ELON, N.C. – A two-hour lightning delay did nothing to slow Elon’s offense Saturday night in the state’s lone FCS in-state showdown. The Phoenix scored on their first two possessions, exploded for 31 points in the second quarter and never looked back in a 55-7 rout of Davidson at Rhodes Stadium.
Quarterback Landen Clark accounted for four touchdowns in the first half, throwing three scoring passes and adding a short rushing score. His favorite target was Landyn Backey, who hauled in touchdowns of 22 and 44 yards as part of a 118-yard night. Isaiah Fuhrmann also caught a 20-yard TD late in the first half, pushing Elon’s lead to 41-0 at the break.
The Phoenix piled up 547 yards of total offense, including 289 on the ground. Jimmyll Williams rushed for 79 yards and a score, while Dan Frederick and T.J. Thomas Jr. each added rushing touchdowns. In all, five different players found the end zone on the ground for Elon.
Defensively, Elon smothered Davidson, holding the Wildcats to just 158 total yards and forcing five sacks. Linebacker Brodie Carroll led the charge with 2.5 tackles for loss, while Jake Louro added two stops behind the line of scrimmage.
Davidson avoided the shutout when quarterback Coulter Cleland hit Ivan Hoyt for a 25-yard touchdown early in the third quarter. The Wildcats were playing without All-American running back Mari Adams, who was on the sideline Saturday night but did not dress.
Elon kicker Luke Barnes stayed busy. He was a perfect 7-for-7 on PATs and added field goals of 27 and 38 yards, finishing with 13 points on the night.
Davidson tacklers stayed busy. Robert Lamar had 14 tackles for the Wildcats, including 10 solo stops. Tre Johnson added 12 tackles.
The Davidson-Elon football series goes back decades, though Elon has won the last three meetings dating back to 2009.
North Carolina FCS Scoreboard: Sept. 6
- Elon 55, Davidson 7
- Wake Forest 42, Western Carolina 10
- Georgia Tech 59, Gardner-Webb 12
- East Carolina 56, Campbell 3
- Old Dominion 54, North Carolina Central 6
- UCF 68, North Carolina 7
Saturday Storylines
- Aside from Elon, it was wipeout city for North Carolina’s FCS contingent. Of course, the other five in-state FCS teams were playing FBS opponents, including two from the ACC and one from the Big 12. Western Carolina, Gardner-Webb, Campbell, North Carolina Central and NC A&T were outscored by a combined 279-38. Yes, there is a wide gap between FBS and FCS football.
- Gardner-Webb put six points on the board at Georgia Tech early, but the Yellow Jackets swarmed from there. GWU finished with 326 yards of offense, led by backup quarterback Cole Pennington (14-of-21 passing, 164 yards, 1 TD) and receiver Anthony Lowe (8 catches, 88 yards, 1 TD).
- Western Carolina was slowed by both the Demon Deacons and the weather. Lightning delayed the contest multiple times. Wake Forest running back Demond Claiborne led the Deacs’ onslaught with 193 rushing yards and TD runs of 41, 33 and 27 yards.
- Kaleb Robison accounted for all of NCCU’s points, hitting a pair of field goals (27, 39 yards). Linebacker Max U’Ren finished with 10 tackles.
What’s Next?
Elon faces another in-state rival next Saturday, tangling with Western Carolina in Cullowhee. Campbell plays at home for the first time, hosting Furman at Barker Lane Stadium. NC Central (Fayetteville State) and NC A&T (Hampton) play familiar HBCU rivals. Davidson travels to Tennessee Tech, while Gardner-Webb hosts The Citadel.
FCS Live Scoreboard
| TOTAL | ||||||||
 | WCU | 0 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 10 | Final | |
 | Wake Forest | 21 | 0 | 21 | 0 | 42 | ACCNX | |
| TOTAL | ||||||||
 | Gardner-Webb | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 12 | Final | |
 | Ga Tech | 7 | 21 | 14 | 17 | 59 | ACCNX | |
| TOTAL | ||||||||
 | Campbell | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | Final | |
 | E Carolina | 14 | 21 | 14 | 7 | 56 | ESPN+ | |
| TOTAL | ||||||||
 | Davidson | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | Final | |
 | Elon | 10 | 31 | 7 | 7 | 55 | FloFootball | |
| TOTAL | ||||||||
 | NC Central | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 6 | Final | |
 | Old Dominion | 9 | 7 | 28 | 10 | 54 | ESPN+ | |
| TOTAL | ||||||||
 | NC A&T | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 | Final | |
 | UCF | 28 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 68 | ESPN+ |
👉 To see all Week 2 college football scores, check out our North Carolina College Football Scoreboard.
