Elon football falls short in upset bid against No. 18 Villanova

For two and a half quarters, it looked like Elon football might play the role of giant killer once again.

The Phoenix led No. 18 Villanova 14-3 and seemed primed to compete for its fourth consecutive home victory over a ranked conference foe.

Then Luke Colella happened. The Villanova’s graduate wide receiver caught two touchdown passes from quarterback Pat McQuaide in a span of three minutes, the Wildcats flipped momentum and hung on for a 29-21 triumph on homecoming at Rhodes Stadium. Villanova outscored the Phoenix 26-7 after intermission.

Elon grabbed a 21-20 lead briefly with 5:25 left in the game. But Ja’briel Mace returned the ensuing kickoff 97 yards for a touchdown. 

The Phoenix got the ball back with just over a minute to play after Villanova added a 32-yard field goal.

Quarterback Landen Clark drove Elon from its 25 to the Villanova 16 with an array of scrambles and throws to Jimmyll Williams and Kenaz McMillian. But Clark’s final pass was picked off in the end zone as time expired.

The loss dropped Elon to 4-3 overall and 2-1 in the CAA. Villanova improved to 4-2, 3-1 – an important swing game in the race for top spots in the conference and possible playoff berths. Rhode Island (3-0) and Monmouth (2-0) still have undefeated CAA records, while Elon joins a throng of six teams with one loss.

Elon’s upset bid looked promising early. The Phoenix scored four plays into the game when TJ Thomas Jr. found the end zone on an eight-yard run. A 62-yard Clark-to-Isaiah Fuhrmann pass play set up the early touchdown.

Villanova kicked a field goal but Elon grinded out a 13-play, 75-yard touchdown march in the second quarter to take a 14-3 advantage. Clark paid that drive off with a four-yard TD rush through the middle. Dylan Magazu kept the series alive with a 23-yard catch-and-run on third and long, spinning off defenders and rumbling into the red zone.

But Elon’s offense struggled to sustain drives much of the rest of the game. Villanova, meanwhile, picked up steam, with McQuaide completing TD strikes to Colella on plays of 20 and 42 yards. Colella got behind the defense on both scores. Jack Barnum had three field goals on the day for Villanova.

Clark finished 14-of-21 yards passing for 220 yards. He was picked off once and sacked three times. Thomas had 49 rushing yards on the day to go with his two short-yardage TDs.

DJ James-Hamilton stayed busy on the other side of the ball, leading Elon with 13 tackles – including 10 solo stops. Ishmel Atkins added 10 tackles, with nine solos. Jeff Yurk averaged 48.6 yards on five punts, including a 60-yarder.

Elon will play on the road the next two weeks, visiting William & Mary (3-3, 2-1 CAA) on Saturday, Oct. 18 and Maine (3-4, 2-1) on Oct. 25. The next home game is about a month away when Rhode Island visits on Nov. 8.

CAA Football Standings | After Oct. 11 Games

• Source: CAASports.com