember the first season we had 3 straight weeks of brutal heat. There were multiple people in first aid tents being treated for heat issues.

I won’t attend early season games during the day. I’m not subjecting myself to misery to watch sports. Being miserable defeats the entire purpose of something that you do for entertainment.

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Is lighting the issue due to the construction? That’s the only reason I can think of. It’s never made any sense to play this game at 3:30 in early September.

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That’s a really good question that someone asked before and I don’t think ever got answered. I meant to ask someone in the AD but forgot.

However if lights are the issue, can we not just play it Sunday? There is no NFL game that day and it’s supposed to be like 12-15 degrees cooler during the day.

It’s a valid point. Heck I’m considering passing on it to be honest. Hate to be a sissy but damn that’s hot and it is The Citadel vrs Charlotte. Not like I’m giving up tix to the Natty…

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Looking forward to the season and Saturday. I am hoping for the best with the weather and upper deck providing shade/air flow. The old man in me wishes football started in October. September can be tough. Then again some October games have been too. I will just settle for a Niner win.

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Something that stands out to me about our depth chart is we have 9 out of 11 players on offense as seniors/5th year guys, and 7 out of of 11 on defense.

This is a very old team, hopefully that shows.

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clt says the lights will be on Saturday,

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What I would like to see in this game is for Charlotte to stake a good lead in the first half, so that by the midpoint of the 3rd quarter, they can have the backup offensive line in. Charlotte doesn’t have depth on the offensive line, so getting the backups some quality playing time is important, and getting the starters out, and keeping them healthy, is also important.

It kind of sucks that the FCS game is against a triple option team, because Charlotte won’t be able to use it’s normal defenses, and will have to practice and play some special triple option defensive schemes. My personal favorite strategy against the triple option is to drill the QB early, and avoid late pitches. I wonder if they won’t play 3 LB and only 4 DBs this week, at least some of the time?

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I wonder if the tv cameras will have access to the upper levels. The shot of the field has always been a bit odd with not having any ā€œupper decksā€ with a higher camera perspective.

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I feel like they’d have to be. Weren’t the cameras on top of the press box before? That isn’t an option now. Only other option would be on a scissor lift on the student side. I don’t even really know if that is an option.

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Please no main cameras on the student side. That view is terrible with the sun shining from the opposite side. The glare off the field would be unbearable to watch on tv.

Really want to see / expect to see cameras mounted on the expansion deck. Probably the only people they will let up there during games.

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Ughhh based on this picture, I may be wrong. Looks like they may be setting up cameras on the student side.

https://x.com/CostanzaXLIX/status/2095252418527121869?s=20

Trying to find the silver lining - at least it might show the expansion during the broadcast.