The team was led by third-year head coach Brad Lambert and played its home games on campus at Jerry Richardson Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Former Carolina Panther, Kevin Donnalley, who had been part of the conditioning staff and radio broadcast team, took over Offensive Line coaching duties.

The radio announcers were Matt Swierad with play-by-play, former Carolina Panther Damione Lewis with color commentary, and Bobby Rosinski with sideline reports.

The teams swapped the ball for the rest of the quarter until the 30-second mark, when Nick Arbuckle found Penny Hart for a 53-yard touchdown to get within 3 points of tying the game.

Game notes: The Blue Hose were looking to spoil the 49ers' home opener as an FBS level program, but Charlotte got their second victory of the year behind a superlative defensive effort.

On a 13-play drive that started in the third quarter and finished in the fourth, the Blue Hose got their first points of the day off a Brett Norton 21-yard field goal.

Instead, the 49ers got a heavy dose of FBS level reality as Middle Tennessee put together a six touchdown first quarter performance and never looked back.

Charlotte immediately put together a ten-play drive to get Blake Brewer into field goal range, but the 36-yard kick bounced off the left upright.

Charlotte's Matt Johnson threw an interception on the 49ers' next possession that resulted in Middle Tennessee's next series ending with the only successful field goal of the game.

After Charlotte's Lee McNeill threw an interception, the Blue Raiders capped a seven-play drive on a Desmond Anderson 1-yard touchdown run.

With the rain now coming down steady, the turnovers continued to mount for both teams as the 49ers' Lee McNeill tossed his second interception of the game on the second series of the half, only to have the Owls fumble for a third time three plays later.

Three drives later, Matt Johnson threw Charlotte's fourth interception pass of the game, which led to a 36-yard field goal attempt by Greg Joseph which sailed right.

Game notes: The 49ers hosted their first non-conference FBS opponents and second of three "Owls" mascot schools they'd play this season; former A10 conference foes Temple, now in the AAC.

The game started off slow as gusting wind and driving rain from Hurricane Joaquin and a Nor'easter disrupted both teams from connecting on their first two field goal attempts.

The Monarchs would respond on the next series when Zach Pascal would catch a 53-yard touchdown pass from David Washington; however, the Niners' Jalen Holt would block the point after attempt to preserve the early lead.

On the next series the Niners would get Blake Brewer in field goal range only to have his 48-yard attempt blocked by Rashaad Coward and recovered by the Monarchs' Marvin Branch.

Needing a field goal to tie the game, the Niners would get to ODU's 44-yard line, but the series would end on a four-and-out, allowing the Monarchs to preserve their come-from-behind Homecoming win by a score of 37 to 34.

Game notes: These renewed C-USA opponents met for the first time on the football field as the 49ers hosted the Golden Eagles for Homecoming.

The 49ers' next drive would end in a punt, but the Golden Eagles' Korey Robertson would fumble it away to the 49ers' Chris Montgomery deep in Southern Miss territory.

Despite being in the Golden Eagles' redzone the 49ers couldn't find the end zone and settled for a Blake Brewer field goal attempt that would miss from 42 yards out.

On their opening series of the fourth quarter, Marshall's prolific offense would reach the 49ers' redzone again, only to have to settle for a Nick Smith 39-yard field goal.

On their first possession of the second half the 49ers would strike quickly on a five play drive that finished on a Matt Johnson 36-yard touchdown pass to Austin Duke.

Charlotte would string together an eighteen play drive that would end on a Brooks Barden 5 yard quarterback-keeper touchdown, but it would not be enough as Florida International would win the game 48 to 38.

Game notes: This Senior Day conference match-up of recent start-up football programs featured the 49ers taking on their first BCS National Championship winning head coach in UTSA's Larry Coker.

On the first series of the second half, following a 68-yard breakaway run by the Roadrunner's Jarveon Williams to get into scoring position, Jalen Rhodes would punch it in to tie the game at 7 all.

Charlotte won the first possession of the over time period, but Matt Johnson's end zone pass attempt would be intercepted by the Roadrunner's Nate Gaines.

On the third play of Charlotte's next possession Barden would again be intercepted, this time to devastating effect as Mike Edwards would return it 20 yards for a defensive touchdown.

Game notes: The 49ers faced their third set of "Owls" to close out the regular season, when they paid their first visit to the Lone Star State to take on Rice.

On their next possession, the Owls would find the end zone on a trick play with rusher Luke Turner's surprise 4-yard pass to Cole Hunt for the touchdown.

Charlotte would get a quick strike touchdown pass of 56 yards from Matt Johnson to Trent Bostick to avoid the program's first-ever shutout, but Brewer's on sides attempt would be recovered by the Owls who would end the game with the ball.