Tennessee football vs. Charlotte: 10 keys for Vols and 49ers

8. Charlotte’s expectations facing a Power Five team

Much is rightfully being made about Tennessee football’s focus for this game and whether or not they can keep their discipline this time. However, the Charlotte 49ers have their own things to work out before they head to Neyland Stadium Saturday in hopes of pulling off a huge upset.

Charlotte has not won a road game all year. In fact, they haven’t won a road game since beating the Southern Miss Golden Eagles back in 2016. And they haven’t faced a Power Five team since losing 55-7 to the Kansas State Wildcats in the second game of the 2017 season.

The Vols were still a Top 25 team under Butch Jones at the time. So there is plenty of reason to question whether or not Brad Lambert’s team is capable of doing anything against a team of Tennessee’s status on the road, even if they are struggling significantly this year.

Many players on the 49ers are likely not prepared at all for what to expect, and they’ve had a tough enough time with other teams on the road. Facing a Power Five team could overwhelm them to the point of getting blown out early.

At the same time, to be fair, maybe these guys are made of different stuff. And perhaps the large stadium and imposing presence of the Vols program will only motivate and excite them to play at an even higher level. That would be a heck of a twist for this homecoming game.