The Charlotte 49ers’ tough season took another hit on Sept. 18 during their Thursday night football matchup against the Rice Owls. The Owls traveled to Charlotte for an AAC mid-week matchup. With the third quarter winding down to a close, Rice was steadily leading by 21-9 by the start of the fourth quarter.
However, the Owls did so so while the 49ers were dealing with a key injury. Charlotte’s QB1, Conner Harrell, had to be helped off the field towards the beginning of the second quarter.
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With 9:42 left to play in the first half, Harrell seemed to be injured on the sideline. He has since been officially ruled out for the game with a left knee injury, per what was said on the broadcast.
Charlotte QB Conner Harrell seems to be injured on the sideline after this play.
He’s put up an 84.1 PFSN QB Impact Score this season, ranking 30th out of 151 qualifying players.pic.twitter.com/LHuq91unJ9
— PFSN College (@PFSNcollege) September 19, 2025
According to PFSN data, the junior signal caller put up an 84.1 PFSN QB Impact Score this season, ranking 30th out of 151 qualifying players. Per the broadcast, He has since been officially ruled out for the game due to a left knee injury.
Charlotte QB Conner Harrell had to be helped off the field after suffering an apparent leg injury. pic.twitter.com/bH4C2eYj3a
— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) September 19, 2025
Harrell came to Charlotte after two seasons of work at North Carolina. He’s coming off a 2024 season that saw him complete 21 of 37 attempted passes and post three touchdowns (combined from passing and rushing).
Backup Garyson Loftis has taken his place and threw for 54 yards off of six completions prior to the start of the fourth quarter.
Standing at 6’3″ and weighing 215 pounds, Loftis is listed as a redshirt sophomore for Charlotte after coming to the 49ers following two seasons under his belt at Duke, where he appeared in 10 games.
Before the completion of play against Rice, Loftis had thrown for eight touchdowns and 1,116 yards across 99 completions. His career-high came in 2023 with 91 passes, 1.006 yards, and all eight touchdowns.
The South Carolina native has also rushed for 29 yards and one touchdown on the ground. Charlotte is currently 1-2 on the season so far; the 49ers lost their first two games of the year back-to-back, one of which was a 20-3 loss against Harrell’s former team, the Tar Heels.
Ultimately, Charlotte couldn’t get it together following Harrell’s injury, losing to the Owls with a final score of 28-17. Loftis finished the game with one touchdown and 15 completions.
Rice’s freshman quarterback of Drew Devillier also saw action and threw for one 11-yard pass. Charlotte now has some time off before traveling on Oct. 3 to Raymond James Stadium to take on South Florida.
