The Citadel upsets Charlotte 43-41 in 2 overtimes
Team pages: The Citadel · Charlotte
The Citadel beat Charlotte 43-41 in 2 overtimes as a 20.5-point underdog, after its win chance fell to 5%. Share this game
Winners have been down to 5% or less in about 1 of every 25 games since 2018.
We had Charlotte favored. The Citadel won.
How it swung
The turning point: Gonzales 11-yd run (OT). The Citadel went from 17% to 40% to win.
Before kickoff, our ratings gave The Citadel a 39% chance, and the closing betting line (The Citadel was a 20.5-point underdog) put it at 5%.
The Citadel 43-41 Charlotte
Play-by-play ends earlyMove across the chart, or tap a numbered swing, to see any play.Charlotte 41-43 The CitadelPlay-by-play ends earlyMove across the chart, or tap a numbered swing, to see any play.The two plays that swung it
- 1Q4 12:11Billoups 2-yd TD run, The Citadel goes ahead 28-21The Citadel 30% → 45% (+15)
- 2OTGonzales 11-yd runThe Citadel 17% → 40% (+23)
The two plays that swung it
- 1Q4 12:11Billoups 2-yd TD run, The Citadel goes ahead 28-21Charlotte 70% → 55% (−15)
- 2OTGonzales 11-yd runCharlotte 83% → 60% (−23)
How to read this chart
Starts from the pregame line (Charlotte -20.5), at 6% for The Citadel (the play-by-play feed's kickoff number, moved to match the line; our model's and the betting line's own numbers are in “The betting line, and the fans”). Dots are the biggest swings; ticks under the chart are scores.Every drive
The Citadel scored on 6 of its 14 drives; Charlotte on 6 of its 14.
The Citadel’s drives are teal, Charlotte’s amber. A line runs from where a drive started to where it ended; a filled dot means it scored.
From Charlotte’s side
Charlotte’s best moment: Gonzales 11-yd pass to Hampton (OT). It lifted Charlotte’s win chance by 15 points.
The winner was given almost no chance at its low point.
Box score
The Citadel 43, Charlotte 41
The Citadel covered +20.5 by 22.5. The total, 84, went over 49.5.
| Team totals | The Citadel | Charlotte |
|---|---|---|
| Total yards | 400 | 538 |
| Passing | 9 of 13, 132 yds | 28 of 41, 322 yds |
| Rushing | 50 for 268 yds | 33 for 216 yds |
| First downs | 16 | 21 |
| Third down | 8 of 15 | 11 of 17 |
| Fourth down | 1 of 1 | 1 of 2 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 2 |
| Penalties | 2 for 10 yds | 6 for 35 yds |
| Time of possession | 29:45 | 30:15 |
The Citadel leaders
- Passing Nick Billoups 7 of 10, 91 yds
- Rushing Gavin Garcia 21 for 137 yds, 3 TD; Sebastien Boyle 7 for 70 yds, 1 TD
- Receiving Ismael Zamor 3 for 56 yds; Damir Abdullah 2 for 43 yds
Charlotte leaders
- Passing Cole Gonzales 28 of 41, 322 yds, 3 TD, 2 INT
- Rushing Khamani Alexander 14 for 138 yds, 1 TD; Chance Williams 11 for 42 yds
- Receiving Jaylen Hampton 8 for 117 yds, 2 TD; Jaden Barnes 7 for 93 yds
Kickoff came 1 hour 23 minutes late
77° at kickoff · no rain recorded
Thunder was reported at Concord airport (5.6 miles away) from 3:03 p.m. to 3:13 p.m., around the delay.
Warmer than 9 in 10 of the 57 other games played at Jerry Richardson Stadium since 2016 (airport temperature during the game window). The usual here around this date is 73°, with about 7 in 10 games between 64° and 82°.
September game-day temperatures at Jerry Richardson Stadium
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Where this weather comes from
Measured at Concord airport, 5.6 miles away, and Charlotte / Douglas airport, 14 miles away. The paler thunder bar is thunder reported in the vicinity of an airport. Rain is NOAA's radar-and-gauge estimate at the stadium and wind is an airport reading; neither is measured on the field. Game times come from the play-by-play, good to a minute or two. Source: National Weather Service, through the Iowa Environmental Mesonet; rain radar from NOAA MRMS, through Iowa State University. Field direction from OpenStreetMap contributors.Before kickoff
Recent games, the series and the betting line below are as they stood going in; the season profile is the season so far.
Recent games
Last three games · 2025 season
The Citadel · 4-8
Rated 203rd in our preseason ratings, 203rd now.
Three straight losses.
L 26-28 @ East Tennessee State #131 of 667
lost by 2 as an 11.5-point underdog
L 14-16 vs Wofford #158 of 667
lost by 2 as a 3.5-point underdog
L 0-49 @ Ole MissTop 25 #4 of 667
lost by 49 as a 52.5-point underdog
W 35-24 vs VMI #263 of 667
won by 11 as a 14-point favorite
L 14-24 @ Furman #206 of 667
lost by 10 as a 2.5-point underdog
L 38-45 vs Western Carolina #146 of 667
W 38-14 vs Valdosta State #311 of 667
W 28-10 @ Chattanooga #207 of 667
won by 18 as a 15.5-point underdog
L 0-38 vs Mercer #142 of 667
lost by 38 as a 2.5-point underdog
L 13-23 @ Gardner-Webb #173 of 667
lost by 10 as a 3.5-point underdog
W 40-13 @ Samford #192 of 667
won by 27 as a 2.5-point underdog
L 0-38 vs North Dakota State #147 of 667
Last three games · 2025 season
Charlotte · 1-11
Rated 166th in our preseason ratings.
L 0-27 @ TulaneTop 25 #51 of 667
lost by 27 as a 31.5-point underdog
L 3-35 @ GeorgiaTop 25 #4 of 667
lost by 32 as a 42.5-point underdog
L 7-28 vs UTSA #68 of 667
lost by 21 as a 17.5-point underdog
L 22-48 @ East Carolina #49 of 667
lost by 26 as a 29.5-point underdog
L 20-54 vs North TexasTop 25 #51 of 667
lost by 34 as a 25.5-point underdog
L 14-49 vs Temple #93 of 667
lost by 35 as a 9.5-point underdog
L 7-24 @ Army #105 of 667
lost by 17 as a 17.5-point underdog
L 26-54 @ South FloridaTop 25 #39 of 667
lost by 28 as a 28.5-point underdog
L 17-28 vs Rice #115 of 667
lost by 11 as a 1.5-point underdog
W 42-35 vs Monmouth #148 of 667
won by 7 as a 2.5-point favorite
L 3-20 vs North Carolina #58 of 667
lost by 17 as a 16.5-point underdog
L 11-34 vs App State #100 of 667
lost by 23 as an 8.5-point underdog
The series
The Citadel leads the series 1-0
1 meeting since 2014 · The Citadel won the last meeting
- 2014The Citadel 63-56
Line, fans and home field
The betting line, and the fans
Our model and the betting line don’t fully agree on Charlotte’s chances here.
Charlotte favored by 20.5 · Total 49.5
The market
The spread moved 5 points toward Charlotte.
The total rose 3 points.
Spread: −15.5 → −20.5 · Total: 46.5 → 49.5
The books’ cut: 3.8%, the margin built into the odds
Weather at kickoff
Warm and dry. Feels like 82° at kickoff.
The Citadel at Charlotte · Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026 · Jerry Richardson Stadium, Charlotte
- 82°feels like at kickoff
- Dryno rain at kickoff
- 55weather score, Rough
- Middleof the day's 7 kickoff times
At kickoff, Sept. 5, 2026.
Weather score: 0 to 100, higher is better, for the first 3 hours and 20 minutes of the game. Ideal is 100, Comfortable 90 to 99, Mixed 75 to 89, Rough 50 to 74, Harsh under 50.
Later kickoff times scored higher that Saturday
Games in this time zone used 7 kickoff times that day, local time (kickoffs within 30 minutes of each other count as one). This game, ringed, was in the middle of the day's seven kickoff times. At Jerry Richardson Stadium that day, a 7:45 pm kickoff would have scored 99, against 55 at 3:30 pm.
- noon: 36, Harsh
- 12:45 pm: 42, Harsh
- 2 pm: 50, Rough
- 3:30 pm: 55, Rough (this game)
- 6 pm: 85, Mixed
- 7 pm: 91, Comfortable
- 7:45 pm: 99, Comfortable
Weather score at each kickoff time.
Tap a dot to read that kickoff time.
At kickoff, Sept. 5, 2026. Wind is not drawn here; gusts are in each score.
Home field
Charlotte has had no measurable home edge since 2018 — +0.9 points (±4.0), home against road — 6th percentile of FBS.
36% at home, 24% on the road against FBS opponents (14-25 home, 12-37 away).
Our model gives every stadium the same flat 2.3-point home edge (why); the books use about 3. Against the closing line this stadium reads -8.1 at home vs. away over 96 games — outside the ±6.1 noise, one of the few buildings where results say more.
The visitors travel about 180 miles to get here.