CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Francisco Sather’s Panthers built their preseason win over the Browns around a clear offensive identity: put the ball on the ground, make the defense account for the run, and take the points when a drive stalled. The formula produced a 23-9 home victory Saturday, even as a pair of third-quarter fumbles briefly threatened to change the game’s rhythm.

Colin Pettit established the tone with a 20-yard touchdown run in the first quarter, giving Charlotte a 7-0 lead after Robert Martinelli’s extra point. Pettit finished with 117 rushing yards and a touchdown. The Panthers totaled 231 yards on 34 carries, a substantial contrast with Cleveland’s 64 yards on 20 attempts. That imbalance let Charlotte keep its offense anchored in the run game while limiting the Browns’ opportunities to dictate terms on the ground.

The Panthers added a 19-yard field goal with two minutes remaining in the second quarter to make it 10-0. Cleveland answered with a field goal early in the third, but Charlotte’s next possession ended with James Ospina fumbling and the Browns recovering. Cleveland converted the turnover into another field goal, trimming the margin to 10-3.

Charlotte answered with a 50-yard Shawn Lagarde field goal after Ospina’s next fumble was recovered by Ismael Daniels. The sequence was a useful snapshot of the Panthers’ afternoon: ball security remained an issue, but the defense and kicking game helped keep the cost contained. Lagarde made all three of his field-goal attempts, including a 48-yarder with 18 seconds left that set the final margin.

The decisive offensive adjustment came in the fourth. Facing third-and-11, Vernon Scott connected with tight end Raymond Ives for a 24-yard touchdown, stretching the lead to 20-3. Scott completed 17 of 29 passes for 148 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions. Ives contributed 60 receiving yards and the score. The conversion on a long-yardage down was the Panthers’ sharpest passing payoff, in a game where they went just 2-for-9 on third down overall.

Cleveland moved the ball through the air—William Martinez threw for 253 yards and added 20 rushing yards—but the Panthers’ front repeatedly disrupted the drive structure. Charlotte recorded five sacks, with Joseph Pippin collecting two. John Holley had a sack and forced a fumble, including a fourth-quarter play where he brought Martinez down and the quarterback lost the ball. Cleveland settled for three field goals and finished 0-for-2 on red-zone touchdowns.

Panthers owner warrior462 summed up the mix of power and execution: “Colin Pettit’s 20-yard touchdown run set the terms early, and Shawn Lagarde’s 50-yarder showed we could still finish with points when a drive stalled.”